The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-09-20


old folks drank out of years ago
when they comnemorated the suf-
ferings of the Lord. Yes, my lad, you
do not have such fun in sin as you seem
to have I know what spoils your fun.
You cannot shake off the influences of
those prayers long ago offered, or of
those kind admonitions. You cannot
make them go away, and you feel like
saying: Father, what are you doing
here? Mother, why do you bother me
with suggestions of those olden times2''
But they will not go away. They will
push you back from your evil paths,
though they have to come down FROM
their 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: 1--WE
have come to take you home, o,
son Of many anxietiesi1 At last
that young man turns through
the consecutive influences of a pious
parentage, who out of prayers and fdel-
tiles innlmerable, made chain. That
is the chain that pulls nightly this
may be too proud. to shed a tear, and
you may, to conpince Others of your i'm
perturbability, smile to your friend be-
side you, but there is not so much power
in an Alpine avalanche after it has
slipped for thousand feet and having
struck a lower cliff is taking its second
bound for fifteen hundred feet more of
plunge, as there is power in the chain
that pulls you this moment toward God
and Christ and heaven. OIL the
almighty pull of the long chain of early
gracious irhiuencesl
But all people between thirty and forty
years of taSe, yes, between forty and
fifty-aye, between fifty and sixty years,
and all septuagenarians as well, need a
surrounding conjunction of good infiu-
ences. In Sing Sing, Auburn, Moya-
mensing, and an the other great prisons,
are men and women who went wrong in
middle life and old age. We need around
US a GORDON of good influence We for
get to apply the well known rule that
chain is no stronger than its weakest
link. If the chain be made up Of
1000 links and 900 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 excellences
and yet have one weakness which en-
dangers us. That isthe reason that we
sometimes see men distinguished for a
whole round of virtues collapse and go
down. The weak link in the otherwise
stout chain gave way under the pressure.
The first chain bridge was built in
Scotland. Walter Scott tells how the
French initiated 1t in q bridge across the
river Seine, But there was one weak
point in that chain bridge. There was a
middle bolt that was of poor material,
but they did not know how much de
pended on that middle bolt of the 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 it the bridge
broke and precipitated 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 mountain; but if there
be one weak spot, that one point un-
looked after may be the destruc-
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
middle 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 inordinate fondness for dress,
and hence her own and her husbands
Bankruptcy. She had but one fault and
that a quick temper; hence the disgrace
ful outburst. What we all want is to
have put around us strong chain of
good influences. Christian association is
link. Good literature is link Church
membership is link Habit of prayer
is link. Scripture research is a link.
Faith in God Isl link. Put together all
these influences. Make a chain!
Most excellent is it. for us to get into
company better than ourselves. If we are
| given to telling vile stories letus put our
selves among those who will not abide
such ptterance. If we are stingy let US
put ourselves among the charitable. If
we are morose let us put ourselves among
| the good natured II we are given to
tittle-t -tattle let us put ourselves among
|
If we are respondent let us put ourselves
among those who make the best of things.
If evil is contagious, am glad to say that
good is also catching. People go up into
the hill country for physical health; SO
II you would be strong in your
soul get yourself up off the low
lands into the attitudes Of high moral
association. For many of the circum-
stances of our hfewe are not responsible.
For our parentage we are not responsible.
For the place OF our nativity, not re-
sponsible; for our features, 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 equilib-
RUM. A. B. is a good man. ~. z. is
a bad man. Let them now voluntarily
choose each others society. 4. B. will
lose part of his goodness and Y. z. a
part of his badness, and they will grad
uaJly approach each other in character
and viii finally stand on the same
level One OF the old. painters re-
fused to look at poor pictures be-
cause he said it damaged his style. A
musician cannot afford to dwell among
discords, nor can Q writer afford to pc
ruse books Of inferior style, nor an arch.
itect walk out among disproportioned
structures. And no man or woman was
ever so good as to be able to afford tc
choose evil associations. Therefore
said, have it rule of your life to &c
among those better than yourselves.
Cannot find thems Then what pink Of
perfection you must be! When was youi
character completed? What a misfort'
une for the sanity and angelic of HEAVIER
that they are not enjoying the improving
influence of your society," All, if you
cannot find those better than yourself, il
is because you are ignorant OF yourself
Woe unto you. Scribes and Pharisees
hypocrites!
But, as remarked in the opening, il
sacred and in all styles of literature I
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