The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1885-10-03
BAD HABITS.

L was WditlnS Id carriage IOr
friend one day last summer 1t was 8
quiet street, and near by were number
of boys having game of ball. 1 was
intently watching the sport, when one
of the boys said: See, boys, there
comes old john" Looking down
the sidewalk, we saw man approach
ing. The game was stopped for min
ute. and the boys watched him as he
passed by.
"Ughr' said one, Struggling his
shoulders, isn't he horrid-looxingP''
And horrid- looking indeed the man
was. The tobacco juice oozed from the
corners of his mouth; his face was red
and bloated, and wore hard, wicked
expression. His walk was unsteady,
his clothes shabby, and altogether, a
more debased, disgusting looking
creature would be hard to find.
knew "Old Johns" history well. We
had heard it many times from those
who had known him in his boyhood.
He was once bright. happy, cheerful
boy, in a happy home.
wish it were in my power, boys, to
place that man before each one of you,
and tell you that he was once young
and pure like yourselves, and that the
cause of the change in him was due to
bad habits and bad companions. /
think he would be the strongest warn
ing against these evils that you could
have. Those first little indulgences in
bad habits when boy seemed such a
little thing. The first smoke, the first
glass of strong drink. the first profane
language, that were INDUCED in "just
for fun" and to please his bad asso-
ciates, was the commencement of his
ruin. He he'd no fears from them then.
He would have laughed at the idea
that he would ever be ruined by such
little habits.
All, but that tyrant, habit! Little BY
little it binds its chains closer and closer
around its victims. Little by little a
young man enslaves himself to impure
and debasing habits, until almost be-
fore he is aware, he finds himself bound
tighter than any prisoner in his CELL
Not long since young man made
his home with us for awhile. He was
fast failing in health from diseased
stomach and throat. When at the age
of fourteen years, like many other boys
who consider it manly and smart he
learned to smoke and chew; and by the
time he was twenty he was much ad-
dicted to the use of tobacco. While
staying at our home he was examined
by several physicians, and all concurred
in the opinion that he must give up the
use of tobacco if he would get well.
One day after telling of the physician s
advice he said: Il don't believe can
do it believe it impossible for me to
break off using tobacco"
do you know" / said, ''when we
used to talk to you years ago when you
were boy, about using tobacco, you
used to say you were not afraid but that
you could stop the use of it whenever
you wanted to. That you just learned
to smoke so that you could smoke with
other boys occasionally. Where is that
strength of will gone top
He sat for a long while in silence.
Finally, he said: Il s0iH do it now. 1
s0iU leave it off. should be ashamed
of myself if l did not have manhood
enough for that" And going to the
mantel he took down a number of cigars
and threw them into the fire. Two or
three days passed by. We could not
fail to notice the struggle he was hay
ing. He was pale and restless. and
hardly knew what to do with himself.
About the fourth morning he came very
early from his room. His face was ex-
ceedingly pale and haggard looking.
my head is almost bursting" he said.
I've not slept minute all night 1
believe shall die If l have to endure
this two days longer. i know it will
kill me, and 1 might as well die from
the use of tobacco as from this terrible
suffering"
I knew then that it was all over.
''What do you think now," 1 asked, '.of
boys forming bad habits, trusting to
their strength of will to break from
them at their pleasure?"
Il Think" he said, "that it is the
merest idle talk for them to say such
things. And my advice to every boy
living is to abstain from every impure
and injurious habit-to grow up free, !
pure man. and not a slave such as am
to-day"
You see, boys, what strong tyrant
habit was in that case He had been
doing his work slowly, but oh! so we'll.
Would that could impress upon your
minds, boys, the true beauty of pure
character! Would that / could make
you believe how much nobler a man
may become whose life is untainted by
habits! But it is strange ana
sad fact that custom is not so careful in
the purity of boys character
as girls Actions that would be
strongly condemned in a girl, can be
indulged in by boy with but little re-
A hon lo....~~.