Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1870-12-21
Our 4yuung folks.


y boy needs decision of character more
than any other trait, and | can sympathize
with boy who Is doing his best 10 cult
waite this virtue 1t is his shcet-anchor.
which, by the grace and help of God, can
hold him right when all else fails him \
boy should learn how to say No, aud not
only how to say it, but how to live ~ 10
it. When sinners entice thee, consent
thou not : that means, say No with en-
phasis, and after saying no, leave the place
at once. 1t Is your only safety. II YOU
say Get thee behind me, Satan, he won't
get lie never goes away politely and
humbly when ordered-not he. He will
face you, and the only way 70 get HIM behind
you is to turn around aud walk away, aud
then, of course, he Is behind YOU This
requires decision.
II Tom and Harry tempt you to run
away from school. or 20 where YOU ought
not TO 90, and you reply in an undecided
way, | guess not-perhaps 1t Is not best
Il rather think Ia better not, YOU are
Tom and Harry's boy They have You
sure. If boy is undecided, he is ly,t
But if, when they make such a proposition
to you, you say No, SIR, and think you
might be pardoned for saying No. sire
and turn away, why, then you are safe.
and neither Tom nor Harry, nor Satan. la,
the least hold upon you. \ boy who is
undecided in his moral character, In his
sports, and, when he grows up, in his bl,i-
ness, floats, drifts along to sure distinctions
for any craft which drifts Is doomed
Any Of you who understand machinery
know what 1t Is when an engine is ou a
dead center Let me explain to those
who do not understand. When the walk
ing-beam of steam engine has lifted the
crank to its highest point, or depressed it
to its lowest, that point is called the dead
center If the crank swings over Us it
usually does, then the rod goes down from
the highest point and up from the lowest
but, sometimes, when an engine Is going
slowly, the crank does not swing past the
center, and then, as the piston presses
straight down or draws straight up, does
not tend to turn the cranks as 1t does when
in any other position, the engine stops. and
the crank has to be swung over the center
by hand.
Now, this dead center Is in an engine
just what indecision is in boy or man.
The crank moves slowly, and without force
enough to carry it over that point it is
undecided which way to 20. and it stops.
and, till it can be started by extraneous
force, the boat is at the mercy of the winds
and waves. If a boys mind moves slowly
and in an undecided manner, his moral
force, his engine, gets on dead eester,'
and away he floats down stream
was once standing on the dock in one
of our seaport towns, watching a large
steamer getting under weigh. The eur.
rent was running swiftly by the wharf
and the river full of large shipping. The
steamer cast off, and swung out into the
stream; the engine made three or four
revolutions, and then stopped. The pilot
sounded the bell in the engine-room IN o,o
ahead, but it was not answered the boat
drifted swiftly, and in moment crash il
went against a ship, and carried away her
rigging around the bowsprit then smash
into another steamboat, and made wreck of
her wheelhouse, and very badly damaged
herself. The pilot was frantic with race
at what he deemed the stupidity of the
engineer the officers of the craft wore
loudly cursing the stupidity of the pilot
ShHN NoSAS was SASAS 10 and fro
of all hands, when the pilot was told bv
the engineer that his engine was on a dead !
center, and till the crank was pushed over
in some way he was powerless By this
time the boat had drifted long way. and
was almost a wreck, indeed so badly
damaged that she could not 20 on her WOW.
age, and in her drifting she had crinnIed
several other craft The only remedv woe
to down anchor, which the pilot did as
soon as he saw the engine was useless Rpt
it was too late. The damage was done
and the boat was afterward hauled off for !,
repairs.
Now, boys, make the application don't
wreck yourself and others by indecision
don't drift and float down the swift streon,
Of life with all your energies on a . dad
,enter.' l always think of this when |
see man who might do great deal of
good in every way, lOafng through life