St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-05-23

dressed, in the name of God quit it. They
will despoil your nature. They will under
mine your moral character. They will
drop you when you are destroyed. They
will give not one cent to support your
children when you are dead. They will
weep not one tear at your burial. They
will chuckle over your damnation. But
the day comes when the men who have ex-
erted such influence upon their fellows
will be brought to judgment. Scene, the
last day. Stage, the rocking earth. Enter
Dukes, Lords, Kings, beggars, clowns.
No sword, no tinsel, no crown. For foot
lights, the kindling flames of world. For
orchestra, the trumpets that wake the
dead. For gallery, the clouds, filled with
angel spectators. For applause, the clap
ping floods of the sea. For curtain, the
heavens rolled together on scroll. For
tragedy, the doom of the destroyed. For
farce, the effort to serve the world and
God at the same time. For the last scene
of the fifth act the tramp of nations across
the stage-some to the right, others to the
left.
Again, any amusement that gives you
distaste for domestic life is bad. How
many bright, domestic circles have been
broken up by sinful amusements! The
father went off, the mother went off, the
child went off. There are to-day the frag-
ments before me of blasted households
Oh, if you have wandered away, would
like to charm you back by the sound of
that one word, "Home.n Do YOU not
know that you have but little more time
to give to domestic welfare? Do you not
see, father, that your children are soon to
go out into the world and all the influence
for good you are to have over them you
must have now? Death will break in on
your conjugal relations, and, alas, if you
have to stand over the grave of one who
persisted from your neglect! l saw a
hayward husband standing at the death
bed of his Christian wife, and / saw her
point to q ring on her finger and heard
her say to her husband: "Do you see
that ring?" He replied: " Yes, I see it,"
i" Well" said she, do you remember
who put it there?n Yes," said
he, "I put it there,' and all
the past seemed to rush upon him.
By the memory of that day when in
the presence of men and the angels you
promised to be faithful in joy and sorrow,
and in sickness and in health; by the
memory of those pleasant hours when you
sat together in your new home, talking Of
bright future by the cradle, anil the joy
full hour when one life was spared and
another given; by that sick-bed, when the
little one lifted up the hands and called for
help, and you knew he must die, and he
put one arm round each of your necks and
brought you very near together in that
dying kiss; by the grave in Greenwood,
that you never think of without rush of
tears; by the Family Bible, where in it's
stories of Heavenly love is the brief but
expressive record of births and deaths; by
the neglects of the past, and by the ago.
MES of the future; by judgment day,
when husbands and wives, parents and
children, in immortal groups will stand to
be caught up in shining array, or to shrink
down into darkness; by all that, beg you
to give to home your best affections.
look in your eyes to-day, and l ask you the
question that Gehazi asked of the Shuna-
mite: SIS it well with thee? Is it well
with thy husband? Is it well with thy
child?" God grant that it may be ever
lastingly well
Let me to say to all young men, your
style of amusement will decide your eter-
nal destiny. One night saw a young
man at the street corner, evidently doubt
ing as to which direction he had better
take. He had his hat lifted high enough
so you could see he had an int elligent fore
head; stout chest. He had a robust devel-
opment. Splendid young man; cultured
young man; honored young man. Why
did he stop there while SO many were 60
ing up and down? The fact is that every
man has good and a bad angel contend
ing for the mastery of his spirit; and there
was the good and bad angel struggling
with that young mans soul at the corner
of the street. "Come with me-" said the
good angel. 81 will take you home. | will
spread my wing over your pathway.
viii lovingly escort you all through life.
will bless every cup you drink out of,
every couch you rest on, every doorway
you enter. l viii consecrate your tears
when you weep, your sweat when you toll,
and at the last l will hand over your grave
into the hand of the bright angel
of Christian resurrection. In
answer to your fathers petition and
your mothers prayer have been sent of
the Lord out of Heaven to be your guardian
spirit Come with men said the good
angel, in a voice of unearthly symphony.
1t was music like that which drops from
lutte of Heaven when seraph breathes on
it. "No, no." said the bad angel. "Come
with me. Ihave something better to offer.
The wines pour are from chalices of be-
witching carousal; the dance lead is over
floor tessellated with unrestrained indul-
gencies; there is no God to frown on the
temples of sin where | worship. The skies
are Italian; the paths I tread are through
meadows daisied and nrinnrosed. Come