American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-02-10

dered through its vast apartments, think
ing herself free and alone. Its gates stood
open as when she entered, only spider
had stretched his fine, light, almost invisi-
BILE web across the portals. This is fee
| BILE obstacle, and the princess feels no
doubt of her power to brush it aside with
her delicate fingers when she is ready to
resume her journey.
At length she resolves to quit the place.
She raises the web very easily, but there
is second one behind She pushes this
aside, when a third, bars her way. This
is lifted but there is fourth, a fifth,
sixth Boldly she pushes them aside,
but still web succeeds web. Her strength
is put forth until she is ready to drop
with fatigue But her heart is bold and
she struggles still Vain struggles !
There is no end of these obstructing webs
They are fine, light, but mighty in their
selfrenewing strength. They exhaust
both her power and her cSrage. She
gives up the contest. Her hands fall list
lessly by her side The princess is pris-
oner
Poor princess Pooryoung world
ling Like her, you move with p easure
in palace of beauty and light, cherish
ing the fancy that you are free to go or re-
main, to drink deeply or lightly of the
wine of selfish indulgences, orto abstain
altogether if you so will And like her
you see not how selfish habits are weaving
webs in your path, nor how one sinful hab-
it leads to another, until the gorgeous
world of your sinful choice will become
your Bastile, from which you find no
egress save by the low gateway of faith in
Christ, or by the "sorrow of the world"
and eternal death.
Do you doubt this view of your liberty?
Test it, then, by an experiment on your
self. Free yourself from the bonds of
your favorite pleasures. Break away from
your chosen haunts and from your elect
companions. Abandon the god of this
world, and attempt to take your first steps
in the path of religious duty, which is
the true way of virtue Try to do these
things with all the moral might of your
unassisted nature, and see if you do not
find yourself the slave of your own self.
ish lusts-see if with Paul's unregener-
ate man you are not soon led to cry out,
Glow to perform that which is good |
find not" and if, persfsting in the trial,
you d. not at length groan out your de-
spair by crying 40 wretched man that |
am who shall deliver me from the body
of this death?"
Trust not, therefore, for security against
the great and terrible liabilities of your
earthly career, to your moral habits, your
pride of character, your faithful but much
maltreated conscience. They are not re-
liable guardians over your safety They
cannot grapple with such foes to your
life-success as crowd the highways of the
gay world you have chosen to serve. IF
you trust to them you will, in all proba-
bility, be left to fall into some folly which
will be the evil genius of your life. Your
vanity, or pride, or love of power, or lust
of gain, your social affections, or your
quick imperious temper, your envy, NAL
ice, or revenge, your dread of poverty,
your fear of ridcule, or some other self
ish desire, passion, or propensity, will drag
you down from the serene heights of peace
full innocence into the gloomy valleys of
mental wretchedness, and, it may be; into
the still gloomier depths of poverty, shame,
and possibly of crime
Pause, then, beloved young worldling,
iny your gay career. Listen to the warning
voice of him who, knowing the path you
tread, says of it: " There IS a ray ,ohtch
seenseth right unto a man, bit the end there
Of are the rays Of dedth." Consider also
these lines of old Francis Quarles:
80 what crocodian world is this
Composed of treacheries and ensnaring wiles;
She clothes destruction in a formal kiss,
And lodges death in her dectful smies
She hugs the soul she hates; and then does prove
The veriest tyrant where she to love;
And is serpent most when most she dove.n
/ ~~.-><
Bas~ A skunk once challenged lion to
single combat The lion declined accept
ing it. "How p said the skunk, ''are you