Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1864-05-06

seeking ways 10 ENJOY themselves uey cOh-
menced promenading around one of the rooms
singing at the same time these lines,
"Come, ye who wicked and wild in your ways,
'.Come, SOW your wild oats in your youthful days,
Sand you shall be happy as you grow older"
The thing was done in youthful glee and with
out any evil intention. But the minister felt
that he ought to speak to his young friends on
the subject. Accordingly, just before it was
time for the company to disperse, he called
their attention, as he usually did on such oc-
casions. He kindly told them that by singing
such sentiment they would do themselves
great HARM He told them that it was not true
that by sowing s'wild oats in their youthful
days they would secure happiness as they grew
older He talked to them perhaps five minutes,
reasoning with them calmly and kindly yet
firmly endeavOring to teach them lesson of
wisdom. The result was that perhaps most of
them went home angry, and declaring they
would never go to his house again. But there
| was another result The first results of things
are not always the best or most lasting. Not
one of these young men or young women could
possibly forget the minister's words. Those
words were fixed IN every mind. Nor could one
of them avoid reflection. And reflection told
| them that the minister right and that he
had done his duty in running the risk of Offend
ing them by speaking as he had done. Well,
another year soon rolled around, and the people
were again gathered at the minister's house for
adonation party. And, how did those young
folks fulfil their threat not to go again to such
gathering? Why, they ,oere there in larger
numbers than ever before, and had more ration
al enjoyment. But they sung no songs about
wild oats. And yet they went away better sat-
iified than before, sure that the minister wished
to do them good.
The mistake of those young people is made
by hundreds, who suppose that youth is the
time for mirth and enjoyment. Nor is there
any objection to enjoyment, provided only it is
of the right sort. Surely young man, as well
as an old one, should enjoy right things, not
wrong things-things that are beneficial not
things that are injurious. There are no benefi-
cial results flowing from practices which are
called sowing wild oats.
In seeking enjoyment the young often get in
TO habits of irregularity in their living. They
keep late hours frequently, and have no system
in their life Now it is well known that regu-
larity is one of the conditions of health and Wig
or. No man can expect to enjoy permanent
health who is not systematic i'll his habits Of
eating and sleeping. But the pursuit of pleas
ure often induces the young to violate the laws
of nature in this respect. They SOW wild
OATS indeed And what results follow? The
constitution is enfeebled; or rather is prevented
| from becoming strong. Then there is early de-
cav of the powers The man becomes old at
tbirty-fi or younger, at least parity because
of keeping irregular hours
| Another species of wild oats consists in the
use of Intoxicating drinks. The goblet makes
the time of iovial enjoyment pass off the more
satisfactorily. The youthful drinker has no in
| tention of becoming drunkard, not he. He
only wants to enjoy himself while he is young.
But he soon finds habit fixed upon him, that
he cannot shake off. The result is all the suf-
fering all the loss, all the disgrace of drunken
ness. The wild oats bear a most bountiful, but
most terrible harvest. And this harvest must
all be reaped.
ssWild oats are sowed in the smoking of ci-
gars. and other uses of tobacco. There are men,
undoubtedly, who ought to use tobacco. 1t is
an appropriate medicine for some malady from
which they suffer. But, very few use it for any
such purpose tits fashionable to smoke, and
young men early and purposely acquire the
| L - L.. ho iS
that we see many, whose constitutions are not
yet established, using 'the weed to their
great detriment. Many young man of spare
habit, light and thin, hardly more than shad-
ow at best, is drying up the little vitality, the
little muscle that he has, by the of tobacco.
And so the community is full of men in middle
life who are inveterate users of tobacco to their
great disadvantage, but who cannot gather up
either moral or physical courage enough to es-
cape from their foolish and hurtful habit. All.
the wild oats grow. They prolific grain,
They cling to the soil. They insist upon bear
ing the ripe hearvest.
And still, all wild oats are not equally
wild Whisky drinking is wilder than tobacco
chewing And as we go down in the scale OF
badness we come to profanity, gambling and Ii
centiousness. Into these do youth often fall
while sowing their wild oats, and seeking fol
enioyments. Any one of them is hurtful, even
alone But the evil is greatly magnified by the
fact that two three, more, or all of them are
often found together. When found together, o
course they bear their fruits more abundantly
and more speedily.
How much better would it be for individuals
and for the community at large, if the young
would cultivate habits of regularity and tenn
perance in all respects, and would also cultivate
a taste for the enjoyment to be found i'll study
What is the use of wild oats" to anybody
Connected with the evil practices into which the
Young are so apt to fall, there is great deal o.
needless pecuniary expense. There is waste
of time also. There is a neglect of OppOrtuni-
ties to secure information. Those who acquire
a thorough education are not, in general, favor
ed by better opportunities than others who grow
ND without an education. The truth is that the
great majority of those who grow up among US
in ignorance orwho fail to acquire more than
the simplest elements of education, do not care
to learn more. They have too many wild oats
to SOW The time and means wasted i'll vicious
and hurtful enioyments would give to the great
masses of those who waste them, a good educa-
ton We can never expect the community tC
arrive at proper degree of virtue and intelli-
gence until wild OATS shall be much more
rare than at present b.
Council Proceedings.
On the evening of April 26th, Council met
at their room. Present Mayor. L. Q. Rawsoni
Councilmell-D. Garvin J. s. Vanness, |. Dry
foos Charles Thompson, John KoOns. Absent,
Recorder, Krebs, D. Garvin chosen Recorder,
pro tenn.