The Bossier banner., 1886-01-21

mu0lClpdl uTuukeuueSS.
Stand back, young man! Take not the
first step in the path that leads there. Let
not the fame of strong drink ever scorch
your tongue. You may tamper with these
things and escape, but your influence will
be wrong. Can you not make sacrifice
for the good of others? When the good
ship London went down, the captain was
told that there was a way. of escape in one
of the lifeboats. He said: "No: will go
down with the passengers" All the world
acknowledged that heroism. Can you not
deny yourself Insignificant indulgences for
the good of others? Be not allured by
the fact that you drink only the
moderate beverages. You take only ale,
and man has to drink a large amount
of it to become intoxicated. Yes; but
there's not in all the city to-day an ine
briate that did not begin with ale.
"XXX," what does that mark mean?
Xxx" on the beer barrels; xxx"
on the brewers dray; Xxx" on the
side of the bottle. Not being able to find
any one who could tell me what this
mark means, have had to guess that the
whole thing was an allegory: "XXX'-
that is, thirty heart breaks, thirty agon-
les, thirty desolated homes, thirty chances
for drunkard's grave, thirty ways to per-
dition. "XXX?" If were to write a
story the first chapter would be Xxx"
the last the pawnbroker's shop. Be watch
full! At this season all the allurements to
dissipation will be especially busy. Let
not your flight to hell be in the winter.
Al,
through their very length, allow great
swing for indulgences. Few young men
would have the taste to go to their
rooms at seven o'clock and sit until
eleven, reading Motley's Dutch Republic
or John Fosters essays. The young men
who have been confined to the store all
day want fresh air and sightseeing; and
they must go somewhere. The most of
them have of winters evening three
or four hours of leisure. After the even
ing repast the young man puts on his hat
and coat and goes out. "Come in here"
cries another. "Go," says Satan; "you
ought to see for yourself" Why don't
you go?" says comrade, sit is a shame
for a young man TO be as green as you
are. By this time you ought to have seen
everything"
Especially is temptation strong when
business is dull. have noticed that men
spend more money when they have little
to spend. The tremendous question to be
settled by our great population, day by
day, is how to get livelihood. Many of
our young men just starting for them
selves are very much discouraged. They
had hoped before this to have set up a
household of their own. But their gains
have been slow, their discouragements
many. The young man can hardly take
care of himself. How can he take care of
another? And, to the curse of modern So
ciety, before young man is able to set up
home of his own, he is expected to have
enough to support in idleness somebody
else, when God intended that they should
begin together and jointly earn a liveli-
hood, So, many of our young men are
utterly discouraged and utterly unfit to re-
sist temptation.
The time when the pirate bore down
upon the ship was when it's sails were
down and it was making no headway.
People wish they had more time to think.
have too much time to think. Give to
many Of our commercial men the four
hours of these winter nights, with nothing
to divert them, and before spring they will
have lodgings in an insane asylum. | re-
mark further that the winter is especially
trying to the moral character of our
young men, because some of their homes
in winter are especially unattractive. In
summer they can sit on the steps Or have q
bouquet in the vase on the mantel, and the
evenings are so short that soon after gas
light they feel like retiring. Parents do
not take enough pains to make these long
winter nights attractive. 1t is strange that
old people know so little about young peo-
pie. One would think that they had never
been young themselves, but had been born
with spectacles on. It is dolorous for
young people to spend the three or foul
hours of a winters evening with parents
who sit talking over their own ailments
and misfortunes and the nothingness oi
this world. How dare you talk such bias.
phemy? God was busy six days in max.
ing the world, and has allowed it to hang
six thousand years on his holy heart; anG
that world hath fed you and clothed you
and shone on you for fifty years, and yet
you talk about the nothingness of this
worlds Do you expect the young people
in your family to sit and groan about this
magnificent, star-lighted, sun warmed
shower baptized, fiower-strewn, angel.
watched, God-inhabited planet? From
such homes young men make a wild plunge
into dissipation. Many of you have the
means-why do you not buy them violin
| or picture? or have your daughter
cultured in music until she can helI
| to make home attractive? There
are ten thousand ways of lighting
| up the domestic circle. 1t require,
no large income, no big house, no ricl
wardrobe, no chased silver, no gorgeous
upholstery, but parental heart awake tc
its duty. Have doleful home and you,
children will not stay in it, though yot
block up the door with Bibles and tie fast
to them million catechisms. I said to {
man: "This is beautiful tree in front o
your house." He answered, with whine
Eyes; but it will fade" l said to him
"You have a beautiful garden" He re
piled: 'Yes, but it will perish" 1 found
out afterward that his son was a vaga
bond, and was not surprised at it. Yol