Homer guardian., 1889-07-26
Homer, La,
Friday. July 26, 1889
Why Should We Have a Y. n,
G. A. in Homer!

God has bound us all up in one
bundle, the weeds on the street
side of the fence, it neglected, will
soon be growing in the garden.
But how are the churches to
reach this class, who loath the
very name OF church"
We must certainly do so by
some means more attractive to
them than the prayer-meetings,
and if they are not reache(, the
safety ofthc family is endanger
ed. Even selfish interests plead
for this class.
What is wanted by well to do
selfish people, and / fear we have
some of them in Homer-is their
5%aa Safety. Il is "my John" that
they work and pray for. Save "my
John" from drunkenness; "keep
him from the horror next door,"
Now, just q word about ''your
john" lie. can not he saved alone.
There Is such q thing in life as a
current, great drift in one d.
rection, and most men are drift
wood and go with it. Your boy
doesn't determine the DRIFT of the
current; he finds it. There is
traditional succession in the
knowledge Of evil. The boy Of ls
on the outer circle Of evil impress.
es his experience with evil on the
boy Of l6; the boy Of l6 passes
Ills evil thoughts to the boy of IA,
md so 1t goes, till there comes to
he ears of almost babes a knowl-
edge of evil which, If it comes at
I'll, should come to the tender ears
from the pure lips OF father or mo-
ther amid moral safeguards, and
not from the gutter, amid unho!y
imagining, where many Of the
young pick it up very early.
This being true, most people
pie cannot save their boys alone.
You may make him take a pledge
against every vice in the calendar
and the less truthful and thought
iul he is, the more ready he will
be to pledge himself. You may,
when with him, keep other boys
oiher boys are always the case Of
the little wickcdness in John
you may keep other boys at a dis
tance, and hold over him o moral
umbrella, which will keep off the
drizzle; but for all that, except for
Gods grace--and l am speaking
of human nature and not Gods
grace-the boy will take his ideal
from older boys, and want to do
rs they do,
When your moral umbrella is
hanging up for the next drizzle,
your boy has slipped out and
plunged into the current. / wish
to say to these well to do selfish
people, if You want to save "your
John,' You must unite with us to
save all the other boys IN Homer
or God may visit yeur selfishness
upon you by letting some ont
else's neglected boy lead yours te
ruin.
This brings me nearer still t.
my topic. ! have spoken Of tin
need OF an Association to com
bine our churches in work which
they can not do alone; but I woult
further seek to vindicate the es
pecial usefulness and need of az
organized christian work, $50
young men by young men, in Ho
mer.
There are three things in til
little 7. &c. A. There arc youn,
men-we have those. Christianit
II think | can say we have muc1
of that here in Homer Associs
tions--we have those in abund
ance; | think you could I'LL
small showcase with the yariou
badges and pins by which .h
boys, young, middle aged and ol,
men OF Homer seek 10 impress yo
with the fact that they belong /
an association; and when the we.
thcr is hot, | notice that some
them pin their badges over the
hearts to indicate that these il
terests are very dear to that whit
heats within.
SO, the question in Homer