Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1871-02-09
DECISION.

tndu any OtHtr lrAIt, anu can SympaLnlZe
with boy who is doing his best to cul-
tivate this virtue. It is his sheet-anchor,
which, by the help and grace of God, can
hold him right when all else fails him. A
boy should learn how to say NO." and
not only how to say it, but how to live up
to 1t. when sinners entice thee, consent
thou not" that means, say No" with an
emphasis, and, after saying No, leave the
place at once. 1t is your only safety. If
you say "Get thee behind me, Satan," he
won't "get." He never goes away politely
and humbly when ordered-not he. He
behind you is to turn around and walk
away, and then, of course, he Is behind
you This requires decision.
If Tom and Harry tempt you to run
away from school, or 60 where you ought
not to go, and you reply in an undecided
way, II guess not.-perhaps it is not
you are Tom and Hars's boy.
is undecided, he is lost. But il, when they
mo, SIR" and think you might be par
doned for saying (" No, Stree" and turn
away, why, then you are safe, and neither
loui, hui marry, uoI OaVau uu5 CLo ichSC
hold upon you. A boy who is undecided
in his moral character, in his sports, and,
when he grows up, in his business, floats,
drifts along to sure destruction; for any
craft which drifts is doomed.
Any of you who understand machinery
know what it is when an engine is on a
"dead center" Let me explain to those
who do not understand. When the walk
src baa Of oto - hoo Ia
crank to its highest point, or depressed it
center" If the crank swings over, as it
the highest point and up from the lowest
slowly, the crank does not swing past the
straight down or draws straight up, does
in any other position, the engine stops,
center by hand.
Now, this "dead center is in an engine
just what indicision is in boy or man.
The crank moves slowly, and without
force enough to carry II over that point
it is undecided which way to 60, and it
stops, and till ii can be started by extra
winds and waves If boys mind moves
slowly and in an undecided manner, his
moral force, his engine, gets on a dead
CENTER" 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 current
river full Of large shipping. The steamer
<n<y' and MT tv1tn ftnn ctr
the engine made three or four revolutions,
and then stopped. The pilot sounded the
bell in the engine-roOm to 60 ahead, but 1t
was not answered the boat drifted swiftly,
and in moment crash 1t went against a
ship, and carried away her rigging around
her bowsprit; then smash into
another steamboat, and made wreck
of her wheel house, and very badly
damaging herself The pilot was
frantic with rage at what he deemed the
stupidity Of the engineer, tho officers 0
the craft were loudly cursing the stupidity
Of the pilot, and there was great running
to and fro Of all hands, when the pilot was
told by the engineer that his engine was
on "dead center" and till the crank was
pushed over in some way, he was power
less. BY this time the boat had drifted q
long way, and was almost wreck indeed,
SO badly damaged that she could not go on
her voyage, and in her drifting she had
crippled several other craft. The only
remedy was TO down anchor, which the
pilot did az soon as he saw that the engine
was useless But 1t was too late. The
damage was done, and the boat was after
ward hauled of for repairs.
Now, boys, make the application; don't
wreck yourself and others by indscision
don't drift and float down the swift stream
Of life with all your energies on dead
center" always think Of this when l
see man who might do great deal of
good In every way, loafing " through life,
q curse to himself and to all about him.
"B.,p in ChurcAman.