The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1889-07-19
)R. pkIMAGES SERMON:
Rulnous Company.

q IN eDmg onion 8 fools shall pc destroyed
May 1t please the COURT said a
convicted criminal, when asked If lie
had anything 10 say before sentence Of
@d d : ,"saaSs passed upon him, .'may 1t
please the court, bad company has been
my ruin. 4 received the blessings or
good parents, and, III return, promised
10 avoid all evil associations. Had L
kept my promise I should have been
saved this shame, and been free from
the load OF guilt that hangs round me
likes yulturo, threatening to drag mo
to5justico for crimes yet unrevealed. L,
Who'once moved iii the first circles Of
society, and have been the guest Of dis
tinguished public mon, am
LOST THRoUGlI BAD COMPANY.
This is but one Of the thousand proofs
that the companion Of fools shall be
destroyed. 1t is tho invariable rule,
There Is q we'll man in the wards of a
hospital, Where there are q hundred
people sick with ship fever. and lie will
not sbe so apt to take the dIsoase as a
good man would be apt to DO smitten
with. moral distemper If shut up with
ubiquitous companions. LII older times
prisoners were llearderi together in the
same cell, but each one learned the
vices Of all the culprits, 30 that instead
Of eilg reformed by incarceration, the
day OF liberation turned them out upon
society, beasts, not men.
We may, III u place of business, be
compelled to talk to and mlngle with
bad men; but lie who deliberately
chooses to associate himself with vicious
people Is engaged in carrying OF Il court
ship with Il Delilah, whose shears will
clip off all the locks or his strength, and
lie will be tripped INTO pcrdition.
SIN is CATCHING,
is Infectious, is epidemic. Twill lot you
look we tho millions Of people now in
habiting the globe, and I challenge you
to show me n good man who, after one
year, has made choice and consorted
with the wicked. a thousand dollars
reward for one such instance. 1 care
noc how strong your character may be,
associate with gamblers, you will become
u gambler; clan with burglars; and you
will become q burglar; go among the
uncleau, and you will become unclean.
Not approaching the truth Of my text,
many q young man has been destroyed,
IIe wakes up some morning in the great
city, and knows no one except the per-
poAt' ~ "hoSS ShiRh0J IN - ShVCASus
AS he goes into the store, all the clerks
Inark him, measure him, and discuss
him. The upright young men Of the
store wish him well, but perhaps wait
for a 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, approach and offer their
services. They patroniZe him. They
rrofpss TO know all about the town.
THEY WILL TAKE HIM ANYWHERE
that lie wishes to go-if he will pay the
expenses. For if a good young man
and Il bad young man 20 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: II have forgotten
my pocket-book." In forty-eight hours
after the young man has entered the
store the bad fellows Of the establish
ment slap him on the shoulder familiar
~, and, ut his stupidity in taking Ger
tain illusions say, "My young friend,
-rIIV.t' ~ l43t-l" f Ihi.1t.l. .,i-4.,. I..t ISL" .,LjH