Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1881-07-20

bling establishments, and to furnish
careless crowd in which brazen.iacel
and intoxicated men and women ma,
j. ply their unholy avocations, | nee
only remind you, by way of exempli
! fication, of q so-called Independenc
q celebration" in a neighboring town
a year ago, the evil results of whicl
were felt in many surrounding com
munties. And such is deemed q fittinl
remembrance of the occasion upol
which those noble men, with sublim,
: readiness TO sacrifice luxuries and com
forts and the necessaries Of lifc--yes
! and life itself, if need were-for th,
. sake of country and posterity, deliber
5 ately threw off the yoke of bondag,
and proclaimed themselves and the ma
tion free Let one of these old heroes
fired with his lofty spirit OF self-sacri
J fee and courage, witness such an &C
, acknowledgement of the act of himself
and his eompatriots as he would see in
, many of our towns tomorrow, and
, what opinion, think you, would he have
of the apparently degenerate race
which had inherited and profted by
his self-denying patriotism2 ? What,
my friends, must God think OF our ap.
probation of His nestimable benefits,
when the only public exercise in a
given community is OF such character
AS further example, take the day
which has been consecrated TO a more
recent race of heroes, who stood in the
breach when o division Of our country
was threatened. 1t seems that this,
too, is being perverted into an occasion
for sensuous revelry. What but a
scared conscience, what but q degon.
crate semblance of the love of country,
could possibly suggest such an employ.
ment Of such an anniversary
Even our day of national thanks.
! giving is in this way made a pretext
for the shameful abuse OF Gods mer.
cies instead Of the grateful acknowl
edgmont Of them and | noticed re.
Gently that in staid New England,
which in many respects sets an exam.
pie to the whole country, the annual
day Of humiliation, popularity called
"Fast Day" which has been observed
from the earliest times, is now largely
used for utofdoor sports, and pic
MICS of excursionists whose main bust.
ness seems to be to swallow beer /
am aware that this is owing largely
to the great infusion among us Of citi-
zens Of foreign birth, many of whom
value our liberties only so far as they
have furnished them q refuge from
want or oppression end who fail to
appreciate the principles of morality
and religion upon which those liberties
are founded. But if they have set the
example, it has been widely followed
by generation enervated through
selfindulgence, and thus made ready
to dance and drink on account Of the
birth of the nation, and to drink and
dance over the graves OF our dead sol.
diers to swallow down, and revel out,
its thanks (if any it has) for the divine
goodness; and TO turn even Il day of
humiliation into scene Of low carousal.
Now bear in mind that our population
is being increased at the rate of nearly
six hundred thousand foreigners o
year. Though many of these will
make excellent citizens, a large pro-
portion of them have not had the edu.
cation which would qualify them to
govern themselves or properly to sus-
tain our free institutions. What is the
prospect, if those nurtured under these
institutions shall set these an example
of sensuality and lawlossness2 We
must by our influence curb and re.
strain this mighty element in the
midst ofus, instead Of leading the way
iu exhibitions of seli-indulgence and
thus giving the rein to passion and
crime, which would soon overwhelm
us. The chief danger, | repeat, lies IN
tho fact that large proportion off
those i0ho are groping up seem to be
preparing, by the indulgence of their
wishes almost without restraint and
by their inability to deny themselves
whatever they may crave, for an in
crease of this senseless and untimely
revolry which debases the national |
character and helps to separate the
nation from the God who has preserv.
cd it hitherto. This want of selfcon. |
trol and habit of selfindulgence will
use any pretext and the leisure of any |
holiday, however sacred, to minister to |
the depraved appetites. 1t seems.to |
be increasing; let it but increase sum. |
ciently and 1t precedes destruction !
As this evil begins in the household,
it may there most easily and most ef
iectually be met, o, parents yours is
u responsibility for God and for the
nation. Teach and help your children
to control themselves, instead of mul.
opportunities for the gratid.
cation Of their desires. Teach them
to live according 10 rule, If for nothing
else, that they may be accustomed to
subject themselves to wholesome law.
Prepare them TO be good citizens, as
well as faithful children and servants
of God, by a wholesome discipline
which shall make appetite and passion
their slaves instead of their masters
Wo to the household which has a
with no selfcontrol Wo TO
the community or the nation which
has many such. The boy or girl who
has not been trained to obedience, or
who cannot submit gracefully to
disappointment, is likely to grow up
wrong-headed, passionate, uncontrolla.
bio troubler in society, II not an abso.
ute defer OF order and law The dis
obedience which begins in the family
md progresses in contempt for the
wholesome restraints OF society is the
'OOt of that destructive philosophy