Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-04-30

slumbers, from which they must be reused
lest they be late to school, or else like
waves after a storm, that beat the shore
long time before they become calm, they
toss and wake again and again from fitful
and unrefreshing slumbers. Much of the
dullness and much of the excitabiity and
restlessness at school is due TO this cause.
There is less power in the system of child
fed with improper food and allowed TO
lengthen out day Of play and excitement
by adding TO IL part of the night, to resist
taking the contagious and other diseases of
childhood, or to struggle with them when
taken. No one need wonder why the
mortality among children is so great But
the case is worse with the older children.
The proverb says that "all the sleep one
gets before midnight is beauty sleep" We
will say nothing Of the faded complexion,
the nervous, fidgety ways, dullness, and in
aptness for work or study, and for amuse-
ment, too, we may add, of the boys and
girls in the habit of being up late il is the
moral risk they run of which we would speak.
IL IS useless to say that the company into
which they go is select. Judas was among
the twelve, and when the sons of God met
together Satan was there also to tempt.
But nothing is more common than for par
ents to allow their children to be out late
without knowing who their associates may
be. Young and immature in judgment, and
easily deceived in the character of their
companions, they are suffered by thought
less parents to go forth at night unguarded
and free.
Nine-tenths of all the dissipation and
crime takes place at night. During the
day decency walks abroad, and order and
labor. The evil have skulked to their lairs
or If they go abroad they put on the air and
seeming of better men. When night falls
the gates Of hell are unfastened, and from
them come forth all "shames and crimes"
Then wickedness holds high carnival. Then
the evilcreatures who inhabt the great
ocean of iniquity disport themselves then
they devour their prey and lie in wait for
more. Around the borders of this great
sea, whose tides are ever ebbing, with
the rising and flowing, with the setting sun,
how many youth of both sexes gather at
night unprotected How many 90 down
in it never to be rescued? / have been led
to these reflections by learning that num-
Der of boys had been in the habit of fire.
quenting low den at night, aud that it is
not uncommon for girls, some of them not
more than twelve, to be brought to head
quarters late at night by policemen. When
questioned they often say they are permitted
by their parents to be out at night, and that
they had been treated to refreshments and
wine. Foo-hardy and giddy, they become
more reckless under the influence of stimu-
lants. We may have the charity to suppose
that young and ignorant, they do not real
ize into how deep slough of iniquity they
venture. Those that ply them with wine
know what they are about. 1t is an old
trick of theirs. But there is neither time
nor space to relate all the temptations that
beset the young at night. We teach our
children to pray, Lead us not into tempta-
tion;" why then suffer them to be led into
temptation by the wicked, who seek their
prey by night ?-lSelected