The Brookhaven leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1883-1891, 1889-06-13
"RUINOUS COMPANY"
A Trite Sermon on the Evils Of
Bad Companionship.
The First Downward stcp-Tbe Dangers
of IdIeness-HealthfuI and Danger
Gus sport-Man's Good and
Bad Angel.


especially directed to young men. The
text was:
A companion OF fools shall be destroyed
Proverbs kill, 90
May it please the court" said a con-
victcd criminal, when osked If he had
any thing to say before seatence Of death
was passed upon him, may 1t please the
court, bad company has been my ruin.
received the blessings of good parents,
and, in return, promised to avoid ell evil
associations. Had l kept my promise
should have been saved this shar1e, and
been free from the load of guilt that
hangs around me like a vulture, threat
ening to drag me to Justice for crimes
yet unrevealed. !, who once nCved in
the first circles of society, and have been
the guest of distinguished public men,
am lost, and all through bad company"
This is but one of the thousand proofs
that the companion of fools shall be de-
stroyed. 1t is the invariable rule. There
is well man in the wards of a hospital,
where there are a hundred people sick
with ship fever and he will not be so apt
to take the disease as q good man would
be apt to be smitten with moral distem-
per if shut up with iniquitous corupan-
ions. In olden times prisoners were
herded together in the same cell, but each
one learned the vices of all the culprits,
so that, instead Of being reformed by In
carceration, the day of liberation turned
them out upon society beasts, not men.
We may, in our places of business, be
compelled to talk to and mingle with bad
men: but he who deliberately chooses to
associate himself with vicious people is
engaged in carrying on courtship with
a Delilah, whose shears will clip off all
the locks of his strength, and he will be
tripped into perdition. Sir Is catching,
is infectious, is epidemic. Twill let you
look over the millions Of people now in
habiting the earth, and challenge you to
show me a good man who, after one year,
has made choice and consorted with the
wicked. A thousand dollars reward for
one such instance, l care not how strong
your character may be. Associate with
gamblers, you will become gambler.
Clan with burglars, and you will become
burglar. Go among the unclean, and
you will become unclean.
Not appreciating the truth of my text,
many a young man has been destroyed.
He wnkes up some morning in the great
city, and knows no one except the per-
sons 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 CT the store wish
| him we'll, but perhaps wait for q formal
| introduction, and even then have some
delicacy about inviting him into their
associations. But the bad young men OF
the store at the first opportunity ap-
! proach and offer their services. They
patronize him. They profess to know all
about the town. They will take him any
where he wishes to go-if he will pay the
expenses. For if a good young man and
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
bookn
In forty EIGHT hours after the young
man has entered the store the bad fellows
of the establishment slap him on the
shoulder Familiarity, and, at his stupidity
in taking certain illusions, say: "My
young friend, you will have to be broken
in" and they Immediately proceed to
brake him in. Young man, in the name
of God, warn you to beware how you
let bad man talk familiarly with you.
If such an one slap you on the shoulder
familiarly, turn round and give him a
whitening look, until the wretch crouches
in yon presence. There is no monstrosity
of wickedness that can stand unabashed
under the glance Of p urity and honor.
God keeps the lightnings of Heaven. in
His own scabbard, and no human arm
can WELD them; but God gives to every
tnhf fnin thok ha
and that is the lightning Of an honest
eye. Those who have been close observ-
ers will not wonder why give warning
to young men, and say: beware of bad
company"
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 shall scare me; am not
afraid of the future; 1 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 if you sit in his COM
pany little longer you will get over it,
too. Without presenting one argument
against the Christian religion, such men
will, by their jeers and SCOTS and Carl
catures, destroy your respect for that re-
ligion which was the strength of your ia
ther in his declining years, and the pillow
of your old mother when she lay a-dying.
Alas time will come when that bluster-
ing young infidel will have to die, and
then his diamond ring will fash no
splendor in the eyes Of Death, as he
stands over the couch, waiting for his
soul. Those beautiful locks will be un-
combed upon the pillow, and the dying
man will say: II can not die-I can not
die"
Death standing ready beside the couch,
says: "You must die; you have only
half a minute to live; let me have it right
away--your SOUL" NO." says the young
infidel, "here are my gold rings and these
pictures; take them ALL" NO." says
Death, "what do I care for pictures!-
your soul" "Stand back" says the dy-
ing inddel. 81 will not stand back" says
Death, 'for you have only ten seconds
now to live; want your soul" The dy-
ing man says: Don't breathe that cold
air into my face. You crowd me to hard.
1t is getting dark in the room. o Godw
"Hush," says Death, ''you said there was
no God" "Pray for me-" exclaims the
expiring infdel ''Too late to pray,n
says Death; "but three more seconds to
live, and l will count them off-one-two
three" He has gone! Where! Where.
Carry him out-out, and bury him beside
his father and mother, who died while
holding fast the Christian religion. They
died singing, but the young infidel only
said: "Don't breathe that cold air into
my face. You crowd me too hard. 1t is
getting dark in the room.