The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1889-06-13
MORE THAN PLEASURE.
be CAREFUL OF YOUR COM
pANY.
This Life IL Intended for Something
Better Than Mere Sport.

criminal when asked il he had anything TO
say before sentence Of death was passed. upon
him, may it please the court bad com.
pany has been my ruin. / received
the blessings Of good parents, and, in re
turn, promised To avoid all evil associa'
tions. Had kept my promise should have
been saved this shame, and been free
from the load Of guilt that hangs round mo
like a vulturc, threatening to drag mo 10 JUS.
tice for crimes yet unrevealed. /, who once
moved in the first circles Of society, and have
been the guest of distinguished public men,
am lost aud all through bad company
This is but one Of the thousand proofs that
the companion of fools shall be destroyed.
IL is the inyariable rule There is a well man
In the wards of n hospital, where there are
a hundred people sick with ship fever, and
he will not be ~ apt 10 take the disease rs n
good man would be apt to be smitten with
moral distemper, IL shut up with iniquitous
companions.
In olden times prisoners were hcrded to-
other in the game cell but each one learned
.ho vices Of all the culprits, so that instead OF
being reformed by incarceration, the day OF
liberation turned them out upon society
beasts, not men.
We may, in our places Of business, be COM
PEELED 90 talk 90 aud mingle with bad mon;
but he who deliberately chooses To- associate
himself with vicious people is engaged in
carrying ON n courtship with n Delilnh, whose
shears will clip of the locks OF his
perdition. Sin is catching. Is infcc-
tous, Is epidemic / will let you lool, over
the millions of people now inhablting tho
earth, and challenge you 10 show mo good
man who, after one year, has made choice and
Consprtcl with the wicked A thousand dol
lars reward for one such instance. | care not
| how strong your character may he. Associate
| with gamblers, YOU will become "a gambler.
| Clan with burglars, and you will become II
| burglar. Go among the unclean, and you
1
| truth of my text, many young man has
| been destroyed. He wakes up some morning
| In the great city, and knows no one except
| the persons into whose employ he has entered.
As he goes into the store all the clerks
mark him, measure him and discuss him.
The upright young men of the store wish him
well, but perhaps wait for formal introduc-
ton, and even then have some deli
cacy about inviting him into their nSsocia-
tions But the bad young men Of the
store at tho first opportunity approach
and offer their services They patron-
ize him They profess 10 know all about tho
town. They will take him anywhere that ho
/ wishes 10 go-if he will pay the expenses.
For IL good young man and n bad young
man go TO some place whore they ought not,
the good young man has invariably To pay
the charges. At the moment the ticket is
to bc 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 establishment slap him on
the shoulder familiarly, and, at his stupidity
in taking certain illusions, say: my young
friend, YOU will have 20 be broken in:n and
they Immediately proceed Ia break him in.
Young man, in the name of God, warn you IN
| beware how YOU let a bad man talk fam
iliarly with You. IL such an one slap you on
the shoulder familiarly, turn round and give
him whitening look, until the wretch
crouches in your presence. There is no mon
strosity of wickedness that can stand una
bashed under the glance Of purity and honor
First | warn you TO shun the skeptic-the
young man who puts his fingers in his vest
and laughs at your old fashioned religion,
and turns over To some mystery Of the Bible
and says: Explain that, my pious friend
explain that" And who says: Nobody
future; / used TO believe in sucl
things and 80 do my father and
mother, but [ have got over it.n Yes, he
has got over IL; and If you sit in his com
pany little longer you will get over it too
Without presenting one argument agains
the Christian religion, such men will, 10y the
Jccrs, and SCOTS, and caricatures, destrol
your respect for that religion which wa
the strength of your father in hi
} declining years, and the pillow o
your old mother when sho la!
a-dying. Alasl a time will come when tina
then his diamond ring will flash no splendo
IN the eyes of Death aS he stands over tn
couch, waiting for his soul.
- Again, | urge you To shun the companion
ship of idlers. There are men hanging aroun
D oycTy store and Office, and shop, who hav
nothing to do, or act rs il they had not The
= are apt to come in when the firm are away
\ and wish 10 engage You III convorsatio
while you are engaged III You
regular employment. Politely suggc'
ia
them during business hours. Nothing wouI
, please them so well rs TO have you +
nounce your occupation and associate viii
them. Much Of the time they lounge aroun
the club rooms or the doors of engiI
4 houses, or after the dining hour stand upc
the stops Of fashionable hotel or q
= elegant restaurant wishing TO give you q
Idea tnat tnat Is tne place where they din
). But they do not dine there. They are sim
ing down lower and lower, day by dn
y Neither by day nor by night have anythiI
J. 10 do with the idlers. Before you adm
:, a man into your acquaintance ask hi
u politely: What do you do for Ii
g ingY III he says; "Nothing | am a gent
! man." look out for him. He may have a vel
IL soft hand and very faultleSs apparel al
l. have a high sounding family name, but Il
touch is death. Before you know II you W
81 in his presence be ashamed of your wo
A dress. Business will become 10 you drudger
and after awhile you will lose your plac
and afterward your responsibility, al
last Of all your soul. ldleness is next door
villainy. Thieves, gamblers, burglars, sh
es lifters and assassins are made from the clG
Il who have nothing to do. When the police go
y" hunt up and arrest a culprit they seldom
O TO look in among busy clerks or in the bu
-, carriage factory, but they go among
ia groups of iders. The play is going on at
nc theatre, when suddenly there is n scuiile
Il the top gallery. What is IL? 4 policem
Vi has come in, and, leaning over, has tapped
lie the shoulder of young man, saying;
:. want you, sir" He has not worked duri
III the day, but somehow has raked togethe
,e- shilling or two to get into the top gallery.
is an idler. The man on his right hand is
he idler and the man on his left hand is an idl
nd Shrink back from idleness in yourself "A
In others If you would maintain n right pc
re tion. Good old Ashbel Green, at more th
he eighty years Of age, was found busy wrtiI
and some young man said To him; "Why
eel you keep busy IL is time for you to res
m He answered. II keep busy to keep out
lr- mischief" No man is strong enough to
ba idle.
young man came to a man OF nine
lls years of age and said TO him. "How ha
tb you made out to live 80 long and be so wei
The old man took the youngster to an
at | chard and Dointing 10 some large trees Z