Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1876-03-31

!
to improve. Expenses are decreasing every
day. and there is a better feeling. PIErRo
New York, March %. 1876.
JOT1IYGS BY THE WAY. -
To the Editors Telegrqph:
As Il visit place after place, and see the
amount of drinking and drunkenness i can
not resist the conviction that this monster
evil is increasing and engulfng the noblest
of our young men in hopeless, remedies
ruin. That popular amusement, 'bil-
liards", I venture to say, is the cause Of
ruin of hosts of our young men. Not be-
cause in itself evil, but of its tendencies to
evil association and practiees-playing for
the drinks or cigars-incipient stages of
gambling, ending too often, alasl in the
faro den, fercely fighting the 'tiger", and
ending miserable life in the Eilest slums
of our cities, or seeking afmore hasty exit
from the burdens and trials of life by the
fatal draught or the deadly bullet Every
day brings to our eyes the truth of the
above, as we glance over the daily papers,
and yet the terrible, deadly work goes on,
and on-never satisfied, but crying "Giyel
Giyer of the noblest and brightest, the
truest and best of our landl
Next door to this is profanity. We are
fast becoming nation ofprofane swear
ers. Even the little street gamins and ur-
| ebins are well versed in the yernacular or
vocabulary of the oldest sinners in this re
spect. Boys, young men, and even the
hoary headed, have become so addicted to
the habit that they unconsciously and in
their ordinary and trivial conversation, can
not refrain from the disgusting, not to say
grossly wicked, practice.
At Adrian 1 spent the Sabbath, and at
tended Plymouth Church, which for the
time worships in the Opera House. II was
communion Sabbath, and it was novel
sight, amid such surroundings, to witness
four-ladies- receive the ordinance Of bap-
tism and admission into the church. l
thought the good parson forgot himself
when addressing the candidates as ''stand-
ing in that sacred placer Upon inquiry 1
learned the cause of the society worship
ping there, for I knew there was a beauti-
full brick church edifce. There had been
family 'unpleasantness, and the pastor
and four-ffths of the society had left to
worship there until matters could be ad-
justed. Cause-a very small minority per-
sistently determined to rule the church and
carried matters with high hand-bound
to rule or ruin; not the first time, or the
only society in which few are determined
to override the many. ass g.sfaii
Last week Friday evening, at Jackson, I
had the pleasure of hearing Rev. Earle
evangelist-in the union meetings in that
city, at the Presb. church, which though
large was filed to the utmost with deeply
interested audience. Subject-=''C 'Christ's
Happy Family" which he handled in a
most effective and mastery manner. He
is man of wonderful power and originali-
ty. h
At Ypsilanti, 1 Iheard Rev. Graves-evan-
gelist-in his farewell serInon-''The blood
of Jesus cleanseth from all sin"-a grand
and vital theme, and most happily and
grandly and foreibly treated. In some par
ticulars it was uniquely treated-certainly,
effectively, judging from the wrapt and in
tense interest manifested by the immense
audience. These meetings began in the
middle of December and they are still car
ried on by the pastors Result-about 400
conFersions-mostly young men and wo-
men. The Presbyterian church received at
a former communion 105, and there are as
many more for the next, about the same
number in the Methodist and the balance
in the Baptist, and about twenty in the
Episcopal church. The latter is an instance
where some men labored and others entered
I into their labors; or some sowed and 9TH
ers reaped. Well, no matter who were the
workers and reapers so long as the sheaves
were securely garnered, and the joyous
harvest shouted home! Never before in
the history of Ypsilanti has been such a
mighty oyerthrowing of the powers of Sa-
tan. ~
Three weeks ago Friday l was at Three
Rivers, and so mild was the weather that
people were ploughing and making gardenl
Everybody thought spring was here; but
think they will need to tenderly care for
those gardensl Such weatheri such storms
of sleet, and hail and snow, thunder and
lightning, and gales-make one begin to
think this may be very late spring.
The latest and most absorbing topic Of
interest in Michigan has been the Nc
Laughlin-Martin wrestling match, at De
troit on the Esd. State and Presidential
elections are nothing compared to it. Ex-
ira wires were run, and extra efforts made
to transmit the result of each round,
thoroughout the county, and the offices
were beseiged by an eager and excited
throhg until o'clock..a, M, 25th. But it
was terribly humiliating for the proud, pa
'trician cityof Detroit to have her pet cham
pion-the worlds champion-mensure his
length on the boards of her Opera House,
beneath and by the brawnye arms of the
Ypsilanti butcher boy-as they derisively
called him; that such provincial, insight
ficant town as Ypsilanti should carry off
any honors was toomuch for her to endure
but what cannot be cured, must be en-
dured! aI.f...,I as 9tk
Icane here to Lansing to-day and found
foot Of snow-which fell yesterday and
last night. Sleighing very fair. Asthis is
the off year, there is no session of the Leg
islature, and the town is terribly dull
What pity some other States would not
adopt the practice of Michigan, and hold
biennial sessions Then there would not
be such assurfeit of legislation-undoing
one year what was done the previous year,
and getting things so grieyiously mixed
and muddled-like the brains OF some Of
the. Biseacres who go up to to the yearly
gathering at the Capital, that one-half Of
them don't know (which from tother"A
which are laws, and which have been re-
pealed. Legislation is a good thing, in its
time and place, like fire, but mighty frisky,
uncertain and expensive; or like the