Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-09-28

WIN tnelf naMu on your ShOnlder. ana
their breath on your brow and their
T looking . straight into yours trl they
home, oh, sou of many anxieties!' At
last that young man turns through the |
consecutive influence of pious parent
age. who out of prayers and facilities
innumerable, made q chain. That is the
chain that pulls mighty this morning on
500 Of you. You may be too proud to
shed tear, and you may, to convince
others of your imperturbability. smile
to your friend beside you, but there is
not so much power in an Alpine ava
lanche after it has slipped for thou
sand feet and having struck a lower cliff
is taking its second bound for 1,50O feet
more of plunge, as there is power in the
chain that pulls you this moment toward
God and Christ and Heaven. Oh! the
almighty pull of the long chain of early
gracious infuences!
But all people between3 80 and 40 years
of age, yes. between 40 and 5O-aye, be-
tween 50 and 90 years, and all septuage-
narians as we'll, need a surrounding con-
junction of good influences. In Sing
Sing, Auburn, Moyamensing and all
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
well-known rule that q chain is no
stronger than it's weakest link. If the
chain be made up of thousand links
and nine hundred and ninety-nine are
strong, but one is weak, the chain will
be in danger of breaking at that one
link. We may be strong in a thousand
excellences and yet have one weakness
which endangers us. That is the reason
that we sometimes see men distinguished
for 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. Sir Walter Scott tells how
the Fl ,nch initiated it in a bridge across
the river Seine. But there was one
weak point in that chain bridge. There
was middle bolt that was of poor ma
terial, but they did not know how much
depended upon that middle bolt of the
chain bridge. On the opening day a
procession started, led onby 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 the 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 unlocked after may be the destruc-
ton of everything. And what multi
tudes have gone down forall time and all
!, eternity because in the chain bridge of
their character there was lacking a
| strong middle bolt. He had but one
fault and that was avarice; hence forg-
cry. He had but one fault and that was
/ 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 he,
!, husbands bankruptcy. She hadbut one
) the disgraceful outburst. What we all
, want is to have put around us strong
1 chain of good influences. Christian as.
, sociation is link. Good literature is
, link. Church membership is a link
1 Habit of prayer is link. Scripture re.
4 search is link. Faith in God is link
1 Put together all these influences. Make
a a chain!
!, Most excellent is it for us to get into
e company better than ourselves. If W.
n are given to telling vile stories let III
: put ourselves among those who will no
e abide such utterance. If We are sting
IL let us put ourselves among the chart
p table. If we are morose let us put our
sd selves among the good natured. If w
it are given to tittle-tattle let us put our
h their neighbors. If we are desponden
i let us put ourselves among those VIII
is make the best of things. If evil is con
u tagious, am glad to say that good i
1t also catching. People go up into tn
II hill country for physical health; so i
l. you would be strong in your soul ge
a Yourself up off the lowlands into tn
r, attitudes of high moral association. Fo
j? many of the circumstances of our life W
d. are not responsible. For our parentag
a we are not responsible. For the plac
le of our nativity, not responsible; Tor on
it features, our stature, our color, not re
r. sponsible; for the family relation i
S, which we were born, for our natura
s. tastes. for our mental character, not re
b. sponsible. But we are responsible TO
d the associates that we choose and tn
b. moral influences under which we pu
ourselves. Character seeks an equilib
8 rum. A. B. is good man. Y. z. is
10 bad man. Let them now voluntarl
l. choose each others society. A. B. vii
le lose part of his goodness, and Y. u.
l. part Of his badness, and they will grad
ct uallv approach each other in characte,
N and will finally stand on the same leve
le One of the old painters refused to loo
h at poor pictures because, he SAID,
ly damaged his style. A musician canne
ut afford to dwell among discords, nor ca
in writer afford to pursue books of infe
rs rior style, nor an architect walk OF
ut among disproportioned structures. An
Of no man or woman was ever so good
10 to be able to afford to choose evil asso
st cations. Therefore l said, have 1t
rs rule of your life to go among those BET
MS ter than yourselves. Cannot find then
ct Then what pink of perfection 70
le must be! When was your character con
is pleted? What a misfortune for tt
so sanity and angelic of Heaven that the
RS are not enjoying the improving intiuent
IN of your society! All, if you cannot fin
at those better than yourself, it is becaut
ly you are ignorant of yourself. Woe unit
ID YOU, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrite
er But, as I remarked in the opening,
ut sacred and in all styles of literature
nv chain means not only adornment an
er ROYALTY of nature but sometimes capti'
a. ity. And I suppose there are tho
ce in that sense deliberately and persis
Id emily making chain. Now here is
Sc young man of good physical healt
er good manners. and good educatio
ny How shall he put together enough linl
We to make chain for the down hill roa
ali r will o;va him some directions Fir