Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-11-11
Sowing Wild Oats.

NnrfStl3N NJ NOrks
The Sramer case, which is exciting
so much general attention, belongs TO
the Wildcats variety of products.
Whether the pretty girl whose body
|, was found IN the water at West Haven
little while ago was murdured or
drowned herself in a fit of remorse. is of
no consequence. so far as the cause and
moral of this affair is concerned. She
was beautiful and spirited, somewhat
headstrong, given 70 having her own
way. and fond Of Irritation. She meant
no harm IN going out upon the College
Green III the evening and picking Up an
| acquaintance there just for the fan of
the thing. and meeting him on the side
walk and going with him on excursions
IN the evenings were only girhsh ways
Of sowing Wildcats. The young man
and his cousin were engaged in the
same exciting occupation. Net that
they wished harm to anybody; they
wanted their fill of fun and frolic, of
excitement and exhilaration, regard
less of commandments and with no
thought Of their consequences. The
old fogy ways of living were too slow
and dull for their rapid-t ransit notions,
and they drowned the decencies in de
bauch. 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 hlackened, their home
HIS hhY,Nr.Nl &l,N,,..h 4l,s>,- H.
be acquitted Of murder. This is the
crop that came of that sowing of wild
oats. There has grown up i'll this coun-
try 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 re-
gardlesS of the yield. 1t seems in
many quarters To be taken for granted
that youth has a great deal of folly to
get rid Of, and must have its run Of
fastnesS rs childhood is expected to
have measles and chickenpox. A
smoking, staggering, pool-playing,
wiue-bibbing boy, turning night into
day and sleeping till noon to recover
from his carouse, Is only sowing his
wild oats, which is spoken of as SYM
patheucally as though he were a baby
cutting his teeth. Whoever has the IN
| clin3;lon to fast ways and reckless be-
haVior which goes under that name,
should bury il under all possible thick
nesSes of good resolutions ana noble
conduc,, and let it fertilize the soil for
tiGer growth of manliness instead of
planting il where I will reproduce after
Its kind. For wild oats grow. They
yield Il crop of bad habits, of evil COM
pamons, and vicious tastes, of disease,
and sometimes of crime and death.
They produce hundreds of Jennie
Cramer deaths every year. They
colonize the prison cells. They bring
heavy aftermath of remorse and
wretchedness. There is no crop sown
that brings forth such harvest of sor-
row, and wretchedness and shame.
ct at the present time the customs of
society and the too lcnient judgement
of our easy-going people encourage
the sowing and furnish all the condi-
tions for raising the crop. The time
has come Tor parents to consider
whether il pays them or their children
to SOW wild oats, when better kind of
seed can be scattered just as well. All
possible joy 70 the young; all possible
innocent pleasure to young people; al
the freedom compatible with safety.
But the lines drawn across the world
by the fingers Of the Eternal, which
cannot lie crossed, should lie pointed
cut. and every precipice should be
fenced againe. tho foot of inox porionoe.
Let the young be made to understand
that the everlasting laws of cause and
consequence cannot be trihed with.
and that if they SOW wild oats they will
be forced to harvest pain and wretch
edness, ifnot disgrace and death.