Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1873-02-06
SOCIETY.

There is no community that 10 en-
tirely free from influences which
have a tendency to debase the mind,
or lead the young away from the
course which may be prescribed for
them in order to secure success in
life and position of honor. The
character of such influences is so var
led that an effort at defining them
would meet with signal failure. But
that they have an existence, and are
daily making war upon the morals
ofsociety, cannot be denied. Society
has Its antagonisms; one portion
may be said to be arrayed against
another, each striving to carry out
its own ideas of perfection. morality,
or enjoyment; and there must, nee
essarily, sometimes be a seeming
clash of opinion in reference to the
status of a community, or the man
ner in which it should be governed,
or the effect of certain influences up
on the general reputation of a peo-
pie. These apparent differences
must be expected in the larger COM
munlties, where society is made up
of all grades, and where each partic-
ular sett or clique have come to re-
gard themselves as having the abili-
ty to not only judge for themselves
but able to suggest the course ofpub-
lie conduct, and to partially, at least
regulate the influences which are
brought to bear upon them. This
assumption of right has operated to
cause the division in society, and
has been the means of regulating the
graduation, so that every person can
at once determine into which class
they may find their level, and nee
essarlly, accomplish the most for
themselves, or secure the greatest
amount of enjoyment. Every grade
of society exerts its own particular
influences upon its younger members
and in proportion as that influence
is exerted for good or evil, so is
the character of the younger mem
bers of community formed.
If an evil has an existence in a
community. and society is becoming
corrupt by the power which 1t ex-
erts, efforts should be put forth to
intercept Its operation upon the
morals, by the adoption of
some measures which will draw
the attention from it, or
prevent its existence from coming to
the knowledge of those whom we
desire-to save from its corrupting in
fuences and, the public denuncia-
ton of any thing of an evil charac- :
ter, is, general thing, produc-
tive Of the very opposite effect which
a moral community desires; as any
publicity given to an immoral thing
only has tendency to make it the
more generally known, and to ex-
cite the curiosity of the young, who
know not how to guard against its
willy attractions, but are apt to seek
it out, and too often permit them
selves to be swallowed up by that
which may, for the moment, seem to
crafty their physical pleasure.
That evils exist in every communi-
ty must be admitted, and that their
effect upon the morals of the young
is damaging to the future prosperity
of society cannot be denied, but each
seperate and distinct class of people
stands ready to cast all the blame
upon every other class, and cannot
be made to realize that everY com
munity as whole, is responsible, in
a great measure, for the condition of
society which therein prevails; and
the best index of the family govern
ment of people is found in the acts
and deeds of the rising generation
the children which are coming up to
take the places of those who occupy
the prominent positions of to day
and the associations and influences
which surround them are calculated
to mould their future character and
career, and flor unfit-them for
positions of responsibility and res
possibility. Too little attention is
paid by all classes to the shaping OF
character, and the we::siuG of respon-
S:s;n; Sipiiisy uuivia should attach to every
member of community, is not fully
realized. No thonght is given to
the possible future Of a child. while
the fact that ASSOCIATION may be the
means of placing blot upon young
life, is never considered for a mo-
ment. Every class of society de.
mands its own peculiar associations
and amusements, and is disposed to
pursue its own course in regard to
home attractions but there should
be common purpose, a community
of interest. in reference to the cor
rupting evils which abound, in order
that the mind of the young may be
led away from that which will tend
to debase and demoralize them, by
making home the more attractive, or
by encouraging that which will amuse
and instruct and entertain, without
carrying with it a blighting effect up
on the morals. Every individual
should be ready and willing to rec
ognize the fact that they constitute a
part of the society in which they live
and that they are, in a certain degree
responsible for whatever condition
of society prevails.-H. Wayne Sen.
tinel.
An Errfng Husband Meets With
Terrible Death.