Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1857-09-24
Beware Of Drifting.

Few people form habits of wrong doing
deliberately and willfully They glide into
them by degrees and almost unconsciousy,
and before they are aware of danger, the
habits are confirmed aud require resolute and
persistent effort to effect a change. Resist
beginnings was maxim of the ancients, and
should be preserved as landmark in our day
The Baltimore Sun has good article on the
slight beginnings of danger which end in fatal
ruin
1t was only the other day that man
fell asleep on the Niagara fver. During his
slumber the boat broke loose from her moor
ings, and he woke and was shooting down the
rapids directly towards the cataract In vain
he shreked for help,in vain he tried to row the
boat against the current. He drifted on and
on till his light craft upset, whenhe was borne
rapidly to the brink of the abyss, and. leap
ing up with wild cry, went over and disap
peared forever.
In the great battle of Gibraltar, when
the united fleets of France and Spain attacked
the inprel nabe fortress, one of the gigantic
floating batteries broke from her anchorage
and began to drift directly into the hottest of
the British fire. The thousand men who form
ed the crew Of the unwieId!y mass vain'y
strove to arrest it's progress or divert it from
its path. Every minute it drifted nearer to
the English guns, every minute some new part
took fire from the red hot shot, every minute
another score of its hapless defenders were
swept like chaff from the decks. The most
superhuman efforts failed to prevent its drift
ing with its human freight to inevitable death
A ship was wrecked at sea- The pas
sengers and crew took refuge on q raft, the
boats having been stove in the attempt to
launch them. For days and weeks these un-
fortunates drifted without oar or sail Oh the
hot broken tropical ocean. At last their pro-
visions failed, and then their water. Still they
drifted about, vainly looking for sail or hop
ing for a sight of land. The time had now
come when that fearful alternative became in
evtable-death from starvation or feeding on
human fesh-and they were just beginning to
cast lots for victim when q vessel was seen
on distant horizon. They abandoned their
terrible design the stranger would approach.
The ship came towards them she grew uear
er and nearer. They strove to attract her
attention by shouts and by raising their cloth
ing =; but the indolent lookout saw them not
They shouted louder and louder still they
were not seen. At last the vessel tackled
With frantic terror they rose in one body,
shouting and waving their garments. 1t was
in vain the unconscious ship stood steadily
away. Night drew on, as the darkness fell
the raft drifted and drfted in the other drec-
ton till the last trace of the vessel was lost
forever.
$50 it is in life. The temperate man who
thinks he at least will never die drunkard.
whatever his neighbor may do only wakes to
find himself drifting down the cataract, and
all hope gone. The sensualist,wh lives mere
ly for his own graifcation, drifts into an emas-
culcated old age, to be tortured with passions
he cannot CRAFTY, and perish by merciIess
agonizing diseases. The undisciplined who
never learned to control themselves, who are
spendthriftS, or passionate, or indolent or vi
sonary, soon make ship-wreck of themselves,
and drift about the sea of life the prey of
every wind and current, vainly shrieking for
help till at last they drift away into darkness
and death.
"Take care that you are not drifting
See that you have fast hold of the helm. The
breakers of life forever roar under the lee, and
adverse gales continually blow on the shore.
Are you watching how she heads ? Do you
keep a firm grip of the wheel If you give
away but for one moment you may drift hap
lessly into the boiling vortex. Young man
take care ! 1t rests with yourself alone, un-
der God, whether you reach port triumphant
ly or drift to ruin.D ..