The Kansas herald of freedom., 1855-02-24

upon the ocean of future life, "see pleas
ure glittering in the sunbeam of hope, and
dancing upon the waves of expectation.
whose glowing imagination points out to
you golden shores of bliss. which are al
ready yours by anticipation, beware, be-
ware, do beseech -ye, of tnat tremen-
1ous whirlpool Beware-lest In the
voyage of human life, reason should quit
the helm, and Won should be lest, blind
edly lost, among the quicksands of ini-
guilty. e
Look at the pale victim of this insatia-
bic destroyer of human Eappiness-his
cheek and beanless eye-what
language do they speak With mute
and awful eloquencc they tell of blighted
fame and fortunc-of hopes withered and
crushed-that fame, fortune, and honor,
are all fearful wreck. Hear his hollow
laugh, which tells you that lie is ruined,
and undone. His brain is all on fire,
his glaring eyeballs seem ready to burst
their sockets, rs the awful reality rushes
upon his affrighted soul. The deep pangs
of mental agony give fearful luster to
his rolling eye: his desperate mirth. his
wild convulsive joy, tell of black despair
wrung from a withercd heart .F
Look we back for moment upon his
early youth. The morning of his days
was bright and glorious. The gayest OF
the gay, and the happiest of the happy, he
set out upon tie pathway of life rejoicing
in purity and hope, loving and being
loved. But alas although his morning
sun rose without clouds, yet ere it reach
es its meridian, it is eclipsed in an evil
hour-a panderer, demon, must drag
him into may labyrinth, from whence
there is no escape. He must drown bis
love of virtue in the intoxicating bowl
Soon the wreaths of vice, which had been
treacherously thrown around him, are
hardened to an adamant.
Now what is his situation? Cain-like,
upon his brow is stamped the burning
mark of shame, and the cold hand oi
scorn is pointing withering finger al
his blighted reputation. Could he speak,
he would tell you that he has reached the
lowest point of living degradation and
woe And could he anticipate his end,
he would tell you that self-mur1er would
shortly crown his work of guilt, and de-
spair's last work be done. That the IA
ther who hung over his cradle, weaving
bright visions of the futare greatness OF
his boy, would shortly feel a dreadful sat
isfaetion as he gazed upon his coffin
that the mother, even the mother, I'M
mutable and everlasting as is her love fol
her backsliding children-she who has
so often lulled him to repose, joyed to
watch his waking-even she will moi
murmur that sleep has come upon him,
out of which he will wake no more Oh
earth, even the mother will not repine,
that the grave is made ready to receive
him, and the weary are at rest.
Young man again We say, beware
touch not the unelean thing, lest ye
perish
The Pilgrim Fathers.
Two hundred and thirty y-four years age
yesterday little band of pilgrims stepped
upon rock at Plymouth. They had
fled, band of brave and noble-bearted
men, of fair and not less noble hearted
women, from the land of thcir birth, from
the tyranny of political oppression, and
the relentless hand of religious persecu-
ton. They came to the wilds of the
new world to seek and secure liberty oil
thought and the right to worship God
according to the dictates of their OWL
consciences. They came in the depth OF
winter, when the hills and the valleys
were clad in snow, the wind howled
mournfully through the leafess trees, and
all was drear and desola.e. They came
to brave the dangers of the wilderness, to
find themselves helpless and alone, at the
mercy of savage beasts and yet more saw
age men, that they might worship their
God in peace. Helpless and alone, did
we say? Not so. They were strong in
faith, in hope, in love, and God was with
them to sustain and strengthen.
The horrors of that terrible winter no
pen has ever been able to describe, nor
can the mind of man fully conceive OF
them. The rigor of the season, the want
of comfortable habitations, the lack OF
proper food, and the total absence of all
those comforts and conveniences which
they had hitherto enjoyed, brought dis
ease and death among them, and they
felt that the hand of the destroyer was in
their midst. Yet were they not daunted,
They had faith in God, and with the spirit
of prophcsy they looked into the future,
and saw spreading over the land great
and free people, among whom the love OF
liberty would be an inborn sentiment,
which no persecution could smother, and
no tyranny root out. They had banded
themselves together by solemn compact,
for veal or woe, and they were resolved
to stand or fall together. Death thinned
their numbers, and as one after another
fell in his cold embrace, an agonizing
prayer went up from among them, and
they suffered and were strong" Ban
ishment was better to them than religious
and death than abrogation of
their faith. They would never bow the
knee to Popish mummeries, nor aeknowl-
edge other spiritual sovereign than their
God.
The spring came, and found them re-
duced and stricken, but not cast down.
They had commenced the work of build
ing up nation, whose cornerstone was
the Bible. They had founded themselves
upon the Rock of Ages, and they could
not fall. Their plan of government took
Its root in the immutable principles of
truth, and, blessed with the benignant
smiles of Providence, it grew and flour
ished, and has spread itself over the
whole nation. The child that was born
amid trial and tribulation has grown into
Almighty giant, strong and sinewy. ~
Ii is well, upon the anniversary of this
great; epoch in the worlds history, to
glance back at the past, and take counsel
for future action, The blood of our ia
theirs still runs in the veins of their chill
dren. The principles they inculcated
were vital, and cannot be smothered BY
the implantation Of abominable errors,
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