Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1885-06-12
Hiram Moralizes.

There seems TO be an epidemic or
rather an endernic of suicides abroad
in our land. Scarcely a day passes
but some poor weary mortal, sick of
the world, tired of life, snaps the
brittle thread and goes to try the sad
realities of that great future from
which there has been no return. TO
me ever ready 10 look on the bright
side fife this looks all wrong. Yet
| can conceive of circumstances when
men ought to kill themselves. My
idea is, no man has any right to out
live his honor. When this is gone,
lost, erretrievably so, no possible
chance to be regained, even by lite
devoted to all that is sacred and
good, then that man ought not to hes
itate to pull the fatal trigger and send
the deadly messenger Kissing hot
through thoughts mysterious seat.
| tell you if i were to fall, (and |
know not how soOm | would no
more hesitate to march before my
maker and look the whole thing fair
and square in the face, than | would
TO sit down to square meal of good
old fried chichen with my sweet
heart down among the vine-clad hills
of my own beloved and angel-guard-
ed Pond River. And oh how easy
it is to fall, how many traps, snares,
pitfalls, siren songs delusive dreams
come dancing before us as we march
along the roadway of life.
The wonder to me is, how any
warm hearted, generous man, with
a crust for the hungry, penny for
the poor, smile for the faint hearted
and heart warm with love and
kindness for everything, from the
sparrow that chirps beneath the caves
Of his home to the King Oh his throne,
the wonder is that more such men do
not fall. 1t is a notorious fact that
mean, close listed men, men who can
stand unabashed, with eyelids dry as
summers dust or the average sermon
seldom fall, seldom 90 astray. Such
men seldom suffer themselves i'm
posed upon. They move OH through
life without anything to mar their
happiness doing no good, living for
themselves, dying for themselves and
as truly hope finding for themS elreS
an eternity somewhere away from
generous good men. Again some
men are never tempted, never have
any opportunity or inclination to
leave the beaten path. Such men
deserve no credit for doing right, fol
being good, no man has any mora
right to be anything else but good
But when you find a man whose in.
clinations and appetites all run to
ward the bad road and that man has
the moral courage to say get thee
behind me Saian'-to walk In the
way that leads to happy homes-alI
that is pure and holy and good, thcl
that man deserves the friendship d
the pure and the good.
| have no sort of patience with the
man who is ever ready to cry ou
''crucify him!' when one goes estray
this is all wrong-even Moses made
mistakes, if Mr.. Ingersoll is right
and because forsoolh a poor fellow
who has not the manhood TO resis
temptation, chances to go estray, thi
is no reason he should not have al
opportunity to retrieve his fortunes'i
he can. have in my mind a noble
generous Young fellow, who whil
under the cxhilarating influence of
steaming potion, while his blood wa
at fever heat and his mind wonder
ing in the moonless night of drunk
enness, committed petty oflense
that he would give worlds if he pos
sesscd them, if he could undo; ant
yet while it amounted to nOthin;
more than boyIsh freak, that shoult
be forgotten like the song of a beau
tiful bird on an April day, yet men
men who claim to follow in the foot
steps of Him who said to the peni
tent woman "where are thine accus
ers, let him that is without spot o
blemish cast the first stone," stanl
ready to cast him off as the compan
ion of abandoned and reckless men
| am 10 apologist for crime, | hav
seen so much of it, during the las
four years that | hate the very nam
of it; and further, | have seen S
much of the rough side of life, hav
heard so many lamentations, tina
rough, bad man as | am, pierced tn
very innermost cells of my hear
that honestly believe if one were {
rob me Of everything l held sacre
on earth, l should say "forgive hin
let him CO." life is too short, too flee
ing, too evanescent to punish fe
low who followed the instincts {
: poor human nature. l think III
! sheriff life, financially, has been
|. failure as / said before there are ttr
ways TO get much money out Of tn
, Office, either grind it or steal it
chose neither, therefore this lass
, tude. this emptiness in my pocket
, But am a better man than when
began. know it, the future wi
show it, eternity will echo it; al
A IlouSl thc tlilc may Coilc WneI
= shall beg for bread in the street
and drink the very dregs from mi
, fortunes cup, yet l am convince
! that am glad that thus young
, life, have seen enough of hums
suffering, heard enough walls of So
! row, TO awake any latent spark ,
= manhood that may have been smolC
y ering in my bosom, into the fan
whose light will cast halo arour
a my pathway until the end comes,
! bright, so pure, so dazzling that
|, dare not raise my hand to oppre
n the poor or withhold a penny fro
the ragged beggar.
HIRAM.