Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1888-09-26

| fun. You cannot shake off the influence
of those prayers long ago offered, or of thos
kind admonitions. You cannot make then
go away, and you feel like saying: "Father
what are you doing here? Mother, why d.
you bother me with suggestions Of thos
olden times" But they will not 60 away
They will push you back from your evi
paths, though they have to come down from
their shining homes in heaven and stand il
the very gates of hell, and their back
scorched of the fiery blast, and with thei
hand on your shoulder, and their breath or
your brow, and their eyes looking straight
into yours, they will say.
1--WE have come to take you home, o, son
of many anxietiesP' At last that young
man turns through the consecutive influ.
ence of pious parentage, who out of pray
ers and fidelities innumerable, made q
chain. That is the chain that pulls might
ly this morning on five hundred of you.
You may be too proud to shed tear, and
you may, to convince others of your imper-
turbability, smile to your friend beside you,
but there is not so much power in an Alpine
avalanche after it has slipped for thousand
feet, and having struck lower cliff, is tax
ing 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. Oh!:the mighty
pull of the long chain OF early gracious in
fuences.
years of age-yes, between forty aud fifty
aye, between fifty and sixty years, and all
septuagenarians as well, need surrounding
conjunction of good influences. In Sing
Sing, Auburn, Moyamensing, and all the
oth nrnof rlranpc und
who went wrong in mid-life and old age.
We need around us Gordon of good infu-
ences. We forget to apply the we'll known
rule that chain is no stronger than its
weakest link. II the chain be made up of q
thousand links and nine hundred and nine
ty.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 q
thousand excellences and yet have one
weakness which endangers US. That is the
reason that we sometimes see men distin-
gushed for whole round of virtues COL
lapse 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 a 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
the chain bridge. On the opening day a
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 precipitated the multitude. 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 unlocked after may be
the destruction of everything. And what
multitudes 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 burning thirst for
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 disgraceful outburst What we all
want is to have put around us strong
chain OF good influences. Christian associ
ton is link. Good literature is link
Church membership is link. Habit of
prayer is link. Scripture research is
link. Faith in God is link. Put together
all these influences. Make a chain!
Most excellent is it for US to get into COM
pauy better than ourselves. If 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
among the charitable. If we are morose 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 despondent 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.
People 90 up into the hill country for phys
ical 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 parentage
we are not responsible. For the place of
our nativity, not responsible; for our fea-
lures, our stature, our color, not responsible;
for the family relation in which we are
born, for our natural tastes, for our mental
character, not responsible. But we are re-
sponsible tor the associates that we choose
and the moral influences under which we
put ourselves. Character seeks an equili-
brium. A. B. is good man. Y 2. is a
bad man. Let them now voluntarily choose
each others society. A. B. will lose part
of his goodness and Y. 2 a part of his bad
ness, and they will gradually approach each
other in character and will finally stand on
the same level. One of the old painters re-
fused to look at poor pictures because he
said it damaged his style. A musician can
not afford to dwell among discords, nor can
a writer afford to peruse books of inferior
style, nor an architect walk out among dis
proportioned structures. And no man or
woman was ever SO good as to be able to
afford to choose evil associations. There
fore I said, have it a rule of your life to go
among those better than yourselves. Can
not find them? Then what pink of per.
fection you must bel When was your
character completed? What a misfortune
for the sanity and angelic of heaven that
they are not enjoying the improving inf1u-
ence of your society! All, if you cannot
find those better than yourselfit is because
you are ignorant of yourself. Woe unto
you, Scribes and Phsrisees, hypocritesl
But, as remarked in toe opening, in sa-
cred and in all styles of literature chain
means not only adornment and royalty of
ualQT6 DuI bOlu0tlmOS CopelNl1ys ohd L
suppose there are those in that sense dellb-
era6ely and persistently making chain.
Now heie 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 road7 will
give him some directions. First let him
smoke. If he cannot stand cigars, let him
try cigarettes. I think cigarettes will help
him on this road little more rapidly be-
cause the doctors say there is more poison
in them, and so he will be helped along
faster, and l 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 re-
ports, killed by cigarettes. Let him drink
light wines first, or ale or lager, and grad
ually he will be able to take something
stronger, and as all styles of strong drink
are more and more adulterated, his progress
will be facilitated. With the old-time
drinks man seldom got delirium tremens
before 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 to add interest to the
game. If the father and mother will play
with him, that will help by way of counte-
nancing the habit. And it will be such a
pleasant thing to think over in the day of
Judgment when the parents give account
for the elevated manner in which they have
4 - IL @lAza Co.,