Milford chronicle. [volume] (Milford, Del.) 1878-1974, 1888-09-21

take YOU home, oh, son Of many anxietiesp
At last that young man turns through the
consecutive influence Of a pious parentage,
who out Of prayers and facilities innumeT>
abba, made a chain. That is the chain thai
pulls nightly this morning on 500 Of you.
You may be too proud to shed a 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 a thousand
feet and having struck a lower cliff is taking
its second bound for 500 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 tho
long chain Of early gracious influencesl
But all people between so and 40 years Of
I age, yes. between 20 and 50-aye, between 80
and 60 years, and all septuagenarians as
well, need a surrounding conjunction Of good
influences. In Sing Sing Auburn, Moys-
mensing and all the 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 tho
well known rule that ii chain is no stronger
than its weakest link. If the chain be made
up Of a thousand links and nine hundred and
ninety-nine arc strong, but one is weak, the
chain will be In danger Of breaking at
that one weak link. We may be strong In a
thousand excellences and yet have ona weak
ness which endangeas US That Is the reason
that We sometimes see men distinguished for
a whole round Of virtues collapse and 60
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 q middle bolt that was Of
poor material, but they did not know how
much depended on that middle bolt of tho
shain 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
;he bridge of character may be madeup u
mighty links strong enough to hold mounS-
nin; 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 be
cause 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
lLlb WIS a DuIuAlla AllIsl AuI AubDAAEdlbof
hence, his fatal debauch. She had but ore
fault and that an inordinate fondness fer
dress, and hence her own and her husbands
bankruptcy. She had but one fault and that
a quick temper; hence the disgraceful out
burst. What we all want is to have put
around US a strong chain Of good influences.
Christian association is q link. Good litera-
ture is a link. Church membership is a link.
Habit Of prayer is a link. Scripture research
is a link. Faith in God is n link. Put to-
gether all these influences. Make a chainl
Most excellent is it for us to get into com
pany better than ourselves II VIC 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 our
selves among those who speak no i'll Of their
neighbors. If we are respondent 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 COUP
into the hill country for physical health; 50
il you would be strong in your soul get your
self up off the lowlands into the attitudes OF
high moral association. For many of
the circumstances of our life we are not
AH5lplolDAd+ HAI Jul GlAbtiHG we uIG AiOb
sponsible For the place of our nativity, not
responsible; for our features, our stature,
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
1uences under which we put ourselves.
Character seeks an equilibrium. A. B. is a
good man. Y. o. is bad man. Let them
now voluntarily choose each others society.
A. B. will lose a part of his goodness, and Y.
q. part of his badness, and they will grad
ually approach each other in character, and
will finally stand on the same level One Of
tie old painters refused TO look at poor pict-
ures because, he said, it damaged his style
A musician cannot afford TO dwell among
discords, nor can @ writer afford to
peruse books Of inferior style, nor
an architect walk out among dispropor-
toned structures. And 10 man or woman
was ever so good as to be able to afford to
choose evil associations. Therefore l said,
have it a rule of your life to go among those
better than yourselves. Cannot find tbeml
Then what pink of perfection you must bel
When was your character completed! What
a misfortune for the sanity and angelic of
heaven that they are not enjoying the i'm
you cannot find those better than yourself, 1t
is because you are ignorant of yourself.
Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypo-
critesl
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 n chain. Now here is o
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 roadl will give him some
directions. First let him smoke. II he cannot
stand cigars, let him try cigarettes. think
cigarettes will help him on this read little
more rapidly because the doctors say there is
more poison in them, and so 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, OF
ale or lager, and gradually he viii be able tC
take something stronger, and as all styles Of
strong dring are more and more adulterated,
his progress will be facilitated. With the
old time drinks man seldom got delirium
tremens before so or 40 years Of age; now he
can get tine madness by the time he is 10.
Let him play cards, enough money put up
always to add interest to the game II the
father and mother will play with him, that
will .help by way OF countenancing the habit.
And it will DO such 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.
dren. Every pleasant Sunday afternoon
take a carriage ride and stop at the hotels on
either side the road for Sabbath refresh.
ments. Do not let the old fogy pre-
JUDGES against Sabbath breaking domi,
nate you. Have n membership IN some
club where libertines 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 as old fashioned and