St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-09-27

Otdiu, PuiC COSudC, llNoly CllquOt,
three KS. After while his money is
gone, and his thirst is more fiery, and
his shame is blunter. Now, in the mid
night, while he is trying to kill the
snakes on his delirious pillow, he cries
out to the doctor, "FOr Gods sake give
me rum" The chain that binds him
for this world and the next is chain OF
very small links, "By little and little
Oh +! that our young men understood
this. What is the matter with that
mariners compass out yonder on the
sea ? If it point right it will lead the
ship into the safety of Boston HarbOr.
If it point the least wrong, crash goes
the atlantic on Mars Rock, with six
bundled passengers. o! young man,
stand off from the beginning of evil.
Though you should charge me with an
Hibernicism, L will risk it and say, Stop
before you start In ancient times the
Turks captured two castles from the
Greeks, and the Greek officers said, 80
that's no matter; those two castles are
worth nothing let the Turks have
them" But the Turks marched on, and
they took Constantinople, and they
have had place in Europe, doing their
work of infamy and death, ever since.
Oh ! young man surrender not the first
castle of your moral strength. Letting
one castle go, all the castles are endan-
gered. sop you say, ~ mingle with
evil associates, but am not contamin-
ated." That is impossible. You may
not get the full length of their iniqnity,
but you are being contaminated. You
know very well it is not safe to stand by
a dog after he has plunged into the mire.
AS soon as he comes ashore he is sure to
shake himself, and you are FLASHED
with the filth. And say though you
may not go down with evil companions
into all the denominations of which they
are guilty, if you stand anywhere near
them, you get FLASHED with moral pOllu-
ton, and moral death. And remember
that we may not only go down gradu-
ally ourselves, but we may take Others
gradually down, "by little and little"
A minister of the gospel stood in re-
form meeting, and he was showing how
that man might take strong drink
moderately and yet do right, and how
the head of family might have strong
drink on his dining-table, and yet dc
right in all this matter: and after he
had made IL powerful and eloquent ar
gument, he sat down in the pulpit
Then an aged man arose in the audi
ence and said: 81 have a broken heart
| have buried my only son. He started
life with beautiful prospects. He is to-
day in IL drunkard's grave, and when he
was dying he told me that he started
that awful habit at the table of Chris
tian clergyman, and that Christian cler-
gyman is the man who just sat down in
the pulpit" 0 may God keep us from
ruin, and keep us from taking others to
ruin.
Again: | have to tell you that
this theory of graduality is illustrated
in the right kind of domestic dicipline,
and the driving out of Canaanitish evil
from the child's heart. Family govern
ment, for the most part, is by fits and
starts. Harry has done something
wrong. The father comes home from
the store tired and hot He hears the
story of the misdemeanor, and he chas-
tises the child numerically. But Harry
has done wrong again. Father comes
home from very successful day at the
store. The story of the child's INSIDE
meanOr has been told to him, but he
says nothing at all. The fact is that
IL great many parents never punish their
children except when they, the parents,
are mad and the father wakes up af-
ter while and finds his son sixteen
years of age, and a scapegrace, and he
says: ''MOther, how strange it is that
our son is turning out so badly | GER
tainly fogged him enough" "Yes,n she
replies, ''yOu flogged him enough, and
If he does not go the gallOws or the
penitentiary it won't be because you
didn't use the means to send him there
Family discipline is worse than nothing
unless it be calm, deliberate. continu-
GUS all through boyhood and girlhood.
Your children, by this gradual process,
are making character noble or degrad-
ed. ''By little and little.n To the nur-
sery story and the picture book of the
first four years must be added the in
fiuence of Christian Preside, proper
Improvement of anniversaries, line up
on line, precept upon precept, here a
little, there little, here a smile, there
look, here frown, here walk, here
a ride, here f1Ower-plucking, here this,
here that. ''By little and little"
Once more: This theory of gradual
ty mentioned in the text has its illus
tratiOn in the conquest of the world fol
God, and the determination of the
Canaanites forever. Would it not be
pleasant if in one day all the race could
be evangelical, and the Atlantic cable
thrill with the news that Europe, Asia.
and Africa are converted Because it is
not done that rapidly, Christian people
get discouraged. They say "Nineteen
centuries since Christ came. and vet the
world not saved. Ships of Tarshish to
bring presents, and yet look at these
vessels carrying hasheesh and opium
and rum. holiness to be inscribed on
the bells of the horses, and vet, on
which one of the bells that chimed in
last winters sleigh-ride was there any
thing but the name of the manufac-
turer? Swords to be turned into plow-
shares, spears into pruning hooks, and
yet, ever and anon, Springfield and
Troy armories laundering all day and
all night, filling some new order fol
howltzer and musketry. The whole
earth to be resonant with salvation, and
yet seven hundred million people who
never heard that Christ came, or that
the cross was lighter, or that there will
be a judgment day." Oh, you cavilers
you do not realize the way God does
things. God is not in hurry. MANY
generations are to have joy in this work
you shall not monopolize it. Your chill
dren, and your children's children, and
their successors innumerable shall helm
draw on this gospel chariot. Let God
control the affairs of the universe. Let
us each one do his little work. The
hands that made the curtains in the an
cIent tabernacle did their work. Dorcas
| n m hnr L.