Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1889-06-12

young man lightning that he may use
and that ia the lightning of an honest eye
Those who have been close observers viii
not worder why l give warning to yount
men, and say, "Beware of bad company"
First. l warn you to shun the skeptlc-
the young man who puts his fingers IN hi
vest and laughs at your old fashioned relig
ion, and turns over to some mystery OF tnf
Bible and says: ''Explain that, my plou'
friend; explain thai" p" And who says: "No-
body shall scare me; I am not afraid of the
future; used to believe in such things and
so did my father and mother, but have got
over it, Yes, he has got over it; and II
you sit in his company little longer, you
will get over it, too. Without presenting
one argument against the Christian rellg-
ion, such men will, by their jeers and SCOTS
and caricatures, destroy your respect foI
that religion which was the strength of your
father in his declining years, and the pillow
of your old mother when she lay a-dying.
Alas! a time will come when that buster
lug young infidel will have to die, and then
his diamond ring will flash no splcndor in
the ewes of Death, as he stands over the
couch, waiting for his soul. Those beauti-
full locks will be uncombed upon his pillow,
and the dying man will say: 81 cannot die
| 7 cannot die" Death, standing ready
beside the couch, says: "You must die; you
have only half a minute to lives let me have
| it right away-yonr SOUL" "NO," says
the young infidel; ''here are my gold rings
and these pictures-take them all" "No, ="
says Death: "what do care for pictures ?
YOUR SOUL" s'Stand back" says the dy-
ing in6del. IT will not stand back" says
Death; s.for you have only ten seconds now
to live; want your SOUL" The dying man
saws: "Don't breathe that could air into
face. You crowd me too hard. 1t is get
ting dark in the room. Q Lordl,' ''Hush, :"
says Death; s'you said there was no God"
"Pray for me-" exclaims the expiring inf,
del. "Too late to pray" says Death; shut
three more seconds to live, and l viii! count
them off-one-two-three." he has gone!
Where? Where? Garry him out-out.
and bury him beside his father and mother,
who died while holding fast tbs Christian
religion. They died singing; buf the young
infidel only said: "Don't breathe that cold
air into my face. You crowd me too hard.
Il is getting dark in the ROOM"
Again urge yon to shun the companion
ship of idlers. There are men hanging
around every store, and office, and shop,
who have nothing to do, or act as II they
had not They are apt to come in when the
aonyersation while you are engaged in your
regular euayloy ment, Politely suggest to
such persons that you have no time to give
them during business hours, Nothing
wou,d please the,u 30 we'll as ~ have y0u
repounce your occupation and associate
with them. Much of the time they lounge
aroppd the club rooms or the doors OF en-
zinc houses, or after the dining hour stand
nnon the stems of fashionable hotel, or an
ejeeannt restaurant, wishing to give you
the idea that that is the place where they
dine. But they do not dine there They
are sinking down lower and lower day by
day. Neither by day nor night have any.
thing to do with the idlers. Before you ad-
nit a man into your acquaintance ask him
politely: ''What DO you do foc living?"
If he SAYS, "Nothiug; l am a geutlem an,
look out for him He may have :. very soft
band and very fau,tless apparel, aud nave
a high sounding family name, but his touch
is death. Before you know it yon will in
his presence be ashamed of your work dress.
Business will become to you drudgery, and
after awhile you will lose your place, and
afterwards your respectabllity, and. last OF
all, your soul. Idleness is uexG door to
villaiuy. Thieves, gamblers, burglars. shop
lifters and assassns are made from the class
who have nothing to do When the police
90 TO hunt up and arrest culp'it they sci,
dom go to look in among busy clerks or in
the busy carriage factory, but they go
among the groups of idlers. The play Is
going on at the theatre, when suddenly
there is a scnfde in the top gallery. What
is il? A policeman has come in, and, lean
ing over, has tappd on the shoulder Of
Young man, saying: 81 want you, sir" He
has not worked during the day, but some
how has raked together a shilling or two to
get into the top gallery. He is an idler.
The man on his right hand is au idler and
the man on his left hand is an idler.
Shrink back from idleness in yourself and
in others if YOU would mainta ain a right
position. Good old Ashbel Green, at more
than eighty years Of age, was found busy
writing, and some syoung man said to him:
"Why do you keep busy? It is time for
you to rest" He answered: 81 keep busy
to keep out of mischief" No man is strong
enough to be idle.
Are you fond Of pictures? II SO | will
show you one of the works of an old master.
Here 1t is: 81 went by the field of the
slothful, and by the vineyard of the man
void of understanding; and 10! it was all
grown over with thorns, and pettles had
covered the face thereof, and the stone wall
was broken down. Then saw and consid-
cred well. looked upon i5 and received
instruction. Yet little sleep, little slum-
Der, little folding of the hands TO sleep.
So shall thy poverty come as one that
travelleth and thy want as an armed man. "
1 don't know Of another sentence in the
Bible more explosive than that 1t first
Kisses softly, like the fuse of a cannor, and
at last bursts like fifty -four FOUNDER. The
old proyerb was right: ''Fhe devil tempts
most men, bat idlers tempt the devil"
A young man came to man of ninety
years of age and said to him: 'How have
you made out to live SO long and be SO
well?" The old man took the youngster to
an orchard and, pointing to some large
trees full of apples, said: 81 planted these
trees when l was a boy, and do you wouder
that now am permitted to gather the fruit
of them?' We gather in old age what we
plaut 10 our youth. Sow to the wind, and
we reap the wbirlwind. Plant in early life
the right kind of Christian character, and
you will eat luscious fruit in old age, and
gather these harvest apples in eternity.
Again: urge you to avoid the perpetual
pleasure-seeker. believe in recreation and
amusement. need it as much as l need
bread, and go to my daily exercise with as
conscientious purpose as l go to the
Lords Supper; aud all persons Of sanguine
temperament must have amusement aud re-
creation. God wonld not have made us
with the capacity to laugh if he had not in
tended Us sometimes to indulge it. God
hath hung in sky. and set in wave, and
printed on grass many roundeiay; but he
who chooses pleasure. seeking for his life
work does not understand for what God
made him. Our amusements are intended
to help us in some earnest mission. The
thunder cloud hath an edge exquisitely
purpled, but, With voice ihatja the earth,
Ut declares: 81 go to water the green fields. u
The wild flowers under he fence are gay,
but they say: "We stand here TO make 6
beautiful edge for the wheat field, and tc
refresh the husbandmen in their incoming
The stream sparkles and foams, and frolics
and says: I go to baprizs the moss.
lave the spots on the trout. l sleke the
thirst of the bird. turn the wheel of thu
Mil. l rock in my crystal cradle muck
shav and water liIy" And So, while tbs