Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1888-10-06


much depended on that middle bolt OF the
chain bridge. On the opening day pro-
cession 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 ali right except in that middle bolt. So
the bridge of character may be made up OF
mighty links, strong enough to hold a
mountain: but il there be one weak spot,
that one point unlocked after may be the de-
struction of everything. And what multi
tudes have gone down Tor an tlme
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 burning desire 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
quick temper; hence, the disgraceful out
burst. What we all want is to have put
around us strong chain of good influences.
Christian association is link. Good litera-
tnre is a link Church membership is a link
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 to get into COM
pany better than ourselves. If 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 II we are morose 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 i'll of their
neighbors IL 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
yourself up off the lowlands into the alti-
tudes of high moral association. For many
of the circumstances of our life we are
not responsible. For our parentage we are
not responsible. For the place of our
nativity, not responsible for our features,
the family relation in which we were born,
for our natural tastes, for our mental
character, not responsible. But we are re-
sponsble for the associates that we choose
and the moral influences under which we put
ourselves. Character seeks an equilibrium
A. B. is good man. Y. u. is bad man.
Let them now voluntarily choose each
others society. A. B. will lose part of his
goodness and Y. Y. a part of his badness, and
they will gradually 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 he
said it damaged his styl-. A musician
can writer afford to peruse books of inferior
style, nor an architect walk out among dis
proportional structures And no man or
woman was ever so good as to be able to
afford to choose evil associations. Therefore
said, have it a rule of your life to go among
those better than yourselves Cannot find
them? Then what pink of perfection you
must be. When was your character COM
plete1i What a misfortune for the sanity
and angelic of heaven that they are not en-
joying the improving influence of your
society All. if you cannot find those better
than yourself, it is because you are ignorant
of yourself. Woe unto you, Scribes and
Pharasees. hypocritssi
But, as | remarked in the opening, in
sacred and in all styles of literature chain
means not only adornment and royalty of
nature but sometimes captivity. And sup
pose there are those in that sense deliberately
and persistently making 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 downhi road, l will give him some
directions. First, let him smoke If he can
notstand cigars. let him try cigarettes think
cigarettes will help him on this road little
more rapidly because the doctors say there
is more poison in them, and so he will be
helpe1 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 doc
tors reports, killed by cigarettes Let him
drink light wines first, or ale or lager and
gradually be will be abe to tase some
thing stronger, and as all styles of
strong drink are more and more adulterated,
his progress will be facilitated. With the old
time drinks a man seldom got delirium
tremens before thirty or forty years OF age:
now he cen get the madness by the time he is
eighteen. Let him play cards. enough money
put up always to add interest to the game.
II the father and mother viii play with him
that will help By way of countenancing the
habit And 1t will be such a pleasant
thing to think over in the day of iudg-
ment 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 for Sabbath
refreshments Do not let the oId-fogy preiu-
dices against Sabbath breaking dominate
you, Have a membership of some club
where libertines go and tell about their vic
torlous sins, and Iau III as loud as any OF them
In der siol of those who belong to the same
sex as your sister AMI mother. Pitch your
Bible overheard as old-fashionel and ct only
for women and children. Read all the nlara-
zine articles that put Christianity at disad-
vantage. and go to hear all the lectures that
malign Christ, who, they say, instead of be-
ing the Mighty One he pretended to be, was
an lmposter and the impianter Of great de-
luson TO, at nrst out OF curiosity, TO sec
all the houses of dissipation. and then 20 be-
cause you have felt the thrall of their fas FL
nation. Getting along splendidlv now!
Let me- see what further can / suggest in
that direction. Become more defiant Of all
decency, more loud-mouthed in your atheism,
more thoroughly alcoholized and instead OF
the small stakes that will do well enough for
games of chance in n ladies' parlor put up
something worthy, pit up more, put up all
you have. Well donei You have sue
ceeded. You have made a chain-the
tobacco habit one link, the rum habit one
link, the impure club another link. infiieIity
another link, Sabbath Dissertation another
link. uncleanness another link and altogether
they make cham. And so there IL chair
on your hand and chain on your foot ami
chain on your tongue and a chan on your
eye and chain on your brain and chain
on your property and a chain on your
soul. Some day you wake up and
you say: 81 am tired Of this and
] am going to get loose from TINS snacKic."
You pound away with the hammer Of good
resolution, but cannot break the thrall.
Your friends Join you in a conspiracy OK
helm, but ia exhausted in the unavailing at
temps. Now you begin. and with the with
ing OF a LAGOON TO try to break away. and
ths muscles are distended, and the great
beads Of preparation dot your forehead.
and the eyes stand out from the sockets.
aud with all the concenterel energies
If hodv mind and soul Won aftampt 10 get