St. Paul daily globe., 1889-01-13
BURDETTE'S LETTER.

WHEREAS, AN SEEM, AN wHEREFoRE-RE
SOLVED"
If you're waking. call me early. call me early,
mother dear,
New Year;
There's lots of things I'm going to say that
I'm a-going to do,
And kind of hope in a thousand things III
manage to Keep few.
I'm going to do the very best that ever fell
low can.
And will make no friendship with very
angry man;
I will not look upon the wine when it is
glowing red
So may my evening hat sit loose upon my
morning head.
will not loaf with sinners at the corner Of
the street:
Nor will talk about myself to every one I
meet;
I'll be the good boy of the school, and study
all the day,
Nor prod my seat mate with pin, to see him
laugh and play.
When Wisdom crieth at the gates, I'll know
that she means me;
And when she putteth forth her voice, I'll
answer, Here bei''
When bigger men affront me, l will give the
answer soft,
But the little man who tries 1t may venture
once too Oft.
l will not lie about my age, my salary or
weight;
To help in deed, the friend in need, 1 win
not hesitate.
1 will not scott at feeble things, our navy and
the poor;
And fractured toys and broken hearts I'll try
TO mend and cure.
I'll go to see no gray-haired sire pose as
preacher Boy"
Nor go to hear q sucking babe play 'Little
Fauntleroy."
I will not whistle in the cars the airs do not
know,
Nor hold high revel in my room, while others
sleep below.
will not wear my dress coat when the sun
is in the sky;
I will not wear q collar more than seven
inches high;
1 will be so good and sensible that people in
the street
Will lift their hats to me and say, "Ah, Ga
briel," when we meet.
Good night dear mother sweet good night;
nay, do not weep for me,
l am so good to night, | fear the morn neer
may see.
But if | do live through it, when tomorrow
disappears
You'll likely think your precious boy will live
hundred years.
ADVICE TO A YOUNG MAN.
Just one serious paragraph in your
ear, my boy. if you have time. You are
going to reform on New Years day,
are. So am |. make habit of re-
forming every year; sometimes three
or four times a year. | need it. In
fact, L need it great many times
Oftener than that L think l ought to
reform, in order to keep up with the
procession, about once every fifteen
minutes. Now, because l have OBJ.
served certain qualities and tendencies
in you that remind me of myself, want
to talk to you just line or two.
want you to put forth goodly array of
earnest resolutions this new year, and
/ don't want a compromise in the
entire regiment of them. A single
compromise will weaken the whole line,
Don't you know. my boy, God never
yet helped man to compromise? There
is no "high license" principle in Gods
dealings with men. It's broad, sweep
ing Prohibition or nothing. God never
helps a man to lOp off half sin; to be
halfway 'sbetter." God never accepts
half-hearted service. When Naaman,
grateful to the Lord for the cleansing Of
his leprosy. declared that he would
"hencefOrth offer neither burnt Offering
nor sacrifice unto other gods, but unto
Jehovah" he added; ''but when my
master gOeth into the house of Rimmon
to worship there, and he leaneth on my
hand, and bow myself in the house of
RimmOn, the Lord pardon Thy servant
in this thing" And that's the last we
hear of Naaman's conversion. That
was the end of his worship of Jehovah.
There wasn't worse idolator in all
Syria than the man who knelt
down before a pagan idol to worship
God. The Lord never helps such a
man. But when Daniel, upon whose
hand there also leaned heathen king,
turned his back upon his royal masters
gods, refused to bow before them, and
prayed before open win 0wS toward
Jerusalem, the wrath of kings, the fury
of flames and the rage Of lions were
harmless against him. That's the only
kind of a man God helps, my boy. He
hates compromise. When you repent
YOU don't Sidle: you turn around and
walk the other way. You can't serve
under one flag and give aid and comfort
to the enemy. If you want any help in
your reformation it has got to be COM
plete. Tell me now. honestly, did you
ever know man to quit" by taper
ing off?'' Yes, yes; you've heard of
one: so have l. I've heard of thou
sand, but that isn't evidence. Did you
ever KNOW Ou6. No, ItlJHeI ulu L.
You've tried it, and you know how
much you accomplished.
Eh? "Must a fellow be perfect, then?"
Well, not all fellows. There are some
perfect men in this world, but they're
mighty hard to get along with. They
quarrel and scOld too much for me. /
was just going to say-and if you'll
stand still only minute longer I'll let
you go without tearing this button Off
that if you break all the resolutions you
make the day after they have gone to
the engrossing clerk, don't be discOur-
aged; make 'em over again. and make
'em stronger. Keep on making them as
fast as they break. Never give up.
When regiment breaks and loses its
formation on the battlefield, does the
colonel give up and go to the rear in
despair? No: he simply halts and cor
rects his alignment" right where he is,
and moves on without losing an inch OF
ground. You're no coward. my boy.
When your resolutions break, don't
run. Show your nerve, correct your
alignment under fire and move forward;
and, though the devils that fight you
were thicker than the blades of grass in
June, they can't make you lower your
colors, unless you turn traitor to your
self and go over to the enemy.
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