The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1859-03-12
written for the Council Bluffs Nonparei..
SKETCHES OF COUNCIL BLUFFs-NO. 4.
BY non NARLINsPIKE.
THE YOUNG MEN.

lift the veil OF futu.lty and see the emu OK the
path they are pursuing, many of them would
start with horror at the prospect, and hurry
back to the temple of virtue. Could the
mothers of those young men draw aside the
curtain that shuts out coming events, many
a matronly face, now radiant with hope and
happiness, would be shrouded in gloom,
and many heart beating high with fond
anticipation, would be wrung with anguish
as its earthly idol instead Of rendering him
self worthy Of a mothers pride, and e
mothers love-throws away his honor, his
intellect, his manhood, and makes of him
self walking machine among the pest
houses Of vice. Sometimes the truth Is I'M
palatable. Sometimes the destinations of
Bacchnnalian revelry and Illicit love, bind
the spirit in a spell which no earthly power
can break, and the prayers and tears of
mother and sisters, the CHASTITY sickenlng
spectacles presented by WORKOUT sots and
debauchecs, and the sudden and terrible
death Of boon companions, are but straWs
in its pathway, rs it rushes on in its mad
career to ruin. Perhaps it may insult the
dignity of some Of our fast young men, to
call them worthless oilers. Possibly it may
CRATE harshly on the ears of others, to tell
them that in less than twenty years they will
be Keeling whiskey-bloatcd wretches, jeercd
and scoNed at by just such fancy fellows as
all fnr
they will not believe it--but just as sure as
the earth rolls, unless they "pnt about
and steer another course, it wiNbe SO. Ear
be it from me to read them temperance
lccture-I had better talk to the Winds
They know all about the effects of tho wine
cup, they meet its wrecks in our streets
every day, but with the strangest iniatua-
ton, they persist in declaring themselves
safe. Safe so is the man who is drifting
down toward Niagara falls in q canoe, and
has already entered tho rapids. Perhaps
they nre afraid of being laughed at, If they
become tcetotalers. What would be thought
of the man in the canoe, who should refuse
to grasp q friendly rope for fear of being
laughed at. L. is not he who shakes OIL the
fcttcrs of fatal habit, that is dolt, or
coward, but it is he who dare not DO i, for
fear of epcouatc:ng the snccrs of idle
gamblers and unpFncirlcd yagabonds.
1t is fact, that many of our Young men
regard whiskey- drinking as proof Of man.
hool-but whore have they learned this
strange theory? Did their mothers teach
it to them? No! Was it brcathcl into
! their cars with sisters love? Never! Did
their swocthearts intimate it to them? Tmpos-
siblc.-whcrc then did they gct it? From
the puylieus Of hell From the men whose
business it is TO drag down the unsuspcctlng
youth Of generous impulses, to level with
! themselves. From the men Who dare to
burn Gods image with their fiery poison,
and call honorable trade. The pupil has
learned his lesson we'll, the teachers are
competent to transform u man into Il non
dcscgipt worse than brute, and what re-
Enumeration do they rcccccivo for their aI-
mirablo course of instruction 20, simply
the dollars and cents which their spell
bound victims pay them for wAiskcy. They
are excessively moIcst-they would not for
the world, overstcp the bounds Of propcicty.
They tell you pluint;vely, that ''they must
live"-but, confess, that never could see
any particular necessity why their lives
should be prolonged a single dry. know
'1';~ eO-"'s hnr~h'y, l''t> If my ones feel
ings arc hurt by it, le; him Thank himself.
1t is not my blame. would not have him
put on the cap unless it f;s. Many Of
or young men ARE patterns of sohricty am!
dl.igencc--they are not willing to sacrifice the
ta;ure to the present. They are looking
tovWnc! to homes Of their own; AMI, some
Of thcm-I forboar to mention names-arc
even now, choosing their life partners, from
among our own girls. May success crown
their efforts, and may the h9rnv pairs live
in connubial happiness to he called grandpa
and grandma, by host of i;,tio lInw&cycs
Some of our young men, whose intentions
are good, and who wish to distinguish them
selves, do not possess sufficient intensity Of
purpose. If circumstances would form
themselves into the most favorable c)u.Ji-
nations, ready to their hand, they would be
pleased; but they have not tie energy to
grasp those circumstances and mold them
to suit themselves. A little more straight
foCwrr;lacs5, little moro go-ahcadtiyneos,
AMI they would be all r;ght-but, without
these qualities, their lives vii! prove par
ilal failure. Some Of our Young Inrn who
arc worry good fellows, seem = have no l,ur-
pose Mt all. The present appears to cagross
thcr whole attention.; and, if th"y ever dream
Of future wealth or distinction, no thought
Of patient pIoll;ng troubles their fancy,
but they reach the objects Of desire, at =
single bound. Ola age will find them still
dreaming, and the dreams of their youth
still unrcolizcd. If they wish to build mp a
fortune, and carve name in the Great
West, they must work. 1t may be up hiI
business for years, but success will event
uaily follow, as sure rs effect follows cauSr.
Like our bcncdicts, our young men hal
from every point Of the compass, and their
education has been as varied rs the customs
of the different sections they Representa-
Some Of them who are booksh, do not
possess half rs much valuable knowledge rs
others, who have paid more attention to
the study Of moH. Some of them seem to
be possessed with the idea that g fine fcath-
ers make fine BIRDS and bestow more care
upon coat or Il collar, than they do npon
their brains. Two or three of our promin-
cnt young men, seem to have an exaggerated
opinion Of their own Importance; that,
however is, of course, mere bahyish within,
and when time and experience have taught
them better, they will make very good fell
lows. Upon the whole, believe our
young men are as honest, as manly, and as
worthy Of good and pretty swecthcarts, as the
Df ,I,