Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-10-30

gar, OF tie leIioW WHO uleS upon The SaI-
t lows, consigned to the cold, damp earth,
and there to remain until the great day
when the grave shall give up their dead;
: their friends may costly monuments
to mark their last resting place, and to tell
to the passer by that there lies the remains
l of one who possessed much Of this worlds
goods, but whose wealth is now perhaps in
4 the possession of an unworthy child To
curse and bring him to dishonor, and per
hapS to debauchery and an unlamented and
unwept death.
While honesty, industry and virtue, pre-
pares the young man for the honorable dis
charge Of all the duties imposed upon him.
: it makes manhood flourishing, and old age
happy.
We, as young men, are called upon 10
) prepare ourselves for future usefulness.
There is scarce day passes that we do not
hear of the death of some one of our great
and useful citizens. 1t is with sincere re.
gret that We witness their decay; but the
God of nature in his justice, consequent
upon the rebellion and disobedience Of man,
has thus decreed that "dust thou art, and
into dust thou shalt RETURN" and as they
are taken from the stage Of action, wc aro
called upon to take their place.
Our beloved country, with all its ins,i-
tutions, both religious and political, will
ere long be placed in the hands Of the
young men of the present day, and We will
be held accountable before the final tribu-
nal for he faithful discharge o: our duties.
1t behooves us, .hen, to well understand
the great responsibility which soon vii!
rest upon our shoulders; We have no tims
to loose; the vigor of youth viii soon be
driven from our mortal frames, and if We
fail to SOW the good seed in youth, we viii
fail to reap the rich reward in old age.
1t is highly important, then, that We
should, without delay, set to work to un-
derstand the history of our country. Its re.
lations to, and intercourse with, other
countries. We should also acouaint our
selves with is commercial and business
relations, and investigate all the affairs of
our government with the closest scrutiny.
In this way we can prepare ourselves TO ad
minister the affairs Of our government with
honor to ourselves and profit to our coun-
try. We can then keep and maintain tie
already exalted position that we now hold
in comparison TO other countries.
We, as nation, have beer blessed with
everything that we could consistently ask.
While other countries have been entangled
and their very foundations racked, by the
horrible effects of woe, We have enjoyed
comparative peace and quiet. We have
had in days that are passed, honest and ca
pable men to administer the affairs of our
government, who felt that they were ac-
countable to an almighty for the manner in
which they discharged their duties Their
actions are still on record, and shine as
brilliant lights to guide us in onr onward
course, and which, if strictly followed by
us, will bring us out victorious.
Our country is at present laboring under
a great political excitement, ahd we. as
young men inexperienced in political af-
fairs, and consequently uncontaminaed bv
the foul influence of party prejudices, are
now called upon to take part in the affairs
of our government. We should, then, with
the greatest caution, care fully examine the
condition of our country, and then ask our
selves in what way can serve my coun-
try best before we commit ourselves with
any party, or pledge ourselves TO support
any man, and establish the custom of ask
ing Of candidate sis he honest, AID is nc
capable" instead of asking to what party
does he belong before he is exalted to any
office of either honor or profit. And then,
with the assistance of divine Providence.
when we are ready to give up all things
earthly, we can deliver up to our success
ors this great and glorious country, pure
and undefled, from our hands, and it then
can be said of us. that the world is better
! for our having lived in il. ".
BEAUTIFUL FIGURE.-Life is beautifully
compared to fountain fed by thousand
streams that perish if one be dried. 1t is
silver chord twisted with a thousand
strings, that part asunder if one be broken
Frail and thoughtless mortals are surroud-
ed by innumerable dangers. which make il
much more strange that they escape 50
long, that they almost all perish suddenly
at last. We are encompassed with acci-
dents every day TO crush the mouldering
tenemcnts we inhabit The seeds of disease
are planted in our constitution by nature.
The earth and atmosphere whence We draw
the breath of life, are impregnated with
death. health IL made fo onerata = o,-n