Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1855-07-15
Worth of Character.
BY LINNIE LINDEN.

BY LINNIE LINDEN.
Next to the Holy Religion of the Divine Being,
is the value of character. Character is the TWIN
SISTER of Religion. When once relinquished
how difficult to repossess. There may possibly
be found instances, in which tarnished charac-
ter has been in good degree reinstated on the
part of the sterner sex; but where is the tongue
competent to describe, or Imagination of sufficient
magnitude to portray with accuracy, the woeful
irretrievable and agonizing loss young female
sustains who has parted with character? Deplo-
rably wretched is her condition! Never while
the golden Orb of day travels the perennial can
| oPy of Heaven can she by any contract whatever
regain the priceless gem. No gentle hand can
place within her grasp the inestimable treasure
Easier would it be TO remove the everlasting hills
from their abode with the gentle breathings of
the infant, than 10 recover, pure and unsued,
rmned character. A blight far worse than Death
rests upou the unfortunate being. The "faen
one" meets with eye of pity-not word of
sympathy is allowed to reach her ear-remorse is
her only companion. Even the diaboIical cause
of this horrid mystery passes contemptuously by,
seeking, like the hyena, some new object of prey.
Parents, do not allow the infamous presence of
this vile creature possessing the form of the no.
blest work of God, it is true,) to taint, for mo-
| ment, the atmosphere of your drawing rooms,
| where you have treasures as valuable as Hirh
! Heaven can bestow-pure as the morning sun
beam-embems of peace, purity, and happi-
ness! | would remark. beware of the well-dress-
ed. geRteel, intelligent lbertine Like the Coga
his reptile breath is death. However, it is evi-
dent that this villainy is designed and accomplish
| ed principally among the iddle class. The ma
jority of young females as ignorant OF human
nature the wild bird of our groves; and when
the cruel destroyers approach, they perceive not
the deadly danger SO cunningly concealed beneath
the mask of virtue and truth, while the atrociOus
malefactors insidousy profer their sentiments of
poison, (honied with protestations Of sacred love)
to the guileess one, who listens without the least
| apprehension, whatever, of the soul-blghting in
| lection which is about to envelope and cUrrode
her future existence forever. Mu,h too long al
ready has the willy libertine been prowling in our
land this hydra infests the country as we'll as city,
and we would inquire, can no arm be uplifted to
arrest his worse than assassinating career! Can
no barrier be erected to impede his pernicous
progress? Shall his depredatons be allowed TO
any greater extent! Must the compressed cata-
logues of the wretched be enlarged still, with the
effects of his blasting influence unheeded! Hea-
ven forbid! | am not totally ignorant of the fact
that much has been done to extrpate this evil,
yet with what awful prevalence does it still exist
{, L., a., LIZ
moon breath of libertinism. / believe that man
created and placed in the beautiful abode pre-
pared for his reception, that God, his creator,
might be glorfed. Assuredly this was the intent
of Omnipotence. The object of Jehovah in Gre
atng woman, was the same, or could have been no
less! But who can illustrate comprehensivey
the manner in which the design of the Creator
has been desecrated! Lamentabe indeed are the
scenes which we daily contemplate, resulting
wholly from The devastating influence of that con-
cilating class of individuals whose only purpose
is to decoy and ruin. However, will no longer
exhibit my incompetency to depict the misery and
sickening ignominy caused by the remOrseless
libertne; yet my heart recoils at the degrading
wretchedness produced on the footstool of Ma
ture's God by beings who were created after his
own impress, endowed with the unspeakable gift
of reason, formed for high and holy vocatioHs in
this world and designed for the society of angels
throughout the vastness of eternity. Parents,
| guardians, patrons of equity, will you not make
at least one more mighty effort to protect and
preserve female reputation in the middle class oil
society? May we not hope to hear laundering
| echo of your voices in the bland and gentle
breezes, land in the halls of legislation, too)
which benefcent Heaven allows to fan this sin
| cursed earth, warning the innocent, plying the
| fallen, who ONCE reveled in the sunlight Of puri
ty and innocence, and declaimng in tones as deep
as the sea the awful horror that awaits the de-
| praved and guilty creatures who so wantOnly
traffic with that untold wealth. which, at SOME
period, has clustered around every fresde beneath
the vault of benignant Heaven. There is a be-
ing whose arm lis mighty to save" "strong to de-
liver" and in whose "right hand" the planets re-
Volve and perform their mighty revolutions. Ellis
footsteps are planted in the sea- the coral isles
of "old Ocean" are cheered with his presence,
and EVEN the sunny groves of Africa, where the
| foot of the white man hath never trod, where un-
tutored beings possessing the image of humanl-
| ty, at least0 rambIe as untamable as the beasts
of terror that with them roam through those spicy
| bowers of magniicently wild beauty-is visited