Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1857-12-11
From the Springfield Republican.
THE MORAL EFFECTS OF THE
CRISIS


THE MORAL EFFECTS OF THE
CRISIS.
When a man has for years pursued a course
Of dissipation, and. with the qualification of
his oppetitos and passions, has become bloat-
ed in his boastlinoss, there comes with good
deal Of certainty a crisis in his life. The
strained nerves rebel, and throw him into a
fever. The impure blood has ovortaxod the
excrctory organs and they break down with
their burden. lie is sick, and takes to his
bed, and there he remains until kind nature
passes through her process Of relief and re-
cuperation. Well. as the patient lies weak
and helpless, after the first gush of disap-
pointmcnt is over and the first delrium has
passed away. he begins to think His first
thought is that wine and women do not pay,
IN helong run, and, as he rovolyes the course
he has followed, with such force of Judgment
as his weakness win permit, he becomes con-
scious that pleasure is not the end of life,
that sense is something TO be husbandcd, that
the life is more than meat and the body more
than raimcnt, that he has disobeyed laws o.
bodionce TO which can only insure happiness,
and that he has made an ass of himself. and
has got to loose fifty pounds Of his III gotten
hesh, more OF less, TO say noshing Of the
nurses wages and the doctors bill Happy
for him, If, when the pulse returns to its old
rythm, and the flowers bring back fresh me-
morios Of purity and childhood, he form re-
solutions to live better life, and keep them
Like our patient, the nation is sick and
now that the first shock is over, the thinking
comes on. People everywhere are beginning
to think that there is something in the world
besides money that is worth living for,-that
there can be pleasure without palaces, hy-
menial JOY without jointures, respectability
without rent-rolls, comfort without carriages,
and even fashion without folly. 1t is stated
that IN Now York the morning prayer meet
ings were never so fully attended as now
Men are locking back to the old sources of
consolation, and recurring once more to first
principles"
What course has this country run for the
last few years What a headlong haste for
gold has pervaded every class How has
luxury built its palaces, and crowded its lar
ders, and stocked its wine-cellars, and be-
dccked its throat and arms with Jewels, and
Irobed itself in purple and fine linen. and
danced and feastcd, and lorsaken heaven -
How has the whole public mind been de-
bauched by schemes for sudden wealth entor-
ed into without conscience and perfected by
corruption How has the tone of morality
r been depressed to meet the acquisitions Of an
, unhealthy trade How has gold, gold, gold,
been the one thing sought for everywhere and
e by everybody, and how with this constantly
) kept before the eye as the chiefgood. has vir-
tue been held in low repute and Gods poor
:, condemned, and learning and wisdom made to
a take q dishonored scat in its presence, and
! religion been troddon under foot and oppros-
I sion been winked at and a successful gambler
been held better than true patriot; and
how has gold sat in the place of God in
counting room, senate chamber, court room,
and even in Gods house
We cannot for moment doubt that the
effect Of the crisis will be good--good fnan-
cially, and particularly good, morally. For
some years to come, the pride of secure pos
sessions will be gone. Thefinsanity of spec
ulation will be quenohed, and the great host
bent only on sudden wealth will sit patiently
at the feet of immutable Law, clothed and in
their mind. AS men are stripped in mo-
ment Of wealth which promised to be perpet-
ual and to increase with trade and usury, they
will find how precious above wealth and lux
ury arc the love of wife, and the prattls of un-
conscious children and the sweets of neigh
borly intercourse. They will find that the
only permanent values of the world--yaues
independent of Wall street and the price of
cotton and the wheat harvest-are virtue and
truth, and character and love,-that mind is
more than natter and God above all.
We hail, therefore, with gratitude the mo-
raj results which the present crisis is produc-
ing, and is destined to produce. We SYM
pathize with misfortunes everywhere, but the
partial evil will surely be universal good"
And now, as the time has come for new plans
and new resolutions, let us all, in view of
tho fact that there is something better than
wealth and one higher than all, whose laws
may never be disobeyed with impunty, re-
solve that henceforth our style of living shall
be modest, our homes shall be the center of
our affection, our respect shall be for men and
things intrinsically good, that our personal
honor and integrity shall be held above all
price in every transaction with our fellows,
and that, whether we rise or fall, prosper or
fail, our trust shall be in heaven. If we re-
solve thus, and abide by our resolution, we
shall come in time to bless the hand that has
afflicted us, and, looking back upon the
, blank path we are now treading, be astonish-
ed to find it paved with flowers, and heavens
sweetest sunlight resting on it.