Martinsburg weekly independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1873-1875, 1874-10-17
MOTHS IN THE CANDLE.

ter goes on, and leaves its wingless
and dead around it. The light is
beautiful, and warm. and attract
i've; and, unsc red by the dead,
the foolish creatures rush into the
flame, and drop, no yelessly ,singed,
their little lives despoiled. 1t has
been supposed that men have rea-
son and moral sense. 1t has been
supposed that they observe, draw
conclusions, and earn by expert
ence. Indeed, they have been in
the habit of looking down upon
the animal world as a gronp of infe-
rior beings, and as subjects ofcom-
misseration on account OF their e.
fencelessness, yet there is a large
class of men, reproduced by every
passing generation, that do exactly
what the moths do, and die exactly
as the moths die. They learn no.
thing by observation or experience
They draw no conclusions, save
those which are fatal to themselves
Around certain class Of brilliant
Temptations they gather night after
night, and with singed wings or
iifeless bodies, they strew the
ground around them No instruc-
ton, no expostulation, no observa-
ton of ruin, no sense of duty, no
remonstrance of conscience have
any effect upon them. fthey were
moths in fact they could not be sill
lier or more obtUse. They are, in
Iaa1 -n "a or tho In
of their animal natures that they
act like animals, and sacrifice
tn m Ives in flames that the
worlds experience has shown to be
fatal.
A single passion, which need not
be named-further than to say that
when halIowed by love and le-
ultimate gilt of life to life, it is So
pure as any passion Of the SOULS
one of the candles around which
the human moths lie in nyriads OF
disgusting deaths. If anything has
been proved by the observation and
experience of the world it is that
RIGHTEOUSNESS, and all Illicit graft
fication of the pa zion involved in
it, are killing against a mans own
nature-that by it the wings are
singed not only, but body and soul
are degraded ana spoiled. Out of
all illicit indulgence come weak
ness, perverted moral nature deg
radiation of character, beastliness,
benumbed sensibiities, adisgusting
life and a disgracefu death. Be-
fore its baleful fire the sanctity of
womanhood fades away, the ro-
nance of life dies, and the beauti-
full world looses all its charm The
lives wrecked upon the rock OLSEN
suality are strewn in every direc-
ton Again and again, with end
less repetition, young men yield to
the song of the siren that beguiles
them to their death. They learn
nothing, they see nothing, they
know nothing but their evil desire,
and on they go to destruction and
the devil.
Every young man who reads this
article has two lives before him.
He may choose either. He may
throw himself away on a few iIle-
ultimate delights, which cover his
brow with shame in the presence
of : is mother, and become an old
man before his time, with all the
wine drained out of his life; or he
may grow up into pure, strong
manhood, held in healthy relations
to all the joys that pertain to that
high estate. He may be beast in
his heart, or he may have wife
whom he worships, children whom
he delights in, self-reSpect which
enables him to meet unabashed the
noblest woman, and an undisputed
place in good society. He may
have a dirty imagination, or one
thai hates and spurns all impurity
as both disgusting and poisonous.
In brief, he may be man, with a
mans power and immunities, or a
sham Ola mana whited sepulchre
conscious that he carries with him
his own dead bones, and all un-
cIeaness. 1t is a matter entirely of
choice. He knows the essential
quality and certain destiny of the
other. The man who says he can
not control himself not only lies
but places his Maker in blame. He
can control himself, and if he does
not, he is beth a fool and a beast.
The sense of security and purity,
self-respect that come of confluence
entertained for single day, is
worth more than the Illicit pleas
ures of world for all time. The
pure in heart see God in every
thing, and see Him everywhere,
and they are supremely blest.
Wine and strong drink form an-
other candle in which millions of
men have singed themselves and
destroyed both body and SOUL
Here the signs of danger are more