St. Landry democrat., 1886-10-16

way W Cu III I'll. IL Is ION uhyS anu
what is the old mans surprise to see his
son pass down the aisle with one Of ths
silver chalices, showing him to be e church
official. The fact was that Nicholas from
the start in city life honored God, and God
had hOnOred him. When the first wave of
city temptation struck him he had felt the
need of divine guidance and divine
protection, and in prayer had sought a re-
generated heart, and had obtained that
mightiest of all armor, that mightiest Of
all protection, that mightiest of all REIN
| forcements, the multlpotent and onipot emf
grace of God, and you might as veil
! throw thistle down against Gibraltar.
| expecting to destroy it, as with all the
combined temptations of earth and hell
| try to overthrow a young man who can
truthfully say: God is my refuge and
| strength"
Come, let us measure Nicholas around
the head. As many inches of brain as any
other intelligent man. Let us measure
him around the heart. 1t is so large at
it takes in all the earth and all the heav-
ems. Measure him around the purse. He
has more resources than nine tenths Of
those who on that Monday, September 20,
came in any of the railroads from
north, south, east and west.
But that Sabbath afternoon while in the
back room Nicholas and his father are
! talking over any attempt II the rac'am1-
ton Of Edward, there is ringing of the
door-bell and a man with the uniform of
policeman stands there; and the man With
! some embarrassment, and some halting,
| and in a round about way says that in
| fight in some low haunt of the city Ed
ward had been hurt. He says TO Nicho-
las:
| 81 heard that he was some relation of
yours, and thought you ought to know it."
"Hurt? Is he badly hurt:"
eyes, very badly hurt:"
| as the wound mortal?"
eyes; it is mortal. To tell you the
whole truth, sir" says the policeman,
''althoueh I can hardly bear to tell you,
he is dead.'
Dead" cried Nicholas; and ly this
| time the whole family are in the hallway.
The father says:
"Just as | feared. 1t viii kill his mother
when she hears of it. Oh, my son, my
son. Would to God l had died for thee
| Oh, my son, my son."
"Wash off the wounds" says Nicholas,
land bring him right here to my house,
and let there be all respect and gentleness
shown him"
Oh, what obseques! The next door
neighbors hardly knew what was going
on: hut Nicholas and the father and
mother knew.
What made the difference between these
two young men? Religion. The one de-
pended upon himself, the other depended
on God. They started from the same
home, had the same opportuni of edu-
cation, arrived in the city on the same
day, and if there was any difference, Ed
ward had the advantage, for he was
brighter and quicker, and all the neigh
bors prophesied greater success for him
than for Nicholas. But behold and Won
der at the tremendous secret. Voices
come up out of this audience and say:
"Did you know these brothers,"
yes; knew them we'll"
did you know their parents?"
eyes; intimately"
Why this sermon? l have made up my
mind that our city life is destroying too
many young men. There comes in every
Sept ember and October a large influx OF
those between sixteen and twenty four
years Of age, and New York and Brook
lyn damn at least thousand of them
every year. They are shoveled on and
down with no more compunction han that
with which coal-heavcr scoops the an
thracite into a dark cellar. What with
the wine-cup and the gamblers dice, and
tie scarlet enchantress no young man,
without the grace of God, is SAT. ten min.
uteS.
There is much discussion about which is
the worst city of the continent. Some say
New York, some say New Orleans, some
say Chicago, some say st. Louis. What l
have to say is, you can not make much |
comparison between the inintes, and in
all our cities the temptation seems infni Q. |
We keep a great many mills run
ming day and night. No rice
mills or cotton mills. Not mills of corn or
wheat, but mills for grin ding up men.
Such are all tie grog- shops, licensed and |
unlicensed. Such are all the gambling |
saloons. Such are all the houses of in
fanny. And we do all the work &C, ordiug !
to law, and we turn out a new grist every !
hour, and grind up warm hearts and clear
heads, and the earth about cider mill is
not more saturated with the beverage than
the ground about all these mind destroy
ing institutions is saturated with the
blood of victims. We say to Long Island
neighborhoods and villages:
'Send us more supply"
And to Westchester and Ulster and all |
the other counties of New York:
''Send us more men and women TO put
under the wheels.'
o, man and woman, ponder the path OF
thy feet! See which way you are going.
Will you have the destiny of Edward or
Nicholas? On this sacramental day, when
the FURNISHED cbalices stand in the pres
ence of the people, start from the foot of
the cross for usefulness and Heaven. PIu-
tarch tells us that after Caesar was slain
and his twenty-thre wounds had been