Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1857-10-02
Beware of Driniag.

ing, deliberately and wilfully. They glide
into them by degrees, and almost uucon-
sciously, ard, before they are aware Of
danger, the habits are confirmed, and re-
quire resoIute and persistent effort to ef.
feet change. "Resist Leginnings" Was
maxim of the aneients, and should be pre-.
served as landmark in our day. The
Baltimore Sun has good article on the
slight beginnings Of danger which end in
fatal ruin
sit was only the other day, that man
fell asleep on the Niagara river. During
his slumber, the boat broke loose from her
mooriDgs, and he awoke and was shooting
down the Rapids directly towards the Cat
aract. In vain be shrieked for help. in
vain be tried to row the boat against the
current! He drifted on and on, till his
little craft upset, when be was borne rap
idly to the brink of the abyss, and, leap.
ing up with wild cry, went over and Gis-
appeared for ever!
"In the great battle of Gibraltar, when
the united fleets of France and Spain At
tackled the impregnable 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 formed the crew the
unwieldly mass, vainly strove to arrest its
progress, or divert it from its path. Ev-
cry minute, it dristed nearer to the Eng
lish guns; every minute, some new part
took FIRE from the red hot shot every min
ute, another score of its hapless defenders
were swep, like chat from the decks. The
most superhumau efforts failed to prevent
its drifting with its human freight to inev-
liable death.
"a ship was wrecked at sea. The pas
sengers and crew took refuge on raft,
the boats having been stove in the attemps
to launch them. For days and weeks,
these unfortunates drifted without oar or
sail on the hot, unbroken, tropical ocean.
At last, their provisions failed, and then
their water. Still they drifted about,
vainly looking for sail, or hoping for
sight Of land The time had now come
when that fearful alternative became in
evitable-death from starvation, or feed
ing on human fesh-and they we're just
beginning to cast lots for victim, when .
vessel was seen on the distant horizon.
They abandoned their terrible design;
the stranger would approach The ship
came towards them she grew nearer and
uea,er. TA.y ...asa to attract her atten-
ton, 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 yes.
sci tackled. With frantic terror, they rose
in one body, shouting and waving their
garments. 1t was in vain; the uncon.
scious ship stood steadily away. Night
drew on, as the darkness fell, the raft
drifted and drifted in the other direction,
till the last trace of the vessel was lost
for ever.
$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 SEN
sualist, who lives merely for his own graf
ifcation, drifts into an emasculated old
age, to be tortured with passions be can
not crafty, aud perish by merciless, ago
niziug diseases. The uhdisciplined, who
never learned to control themselves, who
are spend;brifts, or passionate, or indolent,
or visionary, soon make ship-wrsck Of
themselves, and drift about the sea Of life,
the prey of every wind aud current, vain
ly shriekiug for help, till at las. they dflfs
away into darkness aud death.
"Take care that you ar, not dr'ftis3.
See that you have fast hold Of the helm
The breakers Of life for ever roar under
the lee, aud adverse gales eonticually
blow on the shore. Are you watching
how she heads! Do you keep hrm
grip of the wheell If you give away but
for one moment, you may drift haplessly
into the boiling vortex. Young man,
take care 1t rests with yourself alone,
under God, whether you reach port, tri-
or drift to ruin"
Valuable Work.