The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1878-02-15

adheres most naturally to the parent branch
Youth is the spring time Of life, when charac-
ter is forming and new principles most easily
engrafted. The sculptor may allow the block
OF marble to lie in his studio for years before
he works it up; ii will yield as readily to mallet
and chisel then as now. Not 80 with human
character-every days delay is bringing out
the elements OF true manhood and womanhood
renders that task more difficult.
2 Ordinarily those who start in youth make
the best christians. To this statement there
are many exceptions, bat the rule is as I have
statedit Napoleon when mere boy was con-
structing mud forts and waging mock battles
with his playmates. He was a warrior from
boyhood. Would you be hero in the army OF
the Lord give your youth to his service.
! 3 The mind of youth is more retentive than
that OF age. What we learn in youth we re-
member. Some Italian robbers made q raid
on village and stole considerable property.
and then fed to the woods where they we're to
divide the spoils. They decided to dispose Of
the booty among their own number by auction.
The leader, mounting a stump, acted as auc-
tioneer. Article after article was disposed of
until an old Bible was held up and bids called
for. The crowd laughed. Who In all that
goddess throng cared for Bible? To make
sport for his companions the auctioneer read
portions OF the. book, making humorous COM
ments to the great merrment Of the crowd
But suddenly the reading stopped the face of
the auctloneer assumed q serious expression.
The great robber, clasping the Bible to his
heart, said, My life Of crime is ended. Those
very verses that have read for you to laugh
at my own mother used to read to me at night
IN the far-away home just before she knelt by
my bedside and prayed God to guide her boy
in the path Of right. That mother sleeps in an
unknown grave, but by the help of God her
prayer shall be answered" He kept his word.
The robber band was broken up. Youthful
Impressions fingered to bring forth fruit in
after years.
The worst people in the world we're once
as good and innocent as you. Young people
say it is impossible that we should become
criminals or castaways from society; but there
tolls not prisoner in our penitentiary who
was not once pure child. An artist wishing
to secure picture of the most innocent per-
son he could find took the portait of child
about one year old. This he named Innocence"
and hung it up on the wall Of his study. Years
after he sought to procure a picture OF the
most sinful, degraded, guilty looking person
he could find. lie visited the jails and prisons.
He took the portrait of one whose countenance
was more brutal and depraved than al the
other convicts. This picture he named "Guilt'
and hung it up beside the other Judge of his
surprise when few days after he learned that
these pictures were Of the same person That
vicious man in prison cell was the innocent
child grown to maturity.
The youthful mind Is undecided. Old peo.
pie have made up their minds about certain
questions and it is hard 10 change their views.
In youth convictions are forming. When the
mind is in this unbalanced condition It REQUIRES
comparatively but little effort to turn this way
or the other. In an English dock-yard a great
crowd had gathered to see large ship launched
The blocks and wedges were removed when it
was expected to glide INTO the water; but the
great structure would not move and the dis
appointment was great. Just then little bow
ran forward and gave the ship push. The
crowd laughed in rdcule, but the ship moved
from its resting place. 1t so happened thar
only few pounds hindered its gong. Il was
so evenly balanced that all it needed was this
little litt The mind OF youth Is commonly so
evenly balanced that very little effort sufices
to turn 1t either to right or wrong decision.
Impressions received in youth have the
most influence over the after part of life
Voltaire is said to have recsIved his first slep-
tical sentiments from participating in the dis
cussion of a religious topic in debating soci-
ETY.. Ills mind was not at that time settled re-
garding christianity. He was appointed to lead
the inidel side OF the debate; this required
him to give weight to all objections to the
Bible, while he ignored all arguments in its ia
vor. This one-sided investigation made an
impression on his youthful mind which, con- |
firmed in ripper years, rendered him one Of the
most noted OF skeptical writer's.
It is also stated Of Hume that his FIRST skep- |
teal sentiments were received by declsming |
an inidel composition. In order FOR him to |
"speak the piece" properly it was necessary
FOR HIM to thoroughly imblbe its spuit. To |
this exercise sIr. Hume in later years attributed |
his hrst tendency toward infdelity.
Alexander the Great understood we'll the
power Of early impressions. When he would
have an army or unusual bravery he took boys
and kept thom shut mp in wei organizel
soldiers camp. no gave them toy swords,
spears, javelins and all tho ancient implements
OF warfare For years he kept them amid the
scenes OF war This was slow way Of rncirg
an army, but when is vas raised and ready for
active service It amounted to something. These
youths grew up knowing nothing but Alexander
and fight These we're the troops that made
Alexander's name tower high sooye tho rulers
of his age.
In the early settlement Of this country a
band of whites made raid on an Indian VII
Iage. Many OF the red men were killed and
some taken captive. Among the prisoners was
a boy apparently twelve years old; this boy