The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-09-17

bablnty, smile to your friend beside you, gu
there is not so much power in an Alpin
avalanche after it has slipped for thou
sand feet and having struck lower oliff 4
taking its second bound for the fifteel
hundred feet more of plunge, as there
power in the chain that pulls you this mo
ment toward God and Christ and heaven
OH the almighty pull of the long chain o
early gracious influences?
But all people between thirty and forty
years of age, yes, between forty and fifty
aye, between fifty and sixty years, and al
septuagenarians as well, need
surrounding conjunction of gooC
influences In Sing Sing, Auburn, Moya
mensing, and all the other great prisons
are men and women who went wrong il
mid-Ife aud old age. We need around Us 6
Gordon Of good influences. We forget K
apply the well-known rule that a chain il
no stronger than its weakest link. If the
chain be made up of a thousand links anc
nine hundred aud ninety-nine are strong
but one is weak the chain will be in danger
of breaking at that one weak link. We
may be strong in thousand excelleucies
and yet have one weakness which endangerS
u.s. That is the reason we sometimes SET
men distinguished for a whole round of viz
tues collapse and go down. The weak link
in the otherwise stout chain gave way under
the pressure.
The first chain bridge was built in Scot
land. Walter Scott tells how the French
initiated it in bridge across the river
Seine. But there was one week point in
that chain bridge. There was middle bolt
that was of poor material, but they did not
know how much depended on that middle
bolt of the chain bridge. Ga the opening
day procession started, led on by the
builder of the bridge; and, when the mighty
weight of the procession was fairly on it,
the bridge broke and precpitated the multi
tudes The bridge was all right except in
that middle bolt So the bridge of charac
ter may be made up Of mighty links strong
enough to hold a mountain; but if there be
one weak spot, that one point
ton of everything. And what multi
tudes have gone down for all time and all
eternity because in the chain bridge of their
character there was lacking strong mid
die bolt. He had but one fault and that
was avarice; 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 inordi
nate fondness for dress, and hence her own
and her husbands bankruptcy She had
but one fault, and that a quick temper;
hence, the disgraceful outburst. What we
all want is to have put around lis a strong
chain of good influences Christian asso-
citation is link Good literature is link
Church membership is link. Habit of
prayer is a link Scripture research is a
link. Faith In God is link Put together
all these influences. Make a chain.
Most excellent is it for US to get into COM
pany better than ourselves. Ii we are given
to telling vile stories, let us put ourselves
among those who will not abide such utter
ance. If we are stingy, let us put ourselves
10
let us put ourselves among the good -natured
If we are given to tittle-tattle, let us put
ourselves among those who speak no ill of
their neighbors. If we are respondent, let
us put ourselves among those who make the
best of things. If evil is contagious l am
glad to say that good is also catching Peo-
pie go up into the hill country for physical
health; so if you would be strong in your
soul get yourself up off the lowlands into
the attitudes Of high moral association.
For many of the circumstances of our life
we are not responsible. For our parentaRe
we are not responsible; for the place OF
our nativity, not responsible; for our feat
ures, our stature, our color, not responsible;
for the family relation in which
we were born, for our natural tastes, for
our mental character, not responsible
But we are responsible for the associates
that we choose and the moral influences
under which we put ourselves Character
seeks an equilibrium. A. B. is a good man.
Y. Z. is a bad man. Let them now volun-
tarily choose each Others society. A. b.
will lose part of his goodness and Y. u. a
part of his badness, and they will gradu-
ally approach each other in character and
will finally stand on the same level. One
of the old painters refused to look at poor
pictures because be said it damaged his
style A musician cannot afford to dwell
among dlscords, nor can writer afford to
peruse books of inferior style, nor an archi-
tect walk out among disproportioned struct-
ures. And no man or woman was ever so
good as to be able TO afford to choose evil
associations. Therefore | said, have it
rule of your life to go among those better
taan yourselves. Cannot find theml Then
what pink of perfection you must be-
W hen was your character completed?
What misfortune for the sanity and an
geic of heaven that they are not enjoying
the improving influence of your society
All, ii you cannot find those better than
yourself, it is because your are ignorant of
yourself. Woe unto you, Scribes and Phari-
sees, hypocrites!
But, as / remarked in the opening, in
sacred and in all styles Of literature a chain
means not only adornment and royalty of
nature, but sometims captivity. And |
suppose there are those in that sense delib-
erately aud persistently making a chain.
Now here is young man of good physical
health, good manners and good education
How shall he put together enough links to
make chain for the down-hill road! |
will give him some directions. First, let
him smoke. II he cannot stand cigars, let
him try cigarettes. l think cigarettes will
help him on this road a little more rapidly
because the doctors say there is more poison
in them, and so he will be helped along
faster, and | have the more confidence in
proposing this because about fifty of the
first young men of Brooklyn during the
last year were, according TO the doctors
him drink light wines first. or
ale or lager, aud gradually he will be able
to take something stronger, and as ali styles
OF strong drink are more and more adult
Grated, his progress will be facilitated.
With the old-time drinks a man seldom got
delirium tremens befo thirty or forty
years Of age; now he can get the madness
by the time he is eighteen. Let him play
cards, enough money put up always t. add
interest to the game. If the father and
mother will play with him that will help by
way of countenancing the habit. And it
viii be such pleasant thing to think over
in the day of Judgment when the parents
give account for the elevated manner in
which they have reared their children.
Every pleasant Sunday afternoon take a
carriage ride and stop at the hotels on either
side the road tor Sabbath refreshments. Do
not let the old-fogy prejudices against
Sabbath breaking dominate you. Have
membership in some club