Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-03-23
BARNACLES IN LIFE.
Rev. W. R. Mackay, in a Lenten Lee
ture, Advises the Young
HOW TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL MEN.
The Great Evils Of Gambling and Intem'
perance Condemned.
LIFES MANY DANGERS POINTED OUT

Rev. W. R. Mackay, of the st. Peters
Episcopal Church, delivered lecture last
evening under the auspices of the Kings
Sons of st. Peters Church. The subject
was "Barnacles. A large number of
young men were in attendance. The lecture
was both instructive and interesting.
The speaker first related the story of an
American ship which was lost at sea by
barnacles eating through its hull and caus-
ing leak. The loss of the ship was pre-
dicted by an old sailor, who had taken a
barnacle from its hull The barnacle, he
explained, was Misunderstanding, jelly
like mass of flesh inclosed in soft shell.
With this as an example he drew as a
lesson the loss of so many young men in
life. They start out with the brightest
prospects and hopes, like ship which goes
down to the sea with her sails spread; their
character has barnacles, and, in few
years, they are total wrecks. "You all
know young men of that kind" said he.
''There are workingmen in this city to-day
who are masters of their trades; who had
fine opportunities; but tonight they are
wrecks.
''There are lawyers in this city who have
fine educations and golden chances in life.
The Senate, the bench and Congress were
open to them; but they are wrecked.
IT APPLIES TO ALL.
"You may say the same of business men,
of ministers and of every other class.
There are boys in our colleges who are
wrecks before the graduating day. The
reason of all this is barnacles.
'The greatest barnacle to be dreaded is
gambling, in one form or another" The
speaker read an account of man in an
Eastern city who had committed suicide be-
cause he had lost at lottery-a letter was
addressed to his bsdly-injured wife. Mr..
Mackay said: "They always find out their
wives are badly injured when it is
too late. Gambling is a passion whose
strength is unreasonable. Men will waste
all the money they have or can borrow at
the gambling table. They may have COM
menced at matching pennies, and from that
pass to other games. The speaker
said he could see no harm in a
friendly game of cards. if there
is nothing staked on the result. Men
commence by stalking small sum, and then
pass to greater ones. While at college the
BOYS had a faro table in one of the upper
rooms, at which they gambled. First it
was a 5-cent limit, then 10, and on, until
early in the morning, when there was no
limit.
THE BooZY BARNACLE.
Passing from the barnacle of gambling
the speaker took up the subject of intem-
perance, He said he did not wish to preach
a temperance sermon, but only wanted to
point out few of the evils. '"The greatest
temperance sermon that can be preached, I"
said he, sis the sight of a drunken sot in the
gutter, contrasted with an active, wide
awake business man."
"Noone, he said, "ever proposed to become
a drunkard, nor is man necessarily on his
way to ruin who takes a glass of beer or
wine. There are great many good men
who do 50; but many cannot Withstand the
| temptations and they drink more than one
glass, and in time the habit, like barnacle,
wrecks their life"
He made short plea for the young men
to beware of these barnacles, and endeavor
to lead honest, upright lives, and be men in
the full sense of the word.
The subject of the next Friday evening
lecture is "a Lying Devil" The attend
ance at the lectures is increasing.