The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1867-07-16
The Moral Code i'm Brief.

Don't drink; don't smoke; don't
chew; don't swear; don't gamble;
don't have but one wife. Love God;
but don't love God so much that you
have no time to love your fellow man.
TSensation. Lovetruth, love virtue,
and be happy. Loud applause.
This is an extract from Trains
speech on the top of Pilot Knob,
Missouri. Francis seemed to have
harmonized his moral to his physical
elevation on that occasion. The code
of practical morals is quite full in
these few lines.
Don't drink" What a fool a man
is to drink away his wages, his health,
and his brains. Benton said that
there was no excuse for drinking
spirituous liquors previous to forty
years of age, and, after that period of
life, only in a very small dram once or
twice a day, as a medicine. Forty
years are supposed to mark the urn
of life, when a little stimulation would
be beneficial, though many as little
need it at that age as ever before. 1t
is for every n to act honestly with
himself and never use that which is of
no benefit to him.
Don't smoke" Probably 'the
weed" is as little useful as anything
which man INDUCES. 1t costs a young
man at least fifty dollars to smoke,
and even at that he is a very common
smoker. This cant be afforded by
any whose income is less than one
thousand a year; and even for those
who can afford in the habit is vulgar
and demoralizing. 1t is one of the
pilots to the vortext of general dissi-
patton. But in spite of the lessons of
wisdom we suppose that young men
will continue to smoke and to drink,
and finally wallow in poverty and
groan under disordered constitutions.
Don't swear Of all vulgarities
profanity is the most shameless. 1t
argues great moral perversion and ex-
treme poverty of decent speech. 1t is
even the accompaniment of that SEN
sual vulgarity which no man of any
self-respect would indulge.
Immodest words admit of no defense,
For want of decency is want of sense.
While filthy speech shows a want
of decency, profanity proves a lack of
elevated ideas, and of language for a
full expression of ones intensity of
feeling.
Jack was embarrassed-rever hero more.
And as he knew not what to say, he swore.
Don't gamble" No n but a
scamp will gamble. The gambler
drinks, and smokes, and swears and
cheats. His aim is to get something
for nothing, and the highwayman aims
nothing more. He who cannot
make an honest living, better go hang
or drown himself, or, which is the
next best thing, go to the poorhouse.
The gambler lies in wait to entrap the
unwary and the innocent, and of all
men he is the most contemplate.
Love God" This is the great
commandment, but the second is like
unto it: Love thy neighbor as thy
self"
Abou Ben Adhem may his tribe i~noreasel
one night in a deep dream of peace,
And saw within the moonlight in his room,
Making it rich and like a lilly IN the blooms
An angel, writing in a book of gold.
Exceeding peace had made Ben Adhem
bold,
to the presence in his room he said:
what writest thou?" The angel raised
And in a voice made all of sweet accor |
Replied: 1.-THE names of those who love
the Lord"
And is mine one?" Said Ben Adhem.
May, not SO,'
Replied the angel. Abou spoke more low,
But cheerily, still: 81 pray thee then,
Write me as one who loves his fellow menu
The next night
The angels came
With a great wak'ning light,
bowed the names of whom love of
God had blest;
A I'D ~ - H. Y~J - -