Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1899-08-25

the lash, dig in the spurs. Therel They
are past the stand. Sure. Just as |
expected 1t. The black horse Of ruin
has won the race, and the galleries Of
darkness "Huzza, huzzaw and the
devils come in to pick up their wagers.
All. my friends. have nothing to do
with horse racing d.ssipations this
A Timely Warning.
Long ago the English government
cot through looking to the turf for the
dragoon and the light cavalry horse.
They found out that the. turf depre-
ciates the stock. and ii Is worse yet
for men. Thomas Hughes. the men,
Der of parliament and the author
known all the world over, hearing that
n new turf enterprise was Icing start
ed in this country. wrote a letter in
which he said, Heaven help you, then,
for of all the cankers Of our old civ
iization there is nothing in this coun-
try approaching in unbluShing mean
ness. in rascality holding its head high,
to this belauded institution Of the
British turf" Another famous sports
man writes. "HOw many fine domains
have been shared among these hosts
Of rapacious sharks during the last
200 years, and. unless the system be
altered, how many more are doomed
TO fall into the same gulf" With the
bullfightS of Spain and the bear bait
lngs Of the pit may the Lord God an
initiate the Infamous and accursed
horse racing of England and America!
| go further and speak Of another
that hovers over the water
ing place, and that Is the temptation
to sacrifice physical strength. The
modern Bethesda. just like this Bethes-
da of the text, was intended to re-
cuperate the physical health, and yet
how many come from the watering
places their health absolutely destroy
ed. City simpletons boasting Of hav-
ing imbibed 20 glasses Of Congress wa
ter before breakfast. Families accus-
toned to 20 TO bed at 10 o'clock at
night gossiping until l or . o'clock in
the morning. Dyspeptics. usually very
cautious about their health. mingling
ice creams and lemons and lobster
salads and cocoanuts until the gastric
Juices lift up all their voices of lamen-
tation and protest. Delicate women
and brainless young men dancing
themselves into vertigo and catalepSy
of men and women coming
back from our watering places In the
autumn with the foundations laid for
ailments that will last them all their
life long. You know rs well as | do
that this is the simple truth. In the
summer you say to your good health:
"Goodby | am going TO have gay
time now for Il little while. ! will be
very glad to see you again in the au-
tumn." Then IN the autumn. when
you are hard at work in your office or
store or shop or counting room. Good
Health will come in and say: "Goodby.
am going" You say. where are you
EO4uE OIs 81. NiNth AA'AfN'f
am going to take vacation Ii Is
poor rule that will not work both
ways, and your good health will leave
you choleric and splenetc and ex-
hausted. You coquetted with your
good health in the summer time and
your good health is coquetting with
you in the winter time. \ fragment
Of Paul's charge to the jailer would
be an appropriate inscription for the
hotel register in every watering place.
do thyself no harm"
Society Artificial.
Another temptation lowering around
the watering place Is the formation or
hasty and lifelong alliances. The wa
tering places are responsible for more
of the domestic infelicities Of this
country than nearly all other things
combined. Society is so artificial there
that no sure judgment Of character
can be formed. They who form com
partnerships amid such circumstances
20 into a lottery where there are 70
blanks to one prize. In the severe tug
of life YOU want more than glitter and
splash. Life is not a ballroom, where
the music decides the step and bow
and prance and graceful swing Of long
train can make up for strong common
sense. You might as well go among
the gayly painted yachts Of a summer
regatta to find war vessels as to go
among the light spray Of the summer
watering place to find character that
can stand the test of the great strug-
gle of human life. In the battle OF
life YOU want a stronger weapon than
n lace fan or a croquet mallet. The
load of life Is so heavy that In order
to draw II you want team stronger
than that made up OF a masculine
grasshopper and feminine butterfly
II there is any man in the commune
ty who excites my contempt and who
ought TO excite the co.tempt Of every
man and woman il is the soft handed
soft headed dude. who. perfumcd until
the air is actually sick. spends his
summer in striking killing attitudes
and waving sentimental adieux ano
talking infiniiesimal nothnSs and find
ing his heaven in the set OF lavender
kid glove. DaOis rs tight rs an inquisi
ton. Two hours Of colsUmmate skill
exhibited in the tie Of n flashing era
vat. His conversation made up OF
Abs" and Obs aud He hes
There is only one counterpart to sucl
man as that. and that is the frothl
young woman at the watering place
her conversation made up OF Frencl
moonshine: what she has In her heat
only equaled by what she has on hel
back: useless ever since she was bori
and TO be useless until she Is dead un
less she becomes an intelligent Chris
/ tian. We may admire music and fai
faces and graceful step, but amid th'
| heartlessness and the imitation and th'
fantastic influences Of our modern wa
tering places beware how you maxi
lifelong covenants.
BnnefuI Literature.
Another temptation that hovers ove
the watering place Is that OF banefu
literature. Almost every one starting
of for the summer takes some reading
l.. al.aan