Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1874-10-14
'l;ot:i> in the Candle.

lN,ry moth learns for itself tia; the
c.nlla barns Every night, while the
c.luI,r Lasts the slaughter goes on, and
lctN,~ it. Winglr~> and dead around it.
Tie li4hl i beautiful. and warm. and at
tl:tyii>"; and. unsecured hy the dead, the
foolish creatures rush INTO the flames and
1rap Inpel,~~ly >ingcd, their little lives
de-railcd.
Il In byen supposed lhat men have rra-
SON anI a moral ,n~c. Ii has been sup
posed tlrt they observe draw conclusions,
and learn hv experience. Indeed. they
have been in the habit Of looking down
upon the animal world ~ Il group of in
i,rinr beings. and n subjects OF commi~cr-
atom on account Of their defcnccle>>nc>>.
~ der, is lar-" class of men, repro
dGcca hv every passing generation. that
DO exactly what the moths do. and die cN-
;lctly II tin, moths die. They learn moth
inc hv observation or experience. They
draw lo conclusions. save those which are
fatal to themselves. Around 4 certain
class Of brilliant temptations they gather at
niglt. and with >ingcd wings or litclcS>
bodies, they ~trcw the ground around them.
1 No instructions. no cApo>tulationS. no oh
4 >crNallon Of ruln no sense OF duty, no rc-
/ n~tranvrS Of conscience. have any effect
upon them. If they We're moths i'll fact,
they could not hr >illicr or more obtu>t.
I They are. indeed. 50 far under the domlni-
/ ton of their animal natures that they act
! like animals. and sacrifice themselves III
flames that the worlds experience ha>
shown to lie fatal.
\ -in4le passion. which need not b,
namrti.- further than to say that whel
lEtIloWrd by love and 4 legitimate Gift o
life. il i rs pure II any passion of til,
~oul.-i~ one of the candle, around whcl
the human moths lie in myriad, of dis
gushing deaths. If anything has beer
proved ly the observation and eNperenc,
Of the world, it is that liccntiou>nc>s, an,
all tllai Illicit qualification of the passion
involved in it. are killing sins against
man own naturc,-tlElt by it the win"
are >ingcd not only, bit body and soul N,
degraded and spoiled. Out of Illicit in
dulgencc come weakness, :: perverted
moral nature. degradation of character
gross hea-tlinr~S, bcnumbcd scnSibiliticS.
di-muSting life. and a di>graceful death
Before it balctul fire the sanity of woman
hood iltlr~ away. the romance of life dies
and Tie beautiful world loses All lis charm
The lives wrecked upon the rock of sen
,uaIitv are StreWn i'll every direction
ig:,n and again, with endless repetition
f Young men yield to the song OF the sire
! ,lat htnuilc~ them to their death. The
learn nothing. they see nothing the
know nothing of their wild desire, and 0
thew - to destruction and the devil
Every young man who reads thi>; art
ell. has two lives before him. He ma
/. c!ioo~e either. He may throw him>c
away on j few llrgitimate delights, whic
/ cover his brow with shame in the preSeno
/ ot hi, mother. and become IN old m,
+ before his time, with AL the wine drainc
i out ol his life or he may Crow up into
pare. strong manhood, held in healthy Il
n iation toall the Joys tint pertain to tn;
!. high estate. IL may be Il beast in h
:. heart. or he may have u wife whom
: wor-hip-, children whom he delights in,
2 self-respect which enables him to meet u