The Delaware herald., 1854-04-12
Criminal Artitles.
Written for the Herald.
INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY;
Its Bearing on the Temperance Cause
BY BENEDICT.

THERE is no subject which rational mind
should more deeply ponder, than its own per-
sonal responsibility. Every man has duties de-
vOlvmg upon him, which he only can discharge.
He is responsible 10 his friends, TO society, to
his country, and TO mis- God. " No man l.veth
to himself or dieth to hinscl;'' his influence is
ever being exercised upon those with whom he
associates, and woe to thai whose infu-
ence IS AZ war with the caGs O virtue, and
opposed 70 iui.aa happiness; truly may it be
sa Oi A.Iu, wers better Tor nm shIt a Tmill-
stone were A.ngcu boa, neck ma ne were
drowned the ~epths OF the scr." Upon this
doctrine of maas n,i v:uu responsibility, rests
mans fa.c, As an ildividuli, aota OF Jl,u, and
eternity, anI upon it rests the hop 81 the world.
No mla ever accompl shed auyth.l1 worth an
effort, for "A nsel,, ur for the WOrii, WIZ. III not
feel lis welrat Uni.r IS Iiu Ice the Zoos
and great tv,s s0ns or. 20 boz and strive,
ami tn. dpresS has been lefs upon society;
ana the elcla.nlt.oa ot the .dsGaapd soul mas
ever been: " Oh, tne i" .ga, O. tAls RESPONSE
b.llty! sam | my brothers. kceper!" has
been the language of the thoughtless and the
cious, from the interjectIon of guilty Abel
down to the present hour, and enlightened con-
science has ever been pressing home upon
human hearts their responsibility to others; and
In proportion as this is felt and realized will man
be found to live in the discharge OF the duties de-
volvlng upon him. Every man is, to a certain
extent, his"brother's keeper, and TO some extent
accountable for him; and God in his infinite wis
dom, has so constituted man that his true happi-
ness is only found in realizing and acting upon
this responsibility. Itmay impose on him labor
and TOLL but he feels that in that labor he is bless
ed the mere wording who looks only to his
own private benefit, without a thought or care
for others, may affect to deride sentiments like
these, but he feels in his own conscience their
vitality and force, and, while he pursues his
ignoble course, deeply feels that
He who noble ends by noble means obtains,
Or failing, smiles in exile or in chains,
Like good Aureous lei hun reign or bleed,
Like Socrates, this man Is great indeed"
Now, whoever thou art, gentle reader, apply
this doctrine of your own personal responsibility
to the evils growing out of the use of intoxica-
ting drinks.
The influence of these drinks upon the human
family-the sad havoc they have made with
human happiness-is but too familiar with all
the master evil of society-any other single vice
dwindles into insignifcance when compared
with it! When we group together its 100000
ruined victims-when, in fancy, we stand be-
side the $4,000 Americans who every yeal
grapple with death, under every conceivable
form of degradation, and infamy, and wretched
ness--when we group together the relatives o
these dying victims of this monster vice, loving
heart-broken wives, beggared and orphaned
children, gray haired sires and mothers, gather
ed around the dying victims of intemperance
with all the deep yearnings which only tn,
mothers heart can feel-when we follow th'
souls of these wretched ones, in their darkeninl
fight, to regions of deepest gloom where hop
and peace visit not--when the sad though
comes up that not one Of these thirty thousand
who annually die in our happy land by intem
perance, shall ever have one ray Of light, o
peace, or hope, to visit their wretched souls, bu
shall ever remain a "blasted wilderness of un
dying thought" the sad realities of the evils c
intemperance comes home to every bosom, an
y well may the startling inquiry arise, f" wha
have done to stay thisdesolating tide of evil 7
And ask you, reader, what have you done =
If you have pondered these evils deeply in you
heart, sympathised with runs ruined victims
and, by precept and example, done all that yo
could do, to arrest the surges Of this whelmin
tide of woe, then your own conscience, and me
y and angels, shall hold you guiltless of the
blood. But, if you have stood idly by, withol
cne effort TO roll off this dread evil from societ
wfSpped yourself in mantle Of selfshness al
colby. unieelingly asked, sam ! my brother
keeperv your conscience, and all good me
and the God who is booking down upon yo
shall write 10 the fearful charge, ssThy brother
blood crieth 70 me from the ground" Br
reader of mine, Il, worse than cold indifference
thou hast stood by with cynic sneer. and RI
culed and found fault with every effort of othe
to stay this tide Of esil; it, forgetfal Of yo
duty d. man, patriot, = christian, thou hs
thrown the weight of thy Mduence against I
cause of temperance, then may God pity a
pardon thee and awake thee to some sense
the responsibilities under which thSu art livil
but thou art already awake, and eyer whitley
read, conscience, with its monitory voice,
laundering in your eass-
-ys knew yow dusy bus " did isnot"