Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-06-13
MORE THAN PLEASURE.
BE CAREFUL OF YOUR COM
PANY.
This Life is Intended for Something
Better Than Mere Sport.


ay before sentence Of death was passed upon
him, ''may it please the court bad COM
pany has been my ruin. l received
the blessings of good parents, and, in re-
turn, promised to avoid all evil assocla-
tions. Had kept my promise should have
been saved this shame, and been FREQ
trom the load of guilt that hangs round me
Ike q vulture, threatening to drag me to 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, and all through bad company
This is but one Of the thousand proofs that
the companion of fools shall be destroyed.
II is the invariable rule. There is a well man
IN the wards of q hospital, where there are
ahundred people sick with ship fever, and
he will not be so apt to take the disease as a
good man would be apt to be smitten with
moral distemper, If shut up with iniquitous
companions.
In olden times prisoners were herded to-
gether in the same cell, but each one learned
the 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 to talk to and mingle with bad men;
but he who deliberately chooses to associate
carrying on a courtship with Delilah, whose
shears will clip Off the locks Of his
strength, and he will be tripped into
perdition. Sin is catching, is infec-
tious, is epidemic. / will let you look over
the millions of people now inhabiting the
earth, and challenge you to show me good
man who, after one year, has made choice and
consorted with the wicked. A thousand dol
lars reward for one such instance. 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 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-
tion, and even then have some deli
cacy about inviting him into their associa-
tions But the bad young men Of the
store at the first opportunity approach
and offer their services They patron
lie him. They profess to know all about the
town. They will take him anywhere that he
wishes to go-if he will pay the expenses.
For If 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
Uc puiu lOf, VI bno S0bblcu lOl
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 to be broken In" and
they Immediately proceed to break him in.
Young man, in the name Of God l warn you to
beware how you let bad man talk fam
iliarly with you. IL such an one slap you on
the shoulder familiarly, turn round and give
him q whitening look, until the wretch
crouches in your presence. There is no mon
strosity of wickedness that can stand una
dashed 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
shall scare me; / am not afraid Of the
future; used to believe in suct
things, and SO do my father and
has got over it; 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, by theil
jeers, and SCOTS, and caricatures, destroy
your respect for that religion which wa
the strength Of your father in hi
declining years, and the pillow o
a-dying. Alasl time will come when tina
clustering young infidel will have to die, ant
then his diamond ring will flash no splendo
in the eyes of Death, as he stands over tn
couch, waiting for his soul.
Again, l urge you to shm the companion
ship of idlers. There are men hanging aroun
every store and office, and shop, who hav
nothing to do or act as if they had not. The
are apt to come in when the firm are away
and wish to engage you in conversatio
while you are engaged in yov
regular employment. Politely sugge'
to such persons that you have no time to civ
them during business hours. Nothing woul
please them so well as to have you r
nounce your occupation and associate wit
them. Much of the time they lounge arour
the club rooms or the doors of engiI
houses, or after the dining hour stand upc
the steps Of a fashionable hotel or q
elegant restaurant wishing to give you tt
1aea tnat that is the place where they dine
But they do not dine there. They are sink
ing down lower and lower, day by day
Neither by day nor by night have anything
to do with the idlers. Before you admi
man into your acquaintance ask hin
politely: 'What do you do for a liy
ing| If he says: Nothing; am gentle
man" look outfor him. He may have yer,
soft hand and very faultless apparel, AM
have high sounding family name, but hi
touch is death. Before you know it you vii
in his presence be ashamed Of your worl
dress. Business will become to you drudgery
and after awhile you will lose your place
and afterward your respectability, an,
last of all your soul Idleness is next door +
villainy. Thieves gamblers, burglars, sho
lifters and assassins are made from the clas
who have nothing to do. When tho police go
hunt up and arrest culprit they seldom g
to look in among busy clerks or in the bus
carriage factory, but they go among til
groups of idlers. The play is going on at tn
theatre, when suddenly there is scuffle i
the top gallery. What is it? A policema
has come in, and, leaning over, has tapped o
the shoulder of young man, saying:
want you, SIR" He has not worked durin
the day, but somehow has raked together
shilling or two to get into the top gallery. II
IS an idler. The man on his right hand is a
idler and the man on his left hand is an idleI
Shrink back from idleness in yourself an
in others il you would maintain a right posi-
tion. Good old Ashbel Green, at more tina
eighty years Of age, was found busy writing
and some young man said to him: 'Why
you keep busyf 1t Is time for you to rest.
He answered: II keep busy to keep out o
mischief" No man is strong enough to b
idle.
A young man came to q man of ninet,
years OF age and said to him: "How hav
You made out to live so long and be SO woll?
The old man took the youngster to an or
chard, and, pointing to some large trees ful
of apples, said: 81 planted these trees wher
was boy, and do you wonder that nov