Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-10-09

cellence and crime. Woman stands nearest
the gate of heaven or nearest the door of
hell. When adorned by grace she reaches
a point of Christian elevation which man
cannot attain, and when blasted of crime
she sinks deeper than man can plunge.
Yet l am glad that the instances in which
woman makes utter shipwreck of character
are comparatively rare.
But, say some cynical spirit, what do
you do with those words in Ecclesiastes
where Solomon says. "Behold, this have I
found, saith the preacher, counting one by
one to fnd out the account, which yet my
soul seeketh, but find not; one man among
a thousand have l found; but woman
among all those have not fo6ndf'' My an
swer is that if Solomon had behaved him
self with common decency and kept out of
infamous circles be would not have had so
much difficulty in finding integrity of char
acter among women and never would have
uttered such TRADE. Ever since my child
hood have heard speakers admiring Diog-
enes, the cynical philosopher. who lived
in tub, for going through the streets of
Athens in broad daylight with lantern, and
when asked what he did that for, said:
am looking for an honest man." Now I
warrant that that philosopher who had
such hard work to find an honest man was
himself dishonest. I think he stole both
the lantern and the tub. So, when hear a
man expatiaJing on the weaknesses of wo-
men, | Immediately suspect him and say
there is another Solomon with Solomon's 8
wisdom left out. Still, 1 would not have
the illustrations I have given of transcend
ing excellency in female biography lead
you to suppose that there are no perils in
woman's pathway. Gods grace alone can
make an Isabella Graham, or a Christina
Alsop, or Fidelia Fiske, or Catherine of
Siena. Temptations lurk about the bright
est domestic circle. 1t was no unmeaning
thing when God set up amidst the splendors
of bis word the character of infamous De-
llah.
Again, this strange story of the text
leads me to consider some of the ways in
which strong men get their locks shorn.-
God, for some reason best known to him.
self, made the strength of Samson to de
peud on the length of his hair; when the
shears clipped it his strength was gone.-
The strength Of men is variously distributed
Sometimes it lies In physical development,
sometimes in intellectual attainment, some-
times in heart force, sometimes in social
position, sometimes in financial accumula-
tion; and there is always a sharp shears
ready to destroy it. Every day there are
Samsons ungianted. 1 saw young man
start in life under the most cheering ad-
vantages His acute mind was at home in
all scientific dominions. He reached not
only all rugged attainments, but by deli
cate appreciation he could catch the tinge
of the cloud and the sparkle of the wave
and the diapason of the thunder. He
walked forth in life head and shoulders
above others in mental stature. He could
wrestle with giants in opposing systems of
philosophy and carry off the gates of op-
posing chools and smite the c. emies of
truth hip and thigh with great slaughter.
But he began to tamper with brilliant
free.think:ng. Modern theories of the soul
threw over him their Establishments. Skep-
ticism was the Delilah that shore his locks
off, and all the Philistiues of doubt and
darkness and despair were upon him. He
died in very prison of unbelief, his eyes
out.
Far back in the country districts-just
whore purposely omit to say-there was
born one whose fame will last as long as
American institutions. His name was the
terror of all enemies of free government
He stood, the admired of millions; the ma
ton uncovered in his presence, and when
he spoke senates sat brea5hless under the
spell. The plotters against good govern
ment attempted to bind him with green
withes and weave his locks in web, yet
he walked forth from the enthrallment, not
knowing he had burst bond. But from
the wine cup there arose destroying spirit
that came forth to capture his soul. He
drank until his eyes grew dim and his
knees knocked together and his strength
failed. Exhausted with lifelong dissipa-
tions, he went home to die. Ministers
pronounced eloquent eulogiums, and poets
sung, and painters sketched, and sculptors
chiseled the majestic form into marble, and
the world wept, but everywhere it was
known that it was strong drink that came
like the infamous Delilah and his locks
were shoIn.
From the Island of Corsica there started
forth nature charged with unparalleled
energies to make thrones tremble and con-
vulse the earth. Piedmont, Naples, Bava-
ria, Germany, Italy, Austria and England
rose up to crush the rising man. At the
plunge of his bayonets Bastiles burst open.
The earth groaned with the agonies of
Rjyoli, Austerlitz, Saragossa and Eylau,-
Five million men slain in his wars. Crowns
were showered at his feet, and kingdoms
hoistad triumphal arches to let him pass
under, and Europe was lighted up at the
fiagration Of consuming cities. lie
could almost have made canseway of hu-
man bones between Lisbon and Moscow
No power short of ominipotent God could
arrest him. But out of the ocean of human
blood there arose a spirit in which the
conqueror found more than a match. The
very ambition that had rocked the world
was now to be his destroyer. It grasped
for too much and in it's effort lost all. He
reached up after the scepter of universal
but slipped and fell back into
desolation and banishment. The American
ship, damaged of the storm, to day puts up
in ST. Helena and the crew go up to see
the spot where the French Exile expired
in loneliness and disgrace, the mightiest of
all Samsons shorn of his locks by ambition,
that most merciless of all Delilahs.
I have not time to enumerate. Evil as
sociations, sudden successes, spend thrift
habits, miserly prociyities and dissipation
are the names of some of the shears with
which men are every day made powerless.
They have strewn the earth with the car
casses of giants and filled the great prison
house with destroyed Samsons, who sit
grinding the mills of despair, their locks
shnrn and their eyes out. Ii parents only
knew to what temptations their children
were SuuJeCs6Q tuoy WOulu 10 hoiO diho90
in their prayers and more careful about
their example. No young man escapes
having the pathway of sin pictured in bright
colors before him.
The first time ever saw city-it was
the city of Philadelphia was mere lad.
stopped at hotel, and 1 remember in
the eventide corrupt man piled me with
his Internal art. He saw l was green. He
wanted to show me the sights of the town.
He painted the path of sin until it looked
like emerald; but was afraid of him. 1
showed back from the basilisk. I made up
my mind he was basilisk. remember
how he reeled his chair round in front of
me and with concentrated and diabolical
effort attempted to destroy my soul; but
there were good angels in the air that night.
1t was no good resolution on my part, bat
it was the all-encompassing grace of a good
God that delivered me. Beware! beware!
o young man!
There is a way that seemeth right unto a
man, but the end thereof is death. If all
the victims of an impure life in all lands