The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1888-09-21

that We sometimes Doo men distlnguished Tor
q whole round Of virtues collapse and 90
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 II In bridge across the river Seine
But there was one weak 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 ths
chain bridge On the opening day process
sion started, led on by the builder Of the
bridge, and when the mighty weight Of the
procession was fairly ON 1t the bridge broke
and precipitated the multitudes. The bridge
was all right except In that middle bolt. 30
the bridge Of character may be madeup Of
mighty links strong enough to hold a mount
ain; but II there be one weak spot, that one
point unlocked after may be the destruction
Of everything. And what multitudes have
gone down for all time and all eternity be-
cause In the chain bridge Of their character
there was lacking strong middle bolt. he
had but one fault and that was avaxice,
hence. forgery. BE had but one FAULT and
that was q burning thirst for intoxicants;
hence, bis fatal debauch. She had but ono
fault and that an inordinate fondne@ for
dress, and hence her own and her husbands
bankruptcy. She had but one fault and that
. quick temper; hence the disgracefui out
burst What we all want is to have put
around Us q strong chain Of good Influences
Christian association Is link. Good htera-
tllre Is link. Church membership is link.
Habit Of prayer Is link. Scripture research
Is link. Faith in God Is link Put to-
gether all these influences. Make chaini
l. a n IL
pany better than ourselves II we are given
to telling vile stories Let us put ourselves
among those who viii not abide such utter
ance. If we are stingy let us put ourselves
among the charitable. If we are mcrose Let
Us put ourselves among the good natured.
II we are given to tittle-tattle let us put our
selves among those who speak no Ill Of their
neighbors II 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 hin country for physical health, 30
If you would be strong In your soul get your
self up of the lowlands into the attitudes of
high moral association. For many Of
the circumstances of our life we are not
responsible For our parentage we are not re-
sponsible For the place of our nativity, not
| KccpOkl5lDlcs IOT OUf I6aIulGS, OuT StaCuIo.
our color, not responsible; for the family re-
lation In which we were born, for our nat
ural tastes, for our mental character, not
responsible. But we are responsible for the
associates that we choose and the moral In
fuences under which we put ourselves
Character seeks an equilibrium. A. B. Is O
good man. z. 2. is a bad man. Let them
now voluntarily choose each others society.
A - L. H. = NJ
z a part Of his badness, and they win grad
ually approach each other In character, and
viii finally stand on the same level One Of
the old painters refused to look at poor plot
ures because, he said, 1t damaged his style
A musician cannot afford to dwell among
discords, nor can writer afford 10
peruse books Of inferior style, nor
an architect walk out among dispropor-
toned structures. And no man or woman
was ever 30 good as to be able to afford to
choose evil associations Therefore said,
have 1t q rule Of your life to go among those
better than yourselves Cannot find themi
Then what pink Of perfection you must bel
When was your character completedi What
q misfortune for the sanity and angelic Of
heaven that they are not enjoying the Inn
proving influence Of your society," All, II
Is because you are ignorant Of yourself.
Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
critesi
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 sometimes captivity. And suppose there
are those in that sense deliberately and per
sistently making a chain Now here is q
young man Of good physical health, good
manners and good education. How shall he
put together enough links to make a chain
for the down hill roadf I win give him some
directions First let him smoke. If he cannot
stand cigars, Let him try cigarettes think
cigarettes win help him on this read little
more rapidly because the doctors say there is
more poison In them, and 30 he will be helped
along faster, and have the more confidence
| In proposing this because about fifty Of the
first young men Of Brooklyn dur
ing the last year were, according to
the doctors reports, killed by cigarettes
Let him drink light wines first, or
ale or lager, and gradually he win be able to
take something stronger, and as all styles of
strong dring are more and more adulterated,
his progress viii be facilitated With tho
| old time drinks man seldom got delirium
tremens before 80 or 40 years OF age; now he
can get tine madness by tho time he Is L.
Let him play cards, enough money put up
always to add interest to the game II the
father and mother win play with him, that
willshelp by way Of countenancing the habit.
| And 1t will be such q pleasant thing to think
over In the day Of Judgment, when the
| parents give account for the elevated man
| ner in which they have reared their chill
drenL Every pleasant Sunday afternoon
take carriage ride and stop at the hotels on
either side the road for Sabbath refresh
ments. Do not let the old fogy pre-
| judices against Sabbath breaking domf-
nate you. Have q membership in some
i club where Hberttnes go and tell about their
| victorious sins, and laugh as loud as any OF
them In derision Of those who belong to the
same sex as your sister and mother. Pitch
your Bible overheard rs old fashioned and
ct only for women and children Read ali
4 the magazine articles that put Christianity
at disadvantage, and go to hear all the lee
lures that malign Christ, who, they say, In
stead Of being the Mighty One he pretended
to be, was an impostor and tho implanter Of
a great delusion. Go, at first out Of curios-
Ity, to see all the houses Of dissipation and
| then go because you have felt the thrall of
their fascination. Getting along splendidlS
nowi
Let mo see what further can suggest In
that direction. Become moro defiant of al
decency, more loud mouthed In your Athsisu,,
more thoroughly alcoholized, and instead Of
| the small stakes that win do well enough Con
games Of chance In ladies parlor, put "
something worthy, put up more, put up al
you have. Well donei You have succeeded
You have made a chain-the tobacco habit
one link, the rum habit one link, the impure
club another link, infdelity another link
Sabbath dissertation another Link, unclean
ness another link, and altogether they mak'
| q chain. And so there Is q chain on youl
hand and q chain on your foot and chair
On your tongue and a chain ON your ey'
and chain on your brain and chair
on your property and chain on your soul
Some day you wake up and you say: 81 an
tired Of this, and ann going to get loos'
from this shackien You pound away with
the hammer Of good resolution but canno
break the thralL Your friends Join you In I
conspiracy Of help but fall exhausted fn tn
unavailinR attempt Now you begin, and
with the writhirg Of o LAGOON, TO try b
break away, and the muscles are distended
and the great beads Of perspiration dot you
forehead, and the eyes stand out from tn
sockets, and with all the concentrated ener
giles Of body, mind and soul you attempt b
get loose but have only made the chain stnl
deeper. All the devils that encamp in tn
wine flask and the rum jug and the decante
for each one has o devil Of its own
come out and sit around you and chat
ter. In some midnight you spring from
your couch and cry: 81 am fast o God
let me loosei o ye powers Of darkness, lc