Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1851-08-22

y aiufete[aee sopers. Ihe coffin was placed
upon the bier, and was carried by four, drum
kards, who were actually reeling under their
load, to secluded spot in the graveyard.
whore, without a tear being she'd, without a
sigh being uttered, it was covered m nrasr
the cold elod of the valley and the two
brothers went back tothe house death tba
grog-shop, to drink. and to die 4 similar
death, and to go early down to the same ig-
noble grave, The others. after lingering
for few moments, as if arrested bv tbe
snought that the grave would be soon their
house, followed. stood for short time
over the grave. after all had retired. ponder
ing the deeply impressive scenes tbrougb
which bad 50 rapidly passed. And Is
this, said Ito myself, the grave Of the elrnn.
kard 2 And the prayer, almost tinconsc;-
ousiy, rose from my heart to heaven, sOGod
save my children's children to their latest
generation from making such contribution
as this to the congregation Of the dead. ;
As | retired from the graveyard tho fol-
lowing lessons, suggested and illustrated lv
TINS narrative, we're deeply impressed on nv
mind s - - w
f l. How great is the responsibility Of mar
ents With whatmoral certaintvt6ev form,
the character of their children after the mo-
del of their4oWnl Careless and irrelieious
themselves, their children copy their exam
pie; but because destitute Of their irmness
OF character, they yield to every temptation
nntl they can commit sin with greediness.
-Afere the parents Of this young man. wboI
was laid down in drunkards 5 grave q,
which no tear Of sorrow has ever fallen. trl,-
y and consistently pious, how different might
have been his life and his death Hoy
many parents lay the foundation for the
temporal and eternal ruin Of their children d
z. How sad the effects which usually fol,
'om pw Sae habitual violation of the Sabbath d
a. xln neee the checks and the restraints which
sN sns oue oDSel- -enec of the Sabbath places
~ -. ~. IAs, The habitual viola
ters OF the Sabbath are us,ll,, 49,
ed in theways Of SIN and to pee9 pssOse nsroen-
sociates Of such is to ensure the end 'he ~ !, ~
proverb, 'the companion Of fools shall be deg.
treyed. Had this young man been brought
up to remember the Sabbath.day, he might
have been saved to the cause Of virtue and
useful 5iess and from an early, ignoble, and
unknown grave. The due observance Of
the Sabbath is alike necessary to the attain
ment Of temporal and spiritual good.
3. How selfish and hard the hearts Of
those who live by rumi It base busi-
ness to seliit by small quantities for tho sake
Of making living. It is in opposition to
divine. and usually TO human law. And so
plainly is thunder the ban Of the world'sre-
probation, that but few, save the hardened
wicked, engage init. And ifa man Of kind
and generous nature engages in it, bis heart
soon becomes hearts of steel. Mr.. H..
the keeper of the grocery, was, naturally, a
kind man he became seller of LIQUOR. a.
gainst law, by the small measure. He kent
and fed poor S. as long as he was able
to shoot squirrels or rats. Many is the dav
he spent in the salt marshes to earn his whis-
key And when his peor frame gave way
Under the vile work, the man who did SO
much to degrade him, turned him out to die
IN the street. There is not class of men
upon earth who deserve so little at the
hands OF their fellow men. as dc these retail
ers of liquid death blythe gill I -
4. How degrading is the vice Of intem-
perance Itrnins soul, body, and charac-
ter. And BY eleyating mean appetite
above reason, and conscience, and iudg-
ment, it degrades man to the level Of tbe
brute. Here was a young man, ofrespecta-
bic parentage who, by taking glass after glass
became a drunkard. Habifual intenper-
ance untitled him for any business-he be
came the tenant of q low grocery, the fumes
from which, of winter evening. were sick
ening ); he became the slave of a low grocer
for to earn glass of whiskey be would
spend the day and sometimes the night in
the salt marshes catching rats. When no
longer able to earn his glass. he was turned
out to die. After he breathed his last in a
negro hut, his corpse was taken to barn /;
by the charity of the pious alone was hisdead
body saved from exposure, and by The hands
Of drunkards be was carried to an ignoble
grave, unwept and unregretted. And all
this is only the degradation which It brings
on the body !! 1t is an immuta bic law Of
Jehovah, that no drunkard shall ever inher-
4 it the kingdom Of God
Drunkenness is thus characterized by
Watson, an old Puritan divine - There is
no sin which doth more eface Gods image
than drunkenness. 1t disguiseth person
and doth even uRman him. Drunkenness
makes him have the throat of a fish, the bel
/ ly ofaswine, and the head of an ass. Drunk
enness is the shame, of nature, the extin-
guisher of reason, the shipwreck Of chastity,
and the murderer Of conscience. Drunken
ness is hurtful to the body-the cup kills
more than the cannon It causeth dropsies,
eatarrhs, apopleyics ;---it fills the eyes
with fire, and the legs with water, and turns
the body into hospital. But the greatest
hurt il doth is to the soul excess. Of wine
breeds the worm ofcenscieuee. The drunk
ard is seldom reclaimed by repentance, and
j the nrouna cf !. s-,,srtl.r hll.,.-o l.. IL.