Nebraska advertiser. [volume] (Brownville, Nemaha County, N.T. [Neb.]) 1856-1882, 1870-02-24


No character can be built up in fair
and beautiful proportion without a
strict regard for honesty. A man
should scorn to defraud his fellow-man
out of one farthing. A sacred regard
should ever be cherished for the rights
of others. Let them be ever so weak
or ignorant; by whatever name or ma
ture; in whatever position in life; Of
what ever sex or color, a man should
blush to intrude upon the rights of
others; rights which belong to them
by the fact that they have an exis-
tence by the will of the great God,
and are children of the same Heaven
ly Father.
In buihfIng up character, one must
put.himself under severe discipline !;
watching continually and praying al
ways, lest he should fall.
We look down upon the beautiful
infant the handsome boy, growing
up into noble manhood, just and
generous.
When the enemies of their race
write over the doors of their habita-
tions, 4Saloon;" the young man is
lured in; sees the wine sparkle; the
poisonous stimulant goes coursing
through his veins and maddening his
brain, and his character begins to
blacken; the heart strings which were
entwined around him of those who
loved him, begin to quiver in an ag-
ony ready to break. What must be
the anguish of a loving heart in an
agony of grief, with streaming eyes
raised to heaven, thanks God she is a
widow, and her babes are orphans.
"Let him that standeth take heed lest
he fall.''
No intellectual power, no literary
attainment, no princely surroundings
of wealth can Dover the depths in a
character wanting in moral tone.
Garrett Smith, of New York, the
millionaire; is it his great wealth
which makes his name spoken of
with affection by all who love human
ity, freedom and justice? No! it is
his worldwide philanthropy which
makes him go into sympathy with all
the suffering of earth. considering
those bound, as bound with them
whose eloquence and cultivated
speech has done so much for the op-
pressed black man. His great and
generous nature resorts to no subter-
fuge of lies; no tricks of reasoning to
show that the great Creator approves
of bondage; that slavery is divine
institution.
A more brilliant intellect a more
lovely poetic genius never put on a
material form than Lord Byron, but
clouds and darkness are round about
his name because he was not pure in
character.
A name is seen written in bright
ness on the moral horizon. 1t moves
upward, upward like the sun climbs
up through the rosy clouds of the
eastern sky at early morn, rising high
er and higher into the perfect day. 1t
is Abraham Lincoln. If Bonapart
was "man of Destiny" Lincoln was
man of providence; raised up to
remove the fetters from a people in
bondage. He stood in the midst of a
charmed circle composed of the heart
desire and will-pOwer of the good
and true of earth, and of angel infiu-
ences in "the heavenly places" In
the might and power of these inf1u-
ences, he said African slavery III the
United States shall be no more. Be
hold he spake and it was true, Now,
why could he gather around him such
a power? For this reason, besides a
noble intellect and generous nature,
he was pure in heart. 1t would be
well for statesmen to learn a lesson
here and be wise.
Do school teachers always fully re-
aIize how much they have to do in
forming character and determining
destiny of the children to whom they
give instructions day by day? Who
ever forgets the impression of child
hood? Who can wonder so far into the
land of the stranger, that his thoughts
will not revert back to the home Of
his childhood; the dear old school
house the teachers he loved so well?
Then and there lessons were learned
which will never be forgotten les
sons which will be read before the
tribunals of heaven, to bless or curse
the instructors of childhood and
youth. Then should not teachers
avail themselves of every oppOrtuni-
ty of properly fitting themselves for
teaching?
To set a noble and beautiful life be-
fore the view, as model to initiate
does much toward forming a right
character. So those who fix their
gaze long and intently upon the char
acter of surprising loveliness and
majesty of the great teacher-Jesus.
Like the Isrealites of old who looked
upon the brazen serpents, until en-
traneed, all poison left their bodies.
So the christian with his gaze fixed
on the Christ, becomes fascinated un
der the glory and influence of his
character, until rapt in beautiful Wis
ion, he becomes transformed into his
likeness and seems to lose all taint of
earth. AS his kingdom was not of
this world, so he is not of the world
but becomes like him, and rises into a
high spiritual life, and the prayer of
the Son of God is answered. will,
OH Father, that those thou hast Civ
en- me, may be with me and behold