The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-02-18

empty, and the more a cheat on account Of the
This is precisely what excessive reading o
even lnnocent nction will do for people. A
thorough and devoted novel reader is inane,
and the void and ricSety soul is flled with dead
and rotten rosebuds, whose odor is sought to be
man good for2 There is quite as tnuoh founda-
tion on which to build up good in n Highway
robber as In him, The robber mas n pre1t
strong nature, but full of evil, Affect his 5enrt
and convince his Judgment and a true man
may come OF hlm yet. But in the other man
there is nothing; manhood proper is gone aud
you might as well attempt to build a palace ont
Of soap bubbles as to try to shape this thing of
sponge into man. All that you could proHte-
bly, do with him would be to make a dancinS.
master OF him, or convert him into a walking
sign for perfumery shop. Beware voun6
men. OF being ground into a fragrant foothes
powder under mountain of romance
But II is time to draw towards a close You
will of course understand that our treatment of
our theme was not meant TO be exhaustive
We could not furnish q catalogue of dangers
give specimens OF bad books, and Of other forms
Of literature, and to couple them with hints for
you, my young friends, to make your way
through these dangers as best you can, aud with
such helps as can reach you.
Aware, in q measure, of these literary
perils, what must we do? We answer that
obscene books. such as ,swinburne's, are pro.
ouds OF them. Let wisdom aud folly truth and
falsehood, contend for the mastery in a fair
and open field. Mere erroneous beliefs must
be met by Christian convictions: falsehood
must be strangled, but by the unarmed and
naked hand of truth, Christianity, with It's
virtues, is worthy, Indeed, of universal homage
but her disciples cannot be slaves.
1t is n most responsible thing to live: but re-
sponsiblity rightly met is synonymous with
glory. FOrewarned is forearmed, We must
know that the great world forces of civilization
are not to be destroyed but evangelical, the
press In all IT'S aspects Is to be pure in the glor-
Gus age which God has promised shall vet
dawn upon the world. AS when a man is re-
newed by the grace of God his powers his in
flneOpe. his wealth. ALI inpludad in IA olf
conservation, so 1t is TO be on the broad field OF
the world. Science and letters shall feel and
bring in the reign of Jesus.
Let then the young men who are to own the
property and make and administer the laws
and produce the literature of the future age
new-sphere themselves for their duty. Let
them go forth from Christian closets, armed
with sincerity, purity, faith, and spotless eau
t1on and candor. Let them discourage all
impure, loose, immoral, irreigious literature
and move among magazines and neWspa pers
as discriminatory as they should among men
giving their patronage regardless of pecuniary
profit, only to the purest newspapers and maya.
zines, and using all their legitimate influence
against those that encourage irreligon, or i'm.
piety, or impurity, either editorially or other
wiSe
Those young men who are resolved to be fol-
the right. must band themselves together tC
save the whole OF their class. The Young Mems
Chrlstlan Association, by deep and deepening
convictions OF Immortality and of the eternity
and magnitude of the distinction between righ
and wrong, and above ALL by the profound
possession of the Christian life, must prepare
themselves for broader, deeper work. 1t is t
be feared that nearly half the young men il
this city spend their Sabbaths and evenings a
engine houses, Saloons theatres, street corners
and worse places, and never enter q church.
These, however fallen belong to your class
they, too, whatever else they may be, are youn.
men. Where is the genius to invent a method
for reaching them? and where is the holy
courage. the divine industry to carry it int
effect? Where? He that shall do such worl
as this, and those who shall help him, will bet
ter deserve crowns than the best of monarchs
These young men are in great part corrupted by
the lowest forms of literature. Your work il
by some means to give them purer. and ge
them to read it; then little child shall leac
them. Then the time spent in places of sin will
be spent in your libraries and reading-rooms
and our churches will be too few and too small