The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-06-14
BAD COMPANY.
Or. Ta!mage on the Evils Of Inn
proper Associations
Bad Results Sure to Follow Contact with
Sinful Persons-Dangers of Too Much
fdleness and Pleasure-Compan.
ions to Be Avoided.

took his text from Proverbs xiii 20: ~
companion of fools shall be destroyed
Following Is the sermon:
MAY it please the court. % said con
victed criminal, when asked il he had any
hing to say before sentence OF death wal
passed upon him; may it please th'
court, bad company has been my ruin.
received the blessings of good parents ant
n return promised to avoil all evil asso
,iations. Had l kept my promise should
rave been saved this shame and been fire.,
rom the load Of guilt that hangs about
ne like a vulture threatening to drag me
20 Justice for crimes yet unrevealed. /
who once moved in the first circles Of
iociety and have been the guest of dis.
inguished public men, am lost and al
through bad company"
This is but one Of the Thousand proofs
hat the companion CT fools shall be de-
,troyed. 1t is the invariable rule. There
is a well man in the wards Of hospta
where there are a hundred people sich
with ship fever and he will not be so apt
20 take the disease as good man would
De apt to be smitten with moral distempei
shut up with Ubiquitous companions.
In olden times prisoners were herded to
sether in the same cell, but each ont
learned the vices of all the culprits, sc
hat instead of being reformed by incar.
,eration, the day of liberation turned
hem out upon society beasts, not men.
We may in our places Of business bt
to talk and to mingle with bad
men. but he who deliberately chooses te
associate himself with vicious people is
engaged in carrying on a courtship with
4 Delilah whose shears will clip of all the
ocks Of his strength and he will be tripped
nto perdition. Sin is catching, is in.
sectious, is epidemic. I will let you looh
over the millions of people now inhabiting
he earth and challenge you to show me
1 good man who, after one year. has made
choice and consorted with the wicked. A
thousand dollars reward for one such in
stance. / care not how strong your char
acter may be. Associate with gamblers,
you will be a gambler. Clan with the
burglars aud you will become burglar.
60 among the unclean and you will be-
come unclean. Not approaching the truth
If my t. xt many a young man has been
destroyed. He wakes up some morning
in the great city and knows no one
except the persons into whose employ he
has ntered. As he goes into the store all
he clerks mark him, measure him and
discuss him. The upright young men OF
he store wish him well, but perhaps wait
or formal introduction. and even then
have some delicacy about inviting him into
heir associations. But the bad young
men of the store at the first opportunity
oh o,,I nFar fhair
,atronize him. They profess to know all
about the town. They will take him any
" here he wishes to go-if he will pay the
expenses. For il a good young man and
\ bad young man go to some place where
hey 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
eels around in his pockets and says: Il
rave forgotten my p ocketb ,ok." In forty.
light hours after tue young man has en-
er, d the store ths bad fellows Of the es-
slap him OH the shoulder ia
and, at his stup dty in taking
certain illusions, say: My young friend,
on will have to be broken in" aud they
proceed to break him in.
Young man, in the name of God, warn
you to beware how you let bad man talk
with you. If such an one slap
you on the shoulder Familiarity turn
lround and give him whitening look un.
il the wretch crouches in your presence.
There IS no monstrosity of wickedness
hat can stand unabashei under the
glance of purity and honor. God keeps
he lightnings of Heaven in hi, own scab.
,ard and no human arm can WELD them;
tut God gives to every young man light
ling that he may use and that is the light
hing Of an honest eye. Those who have
,een close observers will not wonder why
give warning to young men, and say,
Beware of bad company"
FIRST warn you to shun the skeptic-
he young man who puts his fingers in his
'est and laughs at your old fashioned re-
igion and turns over to some mystery of
he Bible and says: Explain that, my
'ious friend; explain that" And who
avs: Nobody shall scare me; am not
fraid of the fu ure; used to believe in
UGH things, and SO did my father and
mother, but have got over it" Yes, he
as got over it; and il you sit in his
ompany a little longer you will get over
too. Without presenting one arRu.
nent against the Christian religion such
men will, by their jeers and SCOTS
md caricatures, destroy your respect for
hat religion which was the strength Of
our father in his declining years and the
'illow of your old mother when she lay
lying. Alas! a time will come when that
young infidel will have to die,
md then his diamond ring will fash no
plendor in the eyes of Death, as he stands
yer the couch waiting for his soul Those
eautiful locks will be uncombed upon the
pillow, and the dying man will say: Il
an not die-I can not die" Death, stand.
ng ready, beside the couch, says: You
must die; you have only half a minute to
i've; let me have it right away-your
oul." NO" says the young infidel,
res; take them ALL" No." says Death.
what do care for pic;ures-your soul"
Stand back" says the dying infidel. 81
ill not stand ba ck," says Death" 'for
ou have only ten seconds now TO live;
vant your SOUL" The dying man says:
Don't breathe that cold air into my face.
You crowd me too hard. 1t is getting
lark in the room. o God" Husb," says
Death. you said there was no God"
Pray for me-" exclaims the expiring in.
del. TOO late to pray" says Death;
ut three more seconds to live, and will
CUNT them off-one-two-three." He
as gone! Where? Where? Garry him
ut-out and bury him beside his father
nd mother. who died while holding fast
D the Christian religion. They died sing.
lg; but the young infidel only said:
Don't breathe that cold air into my face.
'ou crowd me too hard. 1t is getting
ark in the room"
Again. l urge you to shun the compan-
,nship of idlers. There are men hanging
round every store, and Office, and shop
tho have nothing 10 do, or act as if they
ad not. They are apt to come in when
lie firm are away. and wish to engage
on in conversation while you are en-