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[l*or Hie Christian Index.']
FRIENDLY COUNSEL TO YOUNG PERSONS.
Young Readers —l advise you to begin atari early
day taM'onil the habit of looking afouftd you, and ex-' 1
amining your position. There are dangers—breakers
and shoals—-all* over this ocean of life, and-hundreds
are wrecked upon them, ere they are aware, lor want’
of circumspection. .There must be caution at the
helm, or the ship will sink: arid.it requires no smallj
•cure to keep a watch upbit**every thing: still, yonngj
people have it to do,-or else leave themselves subject to]
a thousand snares. They must look to the right and;
left. lest some by-way con dust’them from the sale’
path; they : must look ahead to see that the way is
•clearand behind, to watch agpiusttlie silent approach
of the wary enemy ; they must look beneath them, for
there is to be their last resting place, with which the;,
mind should beTamilhir in life; an<J they should con
stantly cast a look above, to supplicate the grace-and |
mercy of lieuN’en.,, They must watch about them, dili
gently .cAuu vj?j(gfcifiG add?,;
relative uaiiw—dieiV advancements in knowledge and
good works—their departures from the path of recti
tude, and every thing connected wj#h them. You can
never get along without this, young friends—never can
meet with any great sqgcess iti the world, nor arrive
at any station of eminence in honor,, usefulness or
wealth. Your Maker never designed you should rise
or succeed in any thing, without using the proper
means, and I do assure yop most solemnly that you
never will, or ought!
Let your minds rrintover the circle of your acquain
tance, amj behold hew many have suffered in some
wyjy or other, for neglecting to use the proper watch
fulness in the jumper time V nay, retrospect even the
few years of your own- pastiives, and you will find
more than one disappointment <3‘r distress .arising from
the same cause. These things are able to teach you
useful lessons for the luture, for they are the instruction
of experience already openring to your minds. It was
by timely and diligent watchfulness, that a Columbus,
a Washington anil a Franklin, rose to be good, wise
and great men, and raised a great and new empire of
the pei pie to the zenith of national glory : by thetfcime
means, and not otherwise, you may accomplish great
things in the world for yourselves and others,-and rise
to as high stations of honor and usefulness as any be
fore vou have done. Fix these truths in your minds,{
be assured of their importance, and act according to
their dictates.
Let nothing prevent you from doing right. No*
rriatter how great and alarming seem the difficulties on
the way, never go out of the path of rectitude; but;
persevere in patience and with a firm resolution to the:
end, assured that all may he surmounted and success;
obtained. “ Labor overcomes all’ things,” is an oldj
motto full of truth and comfort the young, and par-!
•ticularly worthy of their adoptloii; it makes mole-hills
of mountains, and is a whole hosiSon the side of right.
Begin in time to do right, in spite of difficulties and in
ducements, and you will hereafter find, it very easy.
“ Custom is second nature,” and “ practice makes per
fectby the time you are men of business, you will
see it is easy and. natural to do right, and y<Vi will have
the satisfaction of knowing that you fire becoming per
fect in all good works. yf \
First, then, my’young friends, never undertake any
thing that is wrong —never think of it: it is emremely
dangerous to engage in any thing that even hiAhe ap
pearance of evil, and no man can be held guilt
T IIE TRUTH- l $ LOVE.
PENMEIiB, GrA., JULY 8, mi.
’ who does so. You will find many, very many indrice
| meats of the strongest kind, to'tln wrong: falsehood
will frequently he presented to you in the shape and
appearance of truth, and without',, strict Scrutiny you
j will be deceived by her wiles : but she can be detect-,
|ed, and she must be detected, of she will fasten her iron
j grasp upon you. and bind you its galling fetters to her
I vile sertaee. I know of nothing mpre appropriate for
VOU iu tms matter, than thernotn of the old Tennessee
: 1 ro:Be sure you are right, then go ahead.” “Go
ahead” in spite of every oppositk n, every inducement,
•every consideration of worldly honor ®r personal ag
grandizement; iu spite of the ppr unsionor example of
• great men, for many who are called great men do
wrong; and in spite of every tiring that can be said or
done, promised orlhreatened. Adversity, with all its
! wants, privations and hardships, is far better than the
i uneasy conscience, with all its stings and lashes, which
will assuredly follow the commission of wrong actions,
or the thinking of wrong thoughts. *
Contract no idle habits or’useless customs. Almost
every mrin has to labor under serious disadvantages
fcp.m a want of attention to this important matter in
*Ee days of youth ; for if our days of youthful strength
find pleasure do not last long enough, the idle, useless,
dangerous, and sinful habits and customs, which we
fotm in those days, continue with us far* too long for
ail* comfort, Convenience or happiness. * Be advised,
yoilUg to begin in time your guard against
practices that will, if.contracted, remain with you, and
prove greatly injurious and troublesome all through
• life, lou can never reap any advantage or pleasure
from them, hut a great deal of pain, disquiet and
Such is the experiencmand warning of older men in all
I ages of the world, and such will forevfer be the result
of carelessness in this respect. These silly and idle
habits, and customs, are nbt only sinful at in
ning, but they grow and increasera pidly
bilious crimes, darkening hc !iftkp..li’i ■.
thfoui, lHg3|hlatUiur upon’ him- certain disgrace and
Imisery. The'Vilest oaths that flow from the mouth of
the swearer, are but a regular growth from little by
words and silly, though sinful, expressions, contracted
iby inattention and carelessness in eaijier years; the
j basest and most abandoned drunkard, wdlowing in the
dirt and mud of the streets, is but in his egular growth
from the former-idle, useless and dangerous custom of
drinking a glass of spirits occasionally with a friend, or
as a fashionable accomplishment. Ani so I might go
‘on through the wfioie catalogue of entries, and trace
their rise and growth to some foolish, sinful practice,
] formed in earlier days. These are no idle, speculative
notions of mine, but truths as universal and invariable
as any in the world, and can he established to your
satisfaction hv your own observalion.of the people im
mediately around you. Then, rnv (fear young friends,
avoid, oh slum, the.beginning ot sucllrnonstrous eyi'ls—
such high olichees against social order and heaven’s
law ! If hundreds and thousands qf your fellow crea
tures have brought upon themselves’guilt and ruin, by
• contracting idle and useless habits ir; youth, you surely
ought to take the warning which jhjjtr sad* example
has left you, and avoid the paths which they have fol
lowed. It will be too late when theief habits have been
confirmed to shun them ; it will billiard, indeed, to
shake them off; and if you should eyin succeed in get
ting rid of them, and freeing yoursdjves from their in-
Ifluence, you will still have the painflil reflection that a
: part of your lives has been dishonored by their touch,
! and others injured by your conduct’ Slum the beglfl
fning of evil, then, as you would t|e f bite of a- serpent,
1 and you will have reason to rejoi/e at it hereafter.
Avoid looking for too much. ‘Disappointment sinks!
; the heart of man,” as hundreds of men can tell youj
j who, in youth, indulged too groat anticipations ‘of fu
j ture joys and pleasures. This s not a smooth world,
and few things pass easily ovir it: however fair may
be the appearance of the morning, the noon-day sun is;
often obscured by thick, dark'cloudsMnd the beauties
of the day obscured by the horrors of the storm. So
with the prospect before the mind of youth: it looks
bright asd glowing, inspires jiigh liopetfand fond ex
• pectatiofis, and invites the fancy to revel in the vision
• of future happiness and/ionor. But, lo! the clouds of
adversity an'd of sorrow- roll their dark masses upward,
■ obscure the shining prospect, and shed their storms up
- on the disappointed traveller in the desert of life.
■ Hundreds of young people have thus destroyed what
t pleasure future yea rd might have brought them; they
SLIIVLS -Y OL. XY .-NO. *B.
expected more thail could befehlized by mortals in our
imperfect state,'and could never.be satisfied with any
thing beneath these expectations. It is not safe to look
for too much, for it will keep the mind forever on a
stretch, and forever filled- with disappointment. Ex
pect no more than you now enjoy, and lie prepared to
give up even the present enjoyment if necessary, ami
such is frequently the case. Train your minds to sub
mit to the Worst at any time; and then, if fortune
should smile, or happiness shine upon you, the enjoy
ment will be the sweeter, and the comfort mor6 lasting.
If you are industrious, patient, prudent and persevei
iug> you can with all propriety indulge moderate ex
pectations, with a fair prospect thqt they will be reali
zed: but nothing will authorize you to look for too
much, and every thing will combine to disappoint you
in your expectations.
Never live for yourself alone. Man was not created
to act independently of man; and every body is moral
ly hound to study and labor for the good of others, in
connection with his own good. Young persons owe
great deal to the care of others; their training, educa
tion, sustenance, and pleasures, have been°recci vod
through the care and love of parents, teachers and
friends—and there is no reason why these same youths,
in their turn, should not do all they can, not only to re
pay this kindness, but also, to benefit others in a similar
manner. Such is the law of nature and of God, and:
great satisfaction is the result of obeying it. Your own
prosperity and happiness, my young readers, are inti
mately connected with those of every body around
you; you must prosper as they do, rise with them, re
joice as they rejoice, and exult as they exult. Your
interests and theirs are common; your labors and
theirs must be united for the common good; and your
heaits and theirs should be linked together in love and
good desires for the common welfare. How is it pos
sible for a single individual to disconnect hia"trrti-esn;
tty*”- OfjaS ijfsw* qf till. po->p!o ; How cub h*.
live alone, vvitfibnt triendt, aid br counsel; and still be
a man ! It is not possible; and the conviction forces
itself upon the mind, that as one receives help from the
rest, that one must—positively must—help the rest in
his turn. Justice and equity demand it, and he is no
man of right who refuses to pay the due.
But look into the world about you, young friends,
and see how many men there are, who strive to cheat
society out of its due, by receiving good from others’
and giving none in payment; they are poor, miserk,
selfish, and unlovely beings, who are of little worth ;J
themselves, and a dead expense upon the benevolence
of other people. Thqy know and care little about the
real uses of living in* this world, and are never bad! v
missfikl when they are taken from it. You certainly
efinnot adiyire such characters, and will never consent
to become such yourselves ; you could not stand the
finger of scorn and the lip of contempt, which people
would point and curl when you came near them; and,
therefore, I fear not your actions in this mutter, pro
vided you are soundly enlightened and convinced of
its importance. When you arc reflecting on your o*vn
affairs, and laboring for your own-interests, there will
be a prominent place in your minds occupied whh
thoughts, desires and plans, for the good of others: this
is natural, since, as before mentioned, your happiness
and welfare greatly and intimately depend upon thetis.
Nothing is in more strict accordance “With the laws of
nature and of heaven, and nothing will more surely af
ford peace ot conscience, respect of character, and
success in all the wholesome, well-digested plans of
life. In short, the way to be good and happy, is-to do
all in your power to spread goodness arid happiness
!around you.
Sport with nobody's feelings. The plan of runny
! people, who turn to sport and ridicule the little fiprlts
and failings, as well as the mistakes and even misfor
tunes of others, is not prudent, wise, or good in its re
sults. I love to see respect paid to the feelings of the
poorest and .humblest individual, and I am sure it n
best to show them this respect under all circumstan
ces : even where persons have made themselves crirni
nal and dishonored, I would rather see them let alone,
than insulted in their feelings by any body, much less
by young persons. You know not, young friends
how sad and unfortunate you may yet be in your cir
cumstances, and how much you may become objects
ot ridicule to the rude and vulgar: then remember the
Golden Rule of the Saviour, and “do unto others as
you would have others do unto you.” If you would