Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-08-26
Lights and Shadows Of Staunten Life,

We, the people of Staunton, are living in the
full blaze of the light of the Christian civiliza-
ton of the 10th century! We are surrounded
bymost of the influences which tend to elevate
and refine human character. We have, in our
midst ten or a dozen churches of all denoml-
nations and adapted to the religious opinions
and tastes of all classes, and races and colors,
and attached to all are Sunday schools to plant
in the infant mind the germs of religion anu
virtue, We have also vigorous. active, anu
growing christian Association" and there Is
no community in which more interest," anu
more liberality is displayed towards the cause
of "foreign missions" Every Sunday fnds our
churches crowded with devout Worshlppeis'
pouring out their hearts IN prayer sinsins
songs of praise, andl listening to Well-consloereo
expeditions of the precepts OF the Chrlsliah IT,
ligion! Every Sunday afternoon, inc young
men assemble at the room OF their "Chrlstlah
Association" to inculcate and disseminate Ihe
doctrines of the Author of our Holy henglon.
Throughout the residue of each week, NUMBER
berless schools, both public and private, are
earnestly engaged in second1ng the eHorts OF
the clergy, and the Sabbath schools and the
Christian Association, in enlightening the
minds and infusing into the hearts of the rising
generation principles of justice, religion, and
sound morality.
These are pleasing pictures to contemplate.
They may be termed the lights of our social
life, and are well calculated to impress the be-
holder with a favorable idea of the religious
and moral condition Of our people.
Would to Heaven that we could truthfully
stop here! But, unfortunately, we cannot.
There are shadows" as well as flights" in
every picture that is true to nature. And he
who would give a just presentation of the life
of any people must paint the shadows" as
well as the lights of the society in which
he lives.
Let us then turn, for q moment, from the
bright scenes to which 1 have adverted, and
| take q glimpse at some of the shadows
which tend to disfigure them. have no pur-
pose to bring before my readers the graver and
| more serious offences which sometimes bring
! disgrace on every community. My wish is to
call attention to some of those minor out-crop-
pings of an evil nature, which bear In their
| bosom the seeds of crime, and which will as
suredly yield an abundant harvest of offence
unless they are crushed in the germ.
| Let US take the Sabbath day by way of Illus
| tration. On that Holy day, if we confine our
walks to the principal Streets we will see
nothing but well dressed and orderly people,
with serious faces, vending their way to the
eSSA~>
| to the more obscure streets and alleys, or the
suburbs, alas! how different are the scenes
which greet our eyes, There we will see gangs
| of boys, of all ages and colors, who have met
| together to engage in sports, and too often In
offences which expose them to the visitations of
the criminal law. AT this season of the year es-
pecially, when fruits are maturing, scarcely a
Sabbath passes that crowds of these embryo
thieves are not found lowering around the
gardens and orchards of our citizens. ready to
| tear off the palings or leap the fences to steal
the fruit! The time selected for their pillage is
when the owner is at church, or when the pa
rents of the young miscreants are engaged in
| the same holy duty!
| lam aware that many of my readers will be
| disposed to make light of offences like these.
They will smile and probably say, Boys will
be boysw To this beg to reply that it may
be said, with equal truth, thieves will be
thieves ~ without the interposition of the arm
Of authority. Prevention is better than cure.
Crime Is progressive. 1t grows like a tree. If
you nip it in the bud before it has time to strike
its roots deep into the soil, there is an end of
it; bnt if you allow it to become thoroughly
| rooted, nothing but the axe-the strong arm OF
| the law-can arrest its progress.
| Many of these half-hedged thieves are the
| sons of the very persons we have seen going
| with meek spirits to the House of God! Pa
| rental weakness makes them unwilling to ex-
ercise control over their children, who thus
glide into habits of lawlessness and vice, which
must, at future day, bring ruin and disgrace
to them, as well as anguish and woe to their
| parents. This grievance is becoming 1nto1era-
BILE. We often hear poor men, who would like
to raise fruit for sale, as means OF ek1ng out
scanty subsistence for their families, say it is
howl, nN6 nf
Staunton, because it will all be stolen! We
know a worthy citizen who expended good
deal of money on vineyard, within short
| distance of the town, and was compelled to
| give it up mainly because of thieves.
Is it not time that this nuisance was abated ?
Scarcely day-or rather night-elapses
without robberies of this kind. If q servant
attempts to defend his masters property, he is
overwhelmed with Oaths and excavations, and
perhaps assaulted with stones!
| Is it not time that parents should have an eye
to the conduct of their children? Isit not the
duty of the clergy to admonisb parents of their
obligations to their children and to the public?
Should not the Christian Association bring all
its influence to bear in favor of honesty and
good morals? Why should we be sending mis-
sionaries to China and Japan, and the islands
of the sea, to convert the heather, when we
have worse "heathen" than any Of them at our
own DOORS and perchance in our own house.
holds? Let us remember that "the boy is faith
er to the man." The honest boy will, in most
cases, be an honest man. On the other hand
the boy who in early life shows disregard Of
the laws of property, and of the rights of his
neighbor. and an Indifference to the precepts OF
religion and morality, will, pretty generally,
prove to be dishonest man, and likely to end
his career of shame in prison or on the gal
lows.
We possess a country particularly adapted
to the growth of fruit. Men, in moderate cir
cumstances, might add largely to their means
of support by the fruit of few trees, if they
could have any assurance that they would be
allowed to gather it. This of itself is q consid.
. | Grafton which ought to be Of weight with every
thinking man. though I admit it sinks into in
significance when compared With the mora
and religious aspects of the case.
In conclusion let me add q single word of ad.
monition. The law now makes "petty larceny
punishable aDith stripes! Stealing fruit or vege'
tables is as much "petty larceny as. stealing
a sheep or pig, or any other property. 1t is az
much the duty of officers of the law to punish
offenders in one case as In the other To fail te
do so is breach of their official oaths. Lei
parents and children alike bear this important
fact in remembrance. 1t may save some O.
| them both pain and disgrace. OBSERVER.
The most useful articles at cents, can be
, had at GLADKE's. may6-tf
The Southern Review.
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