The intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1887-1891, 1889-06-08
BAD COMPANY.
Dr. Talmage on the Evils of Inn
proper Associations.
had Results sure to Follow Contact With
ohniui Persons-Dangers of Too Much
Adieness and PIeasure-Compan-
ions to lie Avoided.

~ IL
einiui Persons-Dangers of Too Much
idleness and PIeasure-Compan-
ions to lie Avoided.
IN a recent sermon at BROOKLYN on thu
suolect OF Evil Associations DIR. Talmape
oHnls text from Proverbs xiii. 20: "a
= npanlon of fools shall be destroyed.U
following Is the sermon:
May 1t please the court" said a con-
vieted criminal, when asked if he had auy
thing to say before sentence of death was
passed upon him; may it please the
oourr had company has been my ruin. l
received the blessings of good parents and
:. return promised to avoid all evil asso-
Ssations. Had l kept my promise l should
neve been saved this shame and been free
from the load Of guilt that hangs about
ne IKE q %vulture, threatening to drag me
Is justice for crimes yet u~nrevealed. /,
<1eao once moved in the first circles of
society and have been the guest of dis
unguished public men, am lost and all
shrough bad company"
This is but one of the thousand proofs
tnat the companion of fools shall be de-
etroyed- II Is the invariable rule. There
Is well man in the wards of a hospital
where there are a hundred people sick
1872 wv nv no Will % 10 y % app
70 take the disease as a good man would
Do apt to be smitten with moral distemper
II shut up with iniquitous companions.
IN oiden times prisoners were herded to-
getner In the same cell, but each one
learned the vices of all the c~ulprits, so
tnaS instead of being reformed by incar-
oeration, the day of Liberation turned
Ihem out upon society beasts, not men.
We may in our places of business be
compelled to talk and 10 mingle with bad
s men, but he who deliberately chooses to
associate himself with vicious people 10
engaged In carrying on n courtship with
. Dellah whose shears will clip off all the
locks Of his strength and he will be tripped
INTO perdition. Sin ~ catching, is in
fectious, Is epidemic. / will let you look
over the millions of people now inhabiting
the earth and l challenge you to show me
q good man who, after one year, has made
choice and consorted with the wicked. A
thousand dollars reward for one such in
stance. l care not how strong your char.
acter may be. Associ tte with gamblers,
You will be a gambler. Clan with the
burglars and you will become a burglar.
60 among the unclean and you will be-
come ppcleen, Not a~ppgeeiating the trath
Of M ttxz fkieoX< xt<sk ma h&e
destfbys62 1t
sxcepz the e&fE1ii4 <8{ b.
has entered. As he soss7nt3 We store III
the clerks mark him, measure him and
DISCUSS him.. The upright young men OF
The store wish him well, but perhaps wal
for o formal introduction. and even then
have some delicacy about inviting him into
their as Iociations. But the bad young
men OF the store at the first opportunity
approach and offer their services. They
patronize him. They profess to know all
about the town. They will take him any
whore he wishes to go-if he will pay the
expenses. For IL u 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; Il
have forgotten my p Jckei b >ok." In forty
eight hours after tue young man has en-
Ter, d the store ths bad fellows of the es-
adjustment slap him on the shoulder ia
military, and. at his stup dty in taking
certain illusions. say: My young friend,
you will have to be broken in" aud they
Immediately p .oceed to break him in.
Young man, in the name Of God, / warn
you to beware how you. let n bad man talk
Familiarity with you. IL such an one slap
you on the shoulder Familiarity turn
around aud give him a whitening look I'M
ell the wretch croucheS in your presence.
There Is no monstrosity of wickedness
that can stand unabashed under the
glance of purity and honor. God keeps
the lightnings OF Heaven in bis own scab-
bard end no human arm can WELD them;
but God gives to every young man a Light
ming that he may use and that is the light
ming of an honest eye. Those who have
been close observers 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 aud laughs at your old fashioned re-
ligion 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; l am not
afraid Of the fu ure; / used 10 believe In
such things, and so did my father and
mother, but ] have got over it." Yes, he
hes got over It; and IL you sit in his
company n little longer you will get over
10 too. Without presenting one argu-
ment against the Christian religion such
mon will, by their jeers and SCOTS
and cnricRtures, destroy your respect for
<<1< F4/-8t<st which was the strength of
8e1r falf4r n his declining years and the
1iiioH ~ <111 old mother when she lay
1XtUE- &{@< . lime VIII come wnen tnat
Eusterine young ipfidel will have to die,
and then his diamond ring will faeh no
splsndor in the eyes of Death, as he stands
over the couch waiting for his soul. Those
beautiful locks will be uncombed upon the
pillow, and the dying man will say; II
can not die-I can not die" Death, stand
ing ready, beside the couch, says: You
must die; you have only half a minute to
live; lot me have 1t right away-youI
soul.n mo" says the young infdel,
shere arc my gold rings, and these pict-
ures; take them ALL" No" says Death,
..what do / care for pictures-your soul"
STAND back" says the dying infdel. Il"
will not stand ba OK, f" says Death" 'foI
fou have only ten seconds now TO lives
want your soul" The dying man says:
ssDon't breathe that cold air into my face.
You crowd me too hard. 1t is getting
dark In the room. 20 God" 'Husb," says
Death, ''you said there was no God
spray for me-" exclaims the expiring in
hdeL. TOO late to pray" says Death;
but three more seconds to live, and will
count them off-one-two-three." BE
has gonei Where? Wheref Garry him
out-out and bury him beside his father
and mother, who died while holding fast
70 the Christian religion. They died sing
ing; but the young inade only said:
.'Don't breathe that cold air into my face.
You crowd me too hard. 1t Is getting
dark in the room"
Again, ! urge you to shun the compan-
iouship OF idlers. There are men hanging
around every store, and Office, and shop
who have nothing to do, or act as IL they
had not. They are apt to come in when
the firm are away. aud wish to engage
you In CONVEX alton while you are en-
gagged in your regular employment. Po-
suggest 10 such persons that you
have no time to give them during business
hours. Nothing would please them 50
we'll as 10 have you renounce your occu-
patton aud associate with them. Much OF
the time they lounge around the club
rooms or the doors of engine houses. or
after the dining hour sand upon the steps
Of q fash enable hotel or an elegant res
taurant, wishing to give you the idea THAI
that Is the p ace where they dine. But
they do not dine there. They are sinking
down lower and lower, day by day.
Neither by day nor by night have any
thing to do W tn the idlers Before you
admit a man into your acquaintance ask
him politely: what do you do for a liv'
ingf" II he says. mo hing; | I'm n gem
tleman," look out for i'm. He II ay have
very soft hnnd and very faultless apI a
rel, and have a high-sounding family
name, but b 8 touch is death. Before you
know 1t you will IN his presence be
ashamed of your work dress. Business
will become 10 you drud9ery, and after