Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-11-09

they wished harm to anybody they wanted
their fill Of fun and frolic, of excitement and
exhilaration, regardless of commandments
and with no thought Of their consequences.
The old.fogy ways Of living were too slow
and dull for their rapid-transit notions, and
they drowned the decencies in debauch.
And the result was that the body of the
beautiful girl who had been wronged was
fished out Of the water dead, and they are
left to reflect upon the perils and penalties
OF fast living, behind the grated windows Of
a prison, their prospect Of life destroyed
their family name blackened, their home
dishonored, even though they should be
acquitted of murder. This is the crop that
came OF that sowing Of wild oats. There
has grown up in this country within half
century spirit of levity, and leniency
toward some forms Of vice, and general
loosening of restraint on the young which
tend TO encourage the sowing OF wild oats,
regardless Of the yield. The old strictness
has gone out Of our home life. Our young
folks are left very much TO their own inclf.
nations. And society has let down the bars
into all pastures, so that colts prance and
browse at will. There is freedom which
verges close on looseness and license, and il
is looked upon as an indication of spirit and
force for young people to kick over the pro.
prieties and even try TO knock the nots out of
the commandments. 1t seems in many
quarters to be taken for granted that youth
has deal Of folly to get rid of and must
have its run OF fastness, as childhood is ex-
pected to have measles and chicken-pox.
A smoking, staggering, pool-playing, wine
bibblng boy, turning night into day and
sleeping till noon to recover from his ca
rouse, why, he is only sowing his wild oats,
which is spoken of as sympathetically as
though he were baby cutting his teeth
Yes, wild oats. And very bad, bitter, blast
ing, poisoning grain they are. They are sure
to iniure if they do not kill. They affect the
taste and constitution, and leave remorseful
recollections like a canker in the mouth.
Whoever has the inclination TO fast ways
and reckless behavior, which goes under
that name, should bury it under all possible
thicknesses of good resolutions and noble
conduct, and let it fertilizs the soil for
finer growth Of manliness instead Of plant
ing it where it will reproduce after its kind.
bad habits, of evil companions, of vicious
and death. They produce hundreds Of
Jennie Cramer deaths every year. They
colonizs the prison cells They bring a
heavy aftermath of remorse and wretched-
ness. There is no crop sown that brings
forth such harvest of sorrow, and wretch
edness and shame. Yet at the present time
the customs of society and the too lenient
judgment of our easy-going people encour-
age the sowing and furnish all the conditions
for raising the crop. The time has come
for parents to consider whether it pays them
or their children to SOW wild oats, when a
better kind of seed can be scattered Just as
well. All possible joy to the young; all
possible innocent pleasure to young people /;
all the freedom compatible with safety.
But the lines drawn across the world by the
fingers of the Eternal, which cannot be
crossed, should be pointed out, and every
precipice should be fenced against the feet
of inexperience. And with every release
from old restrictions there should come an
added feeling of moral responsibility, and
the new freedom should awaken new
loyalty and love. Let the young be made to
understand that the everlasting laws Of
cause aud consequence cannot be trited
with, and that if they SOW wild oats they
will be forced to harvest pain aud wretched-
ness, if not disgrace and DEATH Christian
at Work,