The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-02-16
The Perils of Young Men.

Rev VIM. E. Baker continued his series OF
special sermons on last Sunday evening by Il
very impressive discourse from the 9th verse
of the one hundred and nineteenth Psalm
"Wherewithal shall young man cleans his
way? BY taking heed thereto according to
thy word" Taking as the basis of his subject
the peculiar perils and temptations that sur
round the entrance of the young man into
life, he portrayed in stirring language and
vivid colors those perils, and made an urgent
| appeal to the consciences of parents and those
who are in any way responsible for the rear
ing and moral culture of the young.
The speaker evidently has strong faith in
the good old Puritan doctrine of personal
oversight and restraint as opposed to the mod
ern tendency toward over-indulgence and
laxlty of discipline. That many a rair young
life has had its brilliant promise marred, and
its noble possibilities crushed by the idea OF
those to whom its guidance and nurture was
entrusted, that the young man must "see lfe'
in order that his mental scope of vision may
be enlarged and the horizon of his intellect
extended; that he may go forth from pure
and sheltered home roof where his only teach
ing has been from the revered and tender ten
der lips of a mother and the wise and saga
clous counsels of father, and be allowed to
plunge forthwith into every form of dissipa-
ton, to visit the haunts of sin unreproved, in
order that he may look upon the hideousness
of evll-doing, become satlated with its allure
ments, and so be ready to turn back to the
purity and innocence of childhood, uncon-
taminated by such experience
This is all very good as theatrical result,
but unfortunately it is opposed to the ancient
Bible doctrine and the experience of the Man
OF Wisdom, "Ye cannot touch pitch and not
be defiled"
The speaker pointed out as striking illus
tration of this truth the difference in the
methods OF rearing sons and daughters, even
OF the same household. How the one class is
vigilantly watched carefully surrounded with
every safeguard; scrupulously taught that
every form of vice and impurity is not only
morally wrong, but socially disreputable.
Few of those in authority think it necessary
to set such lessons before the boys They are
boys, and therefore must see and know. and
more than probably participate in just such
scenes The wild oats is an inevitable crop,
the harvest follows from the planting in the
natural sequence of events, and if the lad of
brilliant promise and exceptional gifts of mind
and person ends his career In prison or sinks
into drunkard's grave, the world casts no
special blame upon the parents. 1t is the way
OF these bright boys to follow the gltterng
lure of evil unless the most strenuous. the
most patient hand holds out the ensign of
good for their attraction.
Mr.. Baker has evidently made a special
study OF this much abused variety of the genus
hdna0, and can speak to them with ready
comprehension of their difficulties and genu-
inc sympathy with their wrongs, as was
evlnced by more than one glowing counte-
nance turned upon him as he spoke, showing
plainly that if boys are not always amenable
to the iron clad arguments of theology, they
are as susceptible as any other class to the
touch OF sympathetic hand, or an appeal to
the higher instincts of our common humanity.