The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1889-02-26
How Some of the Young Men
of Sedalia are Sowing
Theirs.
God and the Devil i'm a Race
for Some of Our Rising
Citizens.
A Few Sage Observations by
One Who Has Been
Treading the Wine
Press.


mark.
The philosopher looked across the
street and saw beardless boy upon
whose brow rested not over seventeen
summers. staggering into a barroom.
That night his mother cried until the
plying angels placed their fingers in
their ears and turned away The boy
was sowing his oats.
"There are one hundred boys like
that one in Sedalia, who are sowing
their wild oats, and of the one hundred
boys, ninety will reap the whirlwind,"
said the old citizen and the philosopher
thought upon it and evolves the fol-
lowing reflections
There are scores of young men in
Sedalia who are sowing their wild
oats"
While we are willing to be lenient
toward such, making due allowance
for youth, young blood and all that,
we most emphatically enter our pro-
test against the mischief, dissipation,
evil habits and cursedness which is so
often engecdere from this wild oats
sowing. The trouble is with very
many, they never get through SOW
ing. The companions they associate
with, the wild devil-may.care disposi-
ton which flows from this sort OF irr-
diligence, is too apt to cling, and the
time when il is expected the sowing
is over, finds the youth unfit for life's
active duties.
He don't want to quit, and there
be is, in far too many instances, a
wreck, lost to shame, to honor, and
in many Instances to the decencies of
life, disappointment to his parents
and friends, and another is added to
the long list of the pests of society, the
spongers. dead beats and loafers.
Some of the brightest lads We knew
of, those who babe fair to easily win
life's hOnors, of marked ability, pleas
ing mann ers, with everything TO en-
courage them, were lost in the stream
of "wild oats sowing"
1t seems almost increditable how
soor they got out beyond the control
and advice of parents, how quickly
the home influences, with the
mothers gentle admCnitions, the
fathers commands and protests, thu
sisters gentle pleadings, were for
gotten; how soon the Sabbath school
day training with all the pleasant as
sociations connected Herewith, lost
their power for good, and the face
once so frank, bearing its marks of
young manliness, became changed,
and tie stamp of evil made its ter
rible mark
1t is sad sight to see young man
get into the current which leads tn
ruin. There's something in such a
spectacle which appeals to the heart,
for we know that in his ruin others
are involved and the blow strikes
many hearts. The common saying,
"Oh, wait till he sows his wild oats;
he will come out alright" is a per-
nicious one. There is no truth in it;
for while we admit that now and then
a young man turns about in the midst
of this sowing and is saved, yet the
memory of the evil then wrought
clings like an incubus.
And what becomes of the others
who do not turn about Where are
they The police court records, the
prison cells. the slums of the cities,
the potter's field will give you an an
swer which will take all the sophistrv
out of this wild oats sowing.
There's no compromising with the
Evil One. He's bound to have the
lions share. Il you enter upon hi
domains, make up your mind that
you are to suffer for it. No matter
how pleasant the invitation to SOW
few wild oats there's danger in it
the pill may be sugar coated, but
you'll pay the penalty sooner or later.
It's the experience of all who ever
ventured, and there is no lodging it.
GAS We SOW so shall We reap" and
if you spend your time among those
of I'LL repute, the impress will be made
upsn you and you must take the con-
sequences. The hopes of the future
depends upon pure minded young
men and women, with sound minds
and healthy bodies, with which to en-
ter upon the places to be made vacant
by death and tne requirement of those
nov ctively engaged in business and
other useful pursuits. Young, healthy
blood, with its energies, will find OPP
pOrtunities to make itself felt. The
various fields of enterprises, open TO
those who are willing to do and to