American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1867-08-07
A Plea for Youthful Enthusiasm


Think how, without friend like st.
Paul to throw his mantle over him, Tim
othy's own modesty would have silenced
him, and his young enthusiasm might
have been withered by ridicule or asper-
| ity. From this instance we are enabled
to draw lesson for all ages. There are
few periods in life more critical than
that in which sensibilities aud strong
feeling oegin to develop themselves in
youngpeoplo. TheIquestion is about to be
decided whether what is at present mere
ly romantic feeling is to become gener-
GUS devotion, and to end by maturing
into self-denial, or whether it is to remain
only sickly sentiment, and, by re>action
degenerate into bitter and a sneering
tone. And there are perhaps few eoun<
tries in which the danger is SO great, and
so much to be guarded against, as here
in England, Nowhere is feeling met
with so little sympathy as here-nowhere
is enthusiasm so much kept down-noN
whore do young persons learn SO soon the
fashionable tone of strongly admirng
nothing-wondering at nothing-rever-
encing nothing-and nowhere does
young man SO easily fall into the habit of
laughing at his own best and purest feel
ings. And this was danger which the
Apostle Paul knew well, and could not
overlook He foresaw the risk Of paral-
izing that young and beautiful enthusi>
asm Of Timothy by the party spirit of
Corinth, by the fear of the worlds
laugh, or by the recoil with which a
young man, dreadng to be despissd,
hides what is best and noblest in him
self and consequently becomes hard and
commonplace. In earlier days Appolos
himself ran the same risk. lie set out
preaching all the truth that he knew
enthusiastically 1t was very poor truth,
lamentably incomplete, embracing only
Johns baptism, that is: the doctrine
which John taught. Had the Christians
met him with sneers, had they said This
young upstart does not preach the Cos
pei, there would have been either a
great teacher blighted, or else strong
mind embittered into defiance and heres
sy But from this he was delivered by
the love and prudence of Aquila and
Priscilla; who, we read, "took him unto
them, and expounded unto him the way
of God more perfectly" They made al,
lowanccs; they did not laugh at his i'm
projections, nor damp his enthusiasm
they united him with themselves they
strengthened what was weak-they lopp-
ed away what was luxuriant; they direc-
ted rightly what wos energetic. Happy
the man who has been true to the ideal of
his youth, and has been strong enough to
work out in real life the plan which pleas
ed his childish thoughts Happy he who
is not ashamed of his first enthusiasm,
but looks back to it with natural piety,
as to the parent of what he now is ! But
for one Of whom this is true-how many
are there whom the experience ot1ife has
soured and rendered commonplace How
many who were once touched by the suns
light of hope have grown cold, settled
down into selfishness, or have been the
mere domestic men, sttled in wealth or
lost in pleasure!
Above all things, therefore, let us be.
ware of that cold, supercilioua tone which
blights what is generous, and affects to
disbeliove all that is disinterestod and
unworldly. Let us guard against the
Mephistopheles spirit, which loves and
reverences notAing-F ". Robertson.