Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1888-09-29

Old folks? Don't you recognize thest
wrinkles, and this stoop in the shoulder
anu this tremulous handY Go home, m,
!, 10Y, go home! BY the God to whom W,
cohsecrated you, by the cradle in which
we rocked YOU, by the grass grown grave
IN the old country c~hurchyard, by the
heaven where we hope yet 70 meet YOU,
=" nome 60 nome, my boy, go home
Ana some Sunday You viii be surprised
/, 20 ma that young man suddenly asking
Tor The prayers OF the church. SOmt
Sunday YOU will see him AT the
SACRAMENT
and perhaps drinking from the same kind
OF chalice that the old folks drank ont IF
years ago Wien they COMMUNICATED the
sutterings OF the Lord. les. my lad.
YOU 90 not have such fun in sin as you
seem 70 have. | know what spells your
iun. You cannot shake of the Influences
OF those prayers long ago offered, or OF
those Kind admonitions. You cannot
make them 80 away, and YOU feel like
saying Father, what are you doing
herc2 Mother, why DO You bother me
with suggestions Of those olden times?'
Hut they VIII not 90 away, They will
push you back from your evil paths,
though they have to come down from
theit shining homes in heaven and stand
in the very gates Of hell, and their backs
scorched Of the fiery blast, and With their
hand on your shoulder, and their breath
on your brow, and their eyes looking
straight into yours. they will say I'VE
have come TO take you home, o, son of
many anXictics,' At last that young
man turns through the consecutive inilu-
epccs Of a pious percentage, who out Of
prayers and tidelitics innnmerable, made
q chain. That Is the chain that
pulls nightly this morning on
five hundred Of YOU. You
may be too proud to shed a tear. and you
may, To convince others of your imper-
tarbahility, smile to your friend beside
you, but there is not SO much power ia
an Alpine avalanche after il has slipped
for a thousand feet and having struck Is
lower elm ~ taking its second bound for
fifteen hundred feet more OF plunge, is
there IS power in the chain that pulls you
towards God and Christ and heaven, On
the mighty pull OF The long chain OF early
gracious influences,
THE CIAIE or INFLUENCES.
But all people between 30 and 40 years
Of age, yes, between 50 and j0-ayo, be
tween 30 and 60 years, and al sc%ptuagen-
arians rs well, need Il surrounding con
Junction of good Influences. In Sing
sing, Auburn, Moyamcnsing, aud al
the other great prisons, are men and
women who went wrong in mid life and
old age. We need around us a Gordon Of
good Influences. We forget to apply the
Wcli.known rule that a chain is no strong
er than its weakest link. If the chain
be made up of 1850 links and 800 are
strong. but one is weak, the chain will be
III danger of breaking at that one weak
link. We may be strong in a thousand
eHccllcncieS, and yet have n weakness
which %cndangcrs as. That is the rcasCa
that we sometimes sec men distinguished
for a whole round Of virtues collapse and
go down. The weak link ia the other
wise stout chain gave way under the
pressure.
The first chain bridge was built in
Scotland Walter Scott tells how The
French imitatedit in "a bridge across the
river Seine. But there was one weak
point in that chain bridge. There was q
middle bolt That was of poor material.
bus they did not know how much de
pended on that middle bolt of the chain
tRSN-t. VIZ tHt tiftfif% 'tAN "a HAottr
sion started, led on by the builder OF the
bridge; and, when. the mighty weight of
the procession was fairly on il. the bridge
broke and p~recipitated the multitudes.
The bridge was all right except in that
middle bolt. SO the bridge Of character
may be made UP of mighty links strong
enough to hold 4 mountain; bat if there
be one weak spot, that one point unlock
,I ,f,,. ,,n,- 10 tho J,c, ,,,n.iN,, &c a,-or,--
thing. And what multitudcs have rome
down for all time and for all eternity be
cause in the chain bridge of ineir char
acter there was lacking q strong middle
bolt. lie had but one fanlt and that was
a~varice; hence, forgery. He had but one
fault and that was a burning thirst for
intoXicants; hence, his fatal debauch.
She had but one fault and that an inordin-
ate fondness for dress, and hence her
own and her husbands bankruptcy. She
had but one fault and that quick tenn
per; hence the djsgraccful Outburst. What
we all want is TO have put around US a
Il CHAIN OF GOOD INFLUENCES.
Christian association is a link. Good
literature is a link. Church membership
is a link. Habit Of prayer is a ink
Scripture research is a link. Faith in
God is a link, Put together all these
influences. Make a chain!
Most excellent is it for us 10 get into
company better than ourselves. If we
are given 10 telling vile stories let us put
ourselves among those who will not abide
such utterances. If we are stingy let
us put ourselves among the charitable.
If we are morOse let as put ourselves
among the good natured, If we are given
to title tattle let us put ourselves among
those who speak no i'll Of their ncighhors.
If We are respondent let Us put ourselves
among those who MAKE the best of
things. II evil is contagious, ! am glad
to say that good is also catching.
People go up into the hill
country for physical health; so if You
would be strong III your soul get yourself
up oil the lowlands into the attitudes of
high moral association. For many OF
the circumstances of our life we are not
responsible. For our parentagc we are
moi responsible. For the place Of our
nativity, not responsible; for our features,
our stature. our color, not responsible;
for the family relation in which we were
born. for our natural tastes. for our men
tai character, 10 responsible. But we
are responsible for the associates that we
choose and the mora! influences undo
which we put ourselves. Character seeks
an equilibrium. A y is a good man. !
II is a bad man. Let them now volunta-