The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1886-12-16
TO YOUNG MEN.


cuse the Sins of Youth-The True Govern
ing Principie-"I Fear God, Therefore I
Can Not DO This Thing"
Rev. Clinton Locke, d. D., of Christ s
Episcopal Church. Chicago. lately de-
livered an earnest sermon to young
men from which are taken the following
extracts:
Answer me. I am a minister of God; do
of ten feel sure that u young man answer.
ing the dictates of his heart would say: II
do. ! believe In God and in accountability,
thing could help" find generally that the
infidelity of young men Is something OF which
they try to persuade themselves because 1t
want wa to mo. do. When you are living directly
contrary to the laws Of God. when you
are setting at defiance all morality and all
the Ssn oi of
tion. and that the laws of the kingdom
of Heaven are just sentences out of an un-
easier II you can persuade yourself that
you are never to be pulled up, for Il.
But at this solemn moment, feeling that this
question is asked, as judge at the most criti-
cal moment Of trial might ask witness.
who felt that come what might. the truth
must be told. l am not far out of the way in
would cry: ''There is a God, though do not
serve Him, and never think of Him. l will
have, know, to answer before Him for my
life." Young men are not yet so far from
their mothers knees that they can forget the
holy lessons of their childhood. The echo Is
yet in their hearts; They have not met with
the trials Of faith that come in maturer years
when often only with strong crying and tears
can we keen our hOl on God. The bright
and beautiful world is too full of its Maker
and its Builder to let their eyes be utterly
blinded to Him. A return to right living In
most cases clears away the mist which OBJ.
ecured tho vision of God. Vulgar intidelity
| disappears before nobler standard OF life,
and philosophic intide!ity has made but little
inroad in the ranks OF the yourg.
Another question: In, What is your iife.
young mans life. You call il sinful, and de-
nounce all manner Of punishment forit; but
It Is Just obeying the laws Of Nature. lam am
do not mean to do this always, but am just
but then am not devil"
can talk freely about It, and expose its details
to your father and mother and sister, And II
can not do that can You Justify Your fe3
your mother and sister. / approve of that
feeling of manhood in you which says: my
ro Geer ses wss shs S.of
will use every subterfuge, SO that she may
still think me clean and upright" repeat.
aha afhor yoy INF and
make to spare those you love the pang o
there arc SO many fond parents who would
they the, knew one.tenth part Of the iniquity in in
which their sons are participants. .
30, you arc too hard some will say.
men will be yo%TSSs fSS must
Stop! We are every moment of our lives
striving to modify, to cOunteract, to divert,
that the Mississippi should overflow its banks.
We oppose another law OF Nature that water
will not rise above its level and we keep It
to the Of %thout
bringing to bear upon them human intelli'
gence and human arrangement. If the doc.
before the simple Of
natural man. farewell to all civilization and
ali morality. We become simply cage OF
gers t no; IS is!ne a1y od every %
control his passions and his instincts, to use
them as we use such a power as steam; not
en-. to give force to the character The most
stupid answer q young man can make when
appealed to about his life is to reply: II am
such a course is utter Jolly whcn / speak
make a sweeping charge OF wIckedness.
tser wIe lea.
and have ever lead thoroughly chaste, up.
right, God-fearing lives, not from fear OF de-
ScSe.s aSe Sm 81 St
Joseph Of old: II fear God, therefore I can
men Sa w who % have Struggled out Of states Il SIM
who have thrown OF chains of lust or drink
which bound them; alas! they can not throw
selves SCI Of the q regret St their folly
and their crucihxion afresh Of their Lord
Christ, but they have put the lives upon q
the battle and are vctors, though let moo no ono nc
forget that he who thnketh he standeth, must
take heed lest be fall; But while thank God
Se ss asia shch % tespa thas SodS
corruption, and while cry fearlessly tina!
American young men are a. far above all
darkness. yet i can not blind my eyes to the
| fact that the wickedness and the sinfulness Ot
| young men is an awful factor In our social
one single point in regard to some small
argue as TO the larger ones. A city Of
yoaSs %ea oi Of aes hsse sntspea
ssSa' one q 1000 population, tSn y YOUNG a men
Year; yea; use city Of ssooo. 90 young % men. seven @
| teen Protestant churches, LIS saloons. s pei
cent. Of the young men in nine churches q
inS TWO hours Saturday morning in seven Of
| the saloons. Police ofhcers, or those who
make II their business 70 look into this, In
rooms, acting in collusion with the worst
dens OF inianity, swarm nightly with young
| men not OF the toughest cloee, Dut very Otter
| those who call themselves respectable and
| are called respectable. But ] can not say
| shuts my mouth. ] can only declare that II
| any class In this city are led captive by the
| devil II 10 the young men. and they are to be
( come our older mon, our merchants. our doc
tors. our mechanics; yes, and what IL more
| husbands and fathers Of families; yes and
for our dsughters' hands: and to lead thu
dearest things we love to the altar. But theJ
say the temptations arc 70 great and we am
90 urg by our incllnstiOns. All! yes, the
| temptations arc tremendous. Vice, dressed
| tn appear like virtue, licensed often by thu
very. authorities Of the city. Bad examples
on ~ sides; the powerful press speaking
!ishtly Of the worst sins often: Yes, n,
wonders even 90 many escapes; but bccauss
| temptation ts enormous shall you. like
/ coward, yield to itf IL IL not the part Of
MAJ ~ ayht. to strugsle 20 put bis foot oI
In the old hcathen fable the sailors OF Ulysse
rS SresSy Of sfs cup held Spt 70 the.
But their leader deAed the witch. He drew
bis sword and she fell back before him. Hi
| leader. Mercury. he'd given him 9 mAgi
| 1cWer which enabled him to repel the temp
tstL0u. j was the flower OF governing one'
oeif-maklng the apostle subordl nate TO the
feeson. ltte On action matured into habit
az Sri q q ps:sioa. III tie 6ssis y intes
s!ty. II is ths safeguard Of ~ noble dispo
sltlons. II y - Mathew ASneh sings:
III youth. obeiisst q de 1sss 81 kv."
Another question: doee etnful life brlnl
ony real satisfactiou With ~ 10 mt say
rs.,.ssc1t,. n, 4. SS... - ~ ~. W