Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1886-12-02
"our Young Men,,

to.
Under this heading, in the last issue of
your paper, there appeared an article
which does great injustice to as good, if
not the best this is not boasting), element
of society that We have.
Losing sight of the motive that pro-
duced this unique production and dealing
only with the thing itself, without hest
tency, l say, that the facts do not warrant
1t. and, If they did, the policy lisa bad
one; deleterious rather than beneficial to
the moral health of u young men.
While no specific charges, of a serious
nature, are made. the unquestionable i'm
plication is, that our young men are pro.
fame swearers, boisterous drunkards, no.
torious gamblers, or tending that way,
and that they pride themselves upon
these accomplishments and seek oppor-
tunities TO exhibit them.
Our young men are not perfect, they
would not be desirable objects to have
around If they were, but they are as fine
specimens of physical, (his cannot be EN-.
phasized too strongly, mental and moral
young manhood as can be found any.
where. Some few of them may be vegc.
tating. One or two may be rapidly 60.
ing to the bad. But q majority have in
them a spark of the Divine and are max
ing honest efforts to give length breadth,
depth and heighth to what of the God
like they possess.
Take any given number Of our young
men and compare them with the same
number Of our middle age, or even old
men. In this ordeal, our young men, for
honesty, for justice, for charity, for viz
tue, for sobriety, for clearness of CONVEX
sation, for purity of thought, for brother.
ly kindness. for reverence for man and
God and for all Of the other elevating
and ennobling virtues, both positive and
negative, will not suffer. The young
men know, chat compromising the sins
of others does not condone their own
SINS"
They know, that the sentiment that is
prurient TO- publish the weaknesses of
others and not to deal charitably with
them is miserable cant, and not religion.
They know that knowledge that does
not engender justice is not wisdom but
low cunning.
The young men are charged with not
habitually attending the young mems
prayer meeting" Most of them will, l
am inclined to believe, plead guilty here;
but ask. is the young mems prayer
meeting calculated in q very large de-
gree, to meet the intellectual and moral
wants and demands of a fellow who has
many wants and demands of this charac-
ter?"
With the ministers of the town the
young men have no fault to find. These
two factors of our body polite know
absolutely nothing Of each other. They
never meet on equal and social grounds.
To continue this letter would be an
easy matter, but modesty forbids. If Pa
rent wants to render material aid 10 the
young men of the town, above all things.
let him refrain, in the future, from pub.
fishing them to the world as being on the
highway to ruin, he'll and damnation.
Lord, mind GAVIN Hamilton's deserts,
He drinks. and swears and plays at carts,
Yet has sac mony takin' arts,
WI grit and sma'
Frae Gods hin priests the peoples hearts
He steals ava.
An when we chasten'd him therefor.
Thee kens how he bred sic q splors,
As set the warld in q roar
o. laughin' ut u.s.
Curse thou his basket and his store,
Kali and potatoes.
With this we close.
ONE OF THE BOYS.
Nov. 90, 1886.