The Worthington advance., 1881-08-11
I THE COMM N B Il OTHER
HOOI)=OF'lN NAN.
No. I've

= ~ !. .-E y r. z
In conclusion let us consider our OBJ
legations to those who are travelling the
DOWN GRADE. S3.f
The pathway that leads from virtue to
vice is a fascinating one, strewn with
gorgeous flowers Of the richest hue and
sweetest fragrance. New beauties
scenes of more enticing loveliness-
meet the traveller on every side. The
songs OF birds, the rustling of trees and
the mel.itluous murmur of waters fill
his soul with ecstacy and his heart with
delight ! An enchanting goddess array
ed in the robes of an angel, fairy like,
trips along before him and beckons him
on. He sees not the yawning abyss a.
head; lie hears not the rushing, seeth.
ing, boiling food that rushes madly
through@the chasm below; he is in dang
er but heeds it not; all awful death a.
waits him but he knows it not; he
stands Oh the margin of q woe that
reaches to the pales OF human life-to
the depths of eternity, and not one of
the thousands that stand by lift . warn
ing voice or saving hand. With q
shrek he disappears from view; but ere
that cry of deep and hopeless agony ceas-
es to reyerberate through the air, a dark
cloud over-bangs the face of heaven;
and hark! Methinks from out it's SOM
bre depths we can hear the awful voice
Of the Father of all the sous of men, de-
manding:
''WHERE is THY BROTHER?"
Comes from each of those pale and
trembling lips and each weak and cower-
ing heart the answer: II know not. Am
NY brothers keeper?' Listen! Again
that awful voice il thunder tones IS
heard RS it WAS by Cain so many thou
sand years ago: 1.-THE roice OF thy BROTH
cr's blood c''ieth unto me from the ground
-0ndnolc art thou cursed from the e0rth."
AS there is no man in whose heart
there is not some evil, neither is there
amy in whom there is not some good;
ana in the same ratio that we conquer
the pride "nd selishness of our own
hearts and realize our own weakness
and proneness to evil, will we extenu-
ate and not condemn their manifesto
tions III others. The fact that man is
travelling the down grade is no sign
that he is morally Or intellectually
weaker than thousands who walk i'll
virtues path. The time, in fact the on
~ test of strength of character is abili-
ty to overcome. and the man who is
now rushing madly down the road to
vice may have resisted more tempta-
tions every day for years than come to
many others III Il life time. Remember
this. kind reader, and your feelings to-
wards such unfortunates will be those
of sorrow rather than bitterness. and
you will be able to approach them in
that spirit of mcekness, humility and
brot.erly love which invariably finds its
way to the human heart and exerts a
potent influence for good. You can ac-
cnmrlish nothing by standing in a
church cupalo with the cloak of your
own righteousness closely wrapt about
you lallooing to those beneath to come
up higher. You must meet them on
the level Of common and universal
brotherhood and reach the will through
the heart. Take thy fallen brothers
hand in Il sympathetic grasp and guide
him back through the dark labyrinth in
to which he has penetrated to the bea-
tific light of virtue, and then watch
him lest he again lose his way. Thy re-
ward shall be the approval of thine own
cnfScienct. tne DenlSOnS OF mallklnu, |,
and the knowl,le that thou art prepar-
ing to enter, far advanced. into that
world Of Eternal Progress, beyond the
skies.
II to continue this subject would af-
ford your readers as much pleasure as
it would the writer, we should have but
commenced. for it is inexhaustible; but
we fear that they have long been wait
ing to see
TUE END.