The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1889-07-19
DIR. WhIMAGES SERMON:
RuLnous Company.
ASsonlppanlon Il fools shall 10 ~dostroycd.'

PsSs,siGsH! 3. q fools sliall y dostreyeas
Ibtay It please tile COURT said Il
convicted criminal, When asked If he
nnd anything TO say before sentence of
death was passed Upon him, "may it
please the court, bad company has been
my ruin. I received the blessings Of
good parents, and, in return, promised
TO avoid all evil associations. Had I
kept my promise | should have been
saved this shame, and been free from
tile load Of guilt that hangs round ME
like q yulturo, threatening to drag me
lojjuStico for crimes yet %unreyealed. IL.
( who,once moved III the first circles Of
society, and have been the guest Of dis
tlnguished public mon, am
LOST Through BAD COMPANY.
This Is but one Of the thousand proofs
that the companion Of FOOLS shall be
destroyed. 1t is tho invariable rule.
There Is a we'll man i'll the wards Of a
hospital, where there are q hundred
people sick with ship fever. ana lie will
not be SO apt to take tho disease as a
good man would be apt to be smitten
with moral distemper If shut up with
%iniQultous companions. In older times
prisoners We're bearded together in tho
same cell, but each one learned the
vices Of al The culprits, 80 that instead
Of eng reformed by incarceration, the
day OF liberation turned them out upon
society, beasts, not men.
We may, III Our place Of business, be
compelled to talk to and mlngle with
bad men; but lie who deliberately
chooses to associate himself with vicious
people Is engaged in carrying on court
ship with q Delilah, whose shears will
clip off all the locks OF his strength, and
lie will be trippcd INTO perdition.
SIN is CATCHING,
is Infectious, Is epidemic. Twill let you
look yer the millions Of people now III
llabiting the globe, and 1 challenge you
to show nc q good man who, after ono
year, has made choice and consorted
with the wicked. A thousand dollars
reward for one such instance. 1 care
not how strong your character may be,
associate with gamblers, you will become
u gambler; clan with burglars; and you
will become n burglar; 60 among the
uncleau, and you will become unclean.
Not approaching the truth OF my text,
many q young man has been destroyed,
He wakes up some morning in the great
City, and knows lie IL except the per-
sons into whose employ he has entered.
AS lie goes into the store, all the clerks
mark him, measure him, and discuss
him. The upright young men Of tho
store wish him well, but perhaps wait
for a formal introduction, and even then
have some delicacy about inviting him
into their associations. But tho bad
young men OF the store, at the first
opportunity, approach anu offer their
services. They mtronize him. They
riofpss to know all about the town.
THEY WILL TAkEII HIN ANYWHERE
that lie wishes to go-if he will pay the
expenses. For ii a good young man
and Il bad young man go to some place
where they ought not, the good young
man has invariably to pay the charges.
AT the moment the ticket is to be paid
for, or the champagne settled for, the
bad young man feels around in his
pockets and says: 81 have forgotten
my pocket-book." In forty-eight hours
after the young man has entered the
store the bad fellows Of the establish
ment slap him OH the shoulder familiar
ly, and, at his stupidity in taking Ger
tain illusions say. "My young friend,
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