The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1853-09-20
Tcmpcr-ItS Pcrils and its Penalties.

produces III SOCIAL lUlclCouISc.
TcunDcr-Tts Pcrils and its Penalties.
"Full many mischicS follow cruel wrath,
Abhorred bloodshed and tumuuous striic
INN anly murder and unthrty Seattle,
Bitter despite, with rancorous rusty kulfc,
And tretting grief the enemy Of life"
A large portion of the misery Of mankind may
be attributed to the ntrmitics Of temper. Tie
cases are rare indeed in which an individual can
pass through life, even for single week, without
discovering at the close that the annoyance and
pain have been caused by the indulgence of Il
hasty or petulant spirit or the utteralce of some
harsh or uucallcd.for remark. We are all more
or less the creatures of temper, while the peace
of many a family is constantly disturbed, and
the lives Of many innocent persons are frequent.
ly emlittercd by the improper indulgence OF
temper The slightest cause is sufficient to i'll
duce irasciJility, the merc>t trlle will sometimes
produce domestic whirlwind And then, too,
when the fcnd Of an unyovcrarable temper IS
fully aroused, who may measure the bounds Of
its violence, or venture to predict The conse-
quenccs? How many lcIrts may be panied,
and what scenes Of anxiety may be produced at
home: At this moment it is probable there arc
Thousands of individual suffering in Philadelphia
from the effects Of temper. There are few III
deed who can conmand and control themselves
at all times. The anxirlics Of life are clcula-
ted to disturb and irritatc; sickness is apt to
make one lrctful; misfortune often saddcns and
sours the disposition, while sclishucSs and obti.
macy exercise sad Influence upon temper. The
trials and lrium lIS Of buman nature in this re-
siect would, could they lie detailed, abound with
useful lessons Will. Oh the other hand, the
fearful Consequences OF Il violent temper, con>c-
qucrccs that have often involved the shedding
IF blood, would, could they he depicted i'll llvid
Iancuar. and condensed within reasonable linn
its, at once admoniSh and appal. We days
since heard of a case i'll which two individuals
who had sworn to i.e faithful to each other for
life, became so excited and nfamcd, that each
subsequently confes. cd that the demon Of tenn
per had SO mastered them fora time, that fearful
acts of violence were contemplated. And yet
they both admitted that anything Of the kind
would have been a source of rcgrcl and anguish
to them for the rest Of their days. Nay, how
many awful scenes have taken place under pre-
c!scly the same circumstances How much
sorrow and rclnure has been experienced because
Of the deeds done and language uttered under
the influence Of tcInpcr-dccds never to be for
gotten, AMI language never to be cllaccd from
the memory In all the relation> Of domestic lfe,
a command Of temper is absolutely indi>pcrS:l-
blc. Let the head Of the household forget him
srf in this respect and all the blessings Of calm,
OF peace, Of tranquility and dccorum, will specdi-
ly disappear.
1t is indeed impossible to imagine the extent
to which an ungovcrnabe temper may carry its
unfortunate victim, or the deporaLe censc-
quences that my ensue.
Doubtless there arc many at this moment who
are groaning in pcnitcntiarcs who, could they
have governed themselves, aud kept check
upon their temper, would have been min-ling
in society as useful and honorable cilizrnS. They
now discover the error, but, alas, too late! How
important lhcn that in the education Of children,
the temper should he locked to as well as the
morals, the manners and the mind. OF late
years, incompatbiIity Of disposition has been
alleged in many cases AS the chicf ground for
divorce. In other words, the parties could not
agree, the one Or the other, or perhaps both, be-
ng louchy, impatient, ira>ciblc-that is to say,
huh trmpcrcl Others again live on in misery
for years, ever and anon annoying themselves and
others BY bursts Of passion, its Of violence, and
gusts Of temper. Converse with them upon the
subject, and they will admit the infrmily, and
at the same time contend that it is impossible
to control it, If this indeed be the c;l>c--iflhry
cannot command themselves, but are liable ut
any moment to indulge in some fearful outbreak,
they are among the most unfortunate Of man
kind. A sleeping devil may be said to occupy
their bna>ts, whose SlumbcrS may be disturbed
aud fury reused at any moment, nay, sometimes
bv 4 word or 4 mere look. The victim therefore
is constantly at the mercy Of his icnd. He may
sometimes b. prompted to violence, my, to muir
der-and, indeed, many Of tn" homi d.S that
take place in civilized society, are pcrpctratcd
when reason is mastered by temper, and when
the whi:!wind Of passions rags without thought
or Il regard to consequence. Alas for the poor
wretch who is constantly giving way to bursts OF
temper, who not only renders himself unhappy,
but annoyS pains and makes miserable all over
whom he can exercise authority, and many who,
under other circumstances, would look up to,
love aud respect him. -Phii". I'q"irer.