Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-02-28
For the Chronicle.

serve Communication calling to remem-
brance Il rmer tiinss, and .elso referring to
the present condition aud prospects Of the
young men OF your town; and from the
hints and illusions the writer makes,
infer that their course o. conduct in gener-
IA is very far from being praisewVfthy.-
But bad gs it is, corrupt as the state of
society in yoir town may bet is much
10 be dep.ored that i, finds u parallel in
majority OF the Villages ol our Country. II
is indeed a melancholy fact, that from some
source or other the mDds Of the rising
generation are receiving a very powerful
bias to evil clTruptngs SIeam is some
here flowing in our midst, Of whose
poisonous waters they are drinking the
elements Of their final RON. y It's bsne.
rul aNd bewitchng influence upon heir
animal and inte.leclual nature, it IS drag.
gin5 aud ~ eeping countless mutitudes into
scenes of debauchery, Drunkenness and
crime. In spite Of all the multiplied ne Ir5
( of Improvement in scientific cultivation OF
the understanding, and the advantages Uf
mental and moral education, which we as
a people enjoy il seems almost Impossible
to make any lasting or controlling inaIencs
f1r good upon the minds o. those under
our care. Ga the other hand it seems as
though these very advantages are made use
of, to increase the power aGd strengthen ihe
bands Of vice
Now believe IL 10 be the bounden duty
Of eve individual, who has at heart the
highest 60 ID of our race, as ar as may
lie within his power to make inquiry into
this na'tcF, and e1dearor i! pose bu TO
find oot the cause or causes, that are in.
dacing, or bringing ubou! this deplorabe
state OF morals among the youths Of our
land and at the same time offer some re.
mejy that wili be Likely to check te fearful
tide, in its devastltiag march, aud thus
avert the dre ead' 'ul doom that seems to be
awaiting those tAut ae no" struggi ing
with its dsrksonle waves | am aw5re,
however, that very mnny have endslyorcd
to point oit the source from whence these
evil, flow, and ! know not whether shall
be able to throw any additional light upon
the subject, or ofIer any remedy that will
successfully apply to the removal Of the
cause. 1t is my object at the present,
merely to call attention to what conceive
to be grevous de:ect in the majority uf
those systems Of edpca ion lha; we have
hitherto employed That is simply this;
we have sInns. invat ibiy separated the
int ,!ectull educ iiion rom III, moral. la
our abunIabt haste to bring the mental
culture of our children T. perfection, we
s,rely neglected the more smportapt plrl,
the moral nature We have in great
measure been prone to rest in the too
superb 'ial educ alton Of our proyerbai,y
precocIots young people, while those prin.
crples % maralty aud virtue that co as.i-
tute the time basis o: wisdom, have been
considered a. mitter OF much smaller
importance; little dreaming that we were
thus increasing the temptation 10, aud Gu
pability for mischief and crime, without
placing any intluentli or prominent barrier
in the way OF its succ ssful accomplish
ment. More than this. | belevs hat the
Sficts can be brought forward to snbstantate
the assertion; that the reas m why SO few
o'eour Young men ever attain 10 anything
like iHisEiec!lal renown, or great menra
ac1uirements, il becouse their moral train.
ing has been perverted or neglected. The
case is perfectly plain and ineligible -
( 4
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- '''o" a''unu 'u '''er, anu VI. P'"u''u
'""a'"o0 ~ WV "o' 'a,' W 1A0'' o''' ,'e''
oo"uuo', .'' '"os Ne ea'.'y uo''"y 'o'.
P'''' y W. ""u
es'sn"s pe'o ''at "1u't o'' ''he'"''7
''"s soo'et' d'D t"ey SUN oeoO'I''
90 ueePV '"Sn'reu '''u eh'a"gieu III 'hO
"'e' anu sou'ue'"o. 'nS ,hHueh'ea u
m'uh'ght scehef o. reVe'ry ahu CRIME tha'
II Is a'lh )'t nl'e' Oh ihPosSioilliy' 10
a'ouSe 'ne" 10 sense Vi e'r" in'h'hehl
aahse'' or arre7' thsih N 'helr DOWNWARD
r'au 10 shame anu MISERY "hile on th'
! o'he' "Hhd II III are oP'ri! taught ina
theY arr Hcc'sh'ao'e ana res s'ons'o'e oeings
1-hiVIhg du'tes 10 periur" IN reference u
their own lu' tre "eH-o'ihg Oh earth-!i
respect TO "heir reiatlohs To society al large
anc IN respect oil the more exalted eiaim
oi the'r creator'--they "ouiu nave power
'nl safeguard surrounding them' shie'dini
them from the hliurin9 tempt1tiDnS Ci wee