Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1875-06-13
LETTERS TO BOYS AND GIRLS
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LETTERS TO BOYS AND GIRLS
10. L,
My Young FRIENDS You are on a
journey which in II II shall level
end, and much depends on yourselves
whether it is to be made in happiness
or misery. You are responsible beings;
that is, you must expect to bear the
consequences of your own acts. Sup
pose that you, George, should strike
Charles in the face, your responsibility
for the wrong inflicted would secure
you a blow lin return; or if you,
Mary, should willfully thrust your
hand into a fire of glowing Goals, no
one but yourself would be to blame
for your being severely burned.
Every person, having a bad habit, is
to a large extent responsible for its ac-
quirement. You remember, Robert,
when you uttered your first oath, that
the sound of your voice startled You
as it rang out on the air, freighted with
your Creators sacred name Perhaps
now, your conscience, that inward
monitor of the soul we ought always
to hoed, is silenced, and you can swear
without its troubling you. If so, you
are in danger of being morally ship
wrecked, because there is no trust
worthy power steering you Alright on
the voyage Of life.
A ship Story
VIII show you what | mean. Al great
steamship was crossing the ocean with
hundreds of passengers aboard, many
OF whom we're looking forward with
pleasure to welcomings from friends in
distant lands. All went well until one
stormy night, when the teamer was
driven by a fearful gale towards a
rocky, dangerous coast. There was a
man at the helm who, for a time, had
nohly done his duty in steering the
ship so as to keep her off the rocks,
but at last. suffering from cold, he was
tempted to drink liquor until he lost
his self-control. In a halt conscious
condition, the drunken sailor kept
turning the wheel and supposed he
was guiding the vessel Alright, while
he was allowing ner to run into the
Jaws of destruction. A wreck on the
sea-shore, and hundred of dead bodies
cast up by the waters, told ON the fol-
lowing day the awful story of the
helmsman's sin.
Now, if you make your conscience
useless by ordering it TO be silent when
it warns you to do right and cease to
do wrong, you will soc be like a ship
at sea, neara dark and dangerous coast,
..s - -, - - 49, rr..t fs. -. do
struclisn.
ASH am writing to the boysand girls
who read the SENTINEL, it is right l
should inform you what my object is
in thus addressing you. The truth is,
/ like to talk to children; but, as /
can not reach you all with my voice, |
shall get the printing press to help me
in telling o some of the thoughts
that are passing through my mind. |
hope, in IN occasional letter, to tell you
stories you will like to read, and will
do my best to make you wiserand bet
ter as your years increase. You are
all expecting to enjoy happy and pros
porous lives; but there are very few
of you who will not meet with bitter
disappointments. If that last word is
too long for some Of you, and its mean
ing is not quite plain, an anecdole will
help you in understanding it.
The Castie-buiIding BOY.
Tom Harkins was the son of q poor
shoemaker in a small country town.
When he was sent to school no often
hid himself away in a quiet place until
school hours were over, and then went
home to tell how splendidly he had
got along with his lessons. After a
time his mother found out how he had
been telling her falsehoods, and, when
in a great passion, she very foolishly
gave him n severe whipping. If She
had first talked to Tom and convinced
him how much he was injuring him
self by his bad conduct, some good
might have come of it; but, as it was,
he became indignant at the injustice
which he thought was done to him.
But, what do you think this Idle boys
main employment was when he was
playing truant? He was building
castles in the air. When he had con-
cealed himself for the day, he began
his reveries by wondering how soon
he would be a man, and if he would
be rich and able to keep his carriage.
He thought if he could nee whip his
SCilOOilltd>teI, anu tcdl tHc sciiOol-
house and its books to pieces,
he would really be a happy fell
low. And thus he Went on
for years, until he had grown so big
that he did not like to stand in the
little boys class at school. After a
time, he had to do something. to earn
his bread; but he was too ignorant and
too lazy to be of much use to any one.
I hen he thought he would run away
from home; he wanted to see strange
lands. and was sure he would return
with lots of gold. lie got a place on a
ship as a sailor boy, but did not give
satisfaction to his employers. AT times.
when he was fiogged with a piece of
rope Or vas o at by the sailors, he
longed to be back beside his father and
mother; and o! how much he regret
ted then the neglected opportunities OF
his schoolboy days.
1t was ten years after Tom had left
his home that a poor, broken-down
sailor stood with tears in his eyes be-
fore the door of the little house where
he had been born. The old shoemaker
md his uifa xyara dad aud tho Iiu.