The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1870-04-14
The Moral Situation,

The Rev. w. r. Clark has painted Il
GarR picture Of the Moral Situation ;
bat who will say that the shades are too
deep, or its outlines too bold? The
publishers Of the dirty, obscene, illus.
trated newspapers, aud the trashy stuff
which is thrown out on the world,
weekly, as literature, are ia a great
measure responsible for the increase Of
crime. 10 enable our readers to judge
for themselves, We quote the following
passage:
The reaction Of the war on the taste
habits, ambitions aud morals of our peo
pie has proved damaging, The old
order Of things has been broken up
The leaders OF other days have been left
behind, it not forgotten. Glasses are
dissolved. Ideas and usnges which had
become familiar arc thrown aside. New
men, new cistoDs, new notions are in
the Ascendant, The low have been
lifted up, Followers have become lead.
crs. Beggars Of yesterday are million.
aires to-day, and set the fashion for
whoever is foolish enough to follow
their lead. To get money, aud to spend
it in luxury, display and dissipation, are
the ruling passions of the day. Such
an intense aud insane rush and struggle
for wealth, such ruiRSIs extravaganza
Of expenditure, such delirium for the
hutterius iripperies of fashion, this
country has never witnessed before
And, alas, not only taste, refinement,
purity aud pietY have suffered unspeak
able de;rimeEt and diminution, but even
honesty-the only firm basis of CONNER.
eial prosperity, the only sure support of
social order, the essential condition of
individual and national well beiRg-has
given way before the steady sapping
and mining of immoral customs and the
fatal strain OF false ambition. Spec.
ulatiop-the popular name for gamblips
gu TIE street aud at the boards is
trenching on the liRe Sf lcgitiHat bust.
ness and catiag out the heart of honor.
able enterprise. Frauds and villainies
deserving the severest punishment are
perpetrated almost openly and confessed
without shame. Scarcely an article of
food but is nauseous with authorizations.
Coffee is made of stale ship bread and
oil mats, milk is thick with disease. and
wine is compound of drugs aud dam.
nation.
Our streets aud public places arc full
OF intemperance, aud not only do young
men aud old fall before it by the hun.
dred, but even boys aud women wear
its tire.blush on their cheeks, and reel
aud tottcr under its influence on the
Sidewalk. Gambling is business car.
riea on less publicly, but scarcely less
extensively than many hspOrahlc avoca.
ttiops, and the gamblers include every
class, from the boy Of fifteen to The rouc \
of sixty. Indeed every vice ca the
black catalogue of transgressiou has
more than doubled in volume and in
victims within dozen years, asd our
yopng meu, the pride aud hope Of the
nation, fall before the subtle destroyers
faster than they fell during the Southern |
campaigns. Marriages are diminishing.
Hopes are breaking up. Amuseueuts
are vitiat d with vulgarity. Echoes of
profanity sll the air. The streets arc
mined with pitfalls Of vice, aud crimes |
are so frequent that they have ceased to |
shock or even to startle US indeed we |
expect an account of Wholesale rob. |
berry, divorce case aud murder as spice |
for our breakfast Many of our Judges |
seem to imagine that it is their business |
te protect criminals from justice, and |
pcrsecute prosecutors aud punish wit. |
hesses until they are afraid to testify ia |
court. Many of our cities are at the |
mercy of bauditti who plumber by ordi. |
nance and pick pockets by tax. The |
lobby is the most powerful branch of |
the legislature and almost any measure
can be moneyed into law. Half of the |
revenue officers are suspected of pecula. |
ton, and it is estimated that a single |
interest defrauded the Government out |
of half a million dollars last year. The |
Governor of the leading State 10 the |
Union was unquestionably elected BY |
fraudulent votes, aud the ''repeaters"
drop drought the rents in our rotten
sieve.