The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1889-06-06

Work accomplished, TO poverty helped,
to good name earned, to Christian
influence exerted, to Saviour's cause
advanced-these pleasure seekers on
their death bed have nothing better to
review than a torn playbill, ticket
for the races, an empty tankard and
the cast out rinds of a carousal; and
as in the delirium of their awful death
they clutch the goblet and press it to
their lips, the dregs of the cup falling
upon their tongue will begin to hiss
and uncol with the adders of an eter-
nal poison.
Cast out these men from your COM
pany. Do not be intimate with them.
Always be polite. There is no demand
that you ever sacrifice politeness. A
young man accosted Christian Qua
ker with: "Old chap, how did you
make all your money! The Quaker
replied: by dealing in an article that
thou mayest deal in if thou wilt
at the same time firm. Say no as if
you meant it. Have it understood in
store, and shop, and street, that you
will not stand in the companionship
of the skeptic, the idle, the pleasure
seeker.
Rather than enter the companion
ship of such, accept the invitation to
better feast. The promises of God
are the fruits. The harps of heaven
are the music. Clusters from the
vineyards of God have been pressed
into the tankards. Tho sons and
daughters of the Lord Almighty are
the guests. While, standing at the
banquet, to fill the cups and divide
the clusters and command the harps
and welcome the guests, is daughter
of God ON whose brow are the bios
SONS of paradise, and in whose cheek
is the flush of celestial summer. Her
name is Religion.
Her ways are ways Of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.
WHERE THE RIGHT ROAD LEADS TO.
Decide this soon, oh, young man,
what direction you will take. There
comes such a moment of final de-
cision-why not this2 One night
saw young man at the street corner
evidently doubling as to which direc-
ton he had better take, his hat lifted
high enough so you could see he had
am intelligent forehead, and he had a
stout chest and robust development.
Splendid young man. Cultured young
man. Honored young man. Why
did he stop there while SO many were
going up and down2 The fact is, that
every man has good angel and a
bad angel contending for the mas
terry of his spirit, and there was good
angel and bad angel struggling with
that young mans soul at the corner Of
the street. Come with me, said the
good angel; II will take you home; l
will spread my wing over your pill
low; | will lovingly escort you all
through life under supernatural pro-
lection; / will bless every. cup you
drink out of, every couch you rest on,
every doorway you enter; ! will con-
secrate your tears when you weep,
your sweat when you toll, and at the
last / will hand over your grave to the
bright angel of Christian resurrec-
ton. In answer to your fathers petit
ton and your mothers prayer, | have
been sent of the Lord out of heaven to
be your guardian spirit Come with
me" said the good angel, in voice of
unearthly symphony. 1t was music
like that which drops from a
lute OF heaven when seraph
breathes on it. mo, no." said the bad
angel, ''come with me; | have some
thing better to offer; the wines pour
are from chalices of bewitching ca
rousal; the dance | lead is over floor
tessellated with unrestrained indul-
gences; there is no God to frown on
the temples Of sin where / worship.
The skies are Italian. The paths /
tread are through meadows, daisied
and primrosed. Come with me-" The
young man hesitated at time when
hesitation was ruin, and the bad angel
smote the good angel until it departed,
spreading wings through the starlight
upward and away, until door flashed
open in the sky and forever the wings
vanished. That was the turn
ing point in that young mans
history; for, the good angel flown,
he hesitated no longer, but started
on pathway which is beautiful at
the opening. but blasted at the last
The bad angel, leading the way, OPEN
ed gate after gate, and at each gate the
road became rougher and the sky
more lurid, and what was peculiar, as
the gate slammed shut it came to
with jar that indicated that it would
never open. Passed each portal, there
was grinding of locks and a showing
of bolts; and the scenery on either
side the road changed from gar
dens to deserts, and the June air be-
came q cutting December blast, and
the bright wings of the bad angel
turned TO sack cloth, and the eyes
of light became hollow with hopeless
grief, and the fountains, that at the
start had tossed with wine, poured forth
bubhling tears and foaming blood,
and on the right side the road there
was a serpent, and the man said to the
bad angel What is that serpenti"
and the answer was: ''That is the SER
pent of singing remorse." On the
left side the road there was lion, and
the man asked the bad angel: "What
is that lion2" and the answer was:
THAT is the lion of all devouring de-
spair." A vulture flew through the
sky, and the man asked the bad angel !;
"What is that vulture2" and the an
swer was: THAT is the vulture wait
ing for the carcasses of the slain. y
And then the man began to try to pull
off of him the folds of something that
had wound him round and round, and
he said to the bad angel: What is it
that twists me in this awful con-
volutionf" and the answer was
THAT is the worm that never
diesr' And then the man said TO
the bad angel: What does all this
meant ] trusted in what you said at
tho corner of the street that night;
trusted il all, and why haye you thus
deceived mea" Then the last deception
fell off the charmer. and it said: u
was sent forth from the pit to destroy
your soul; watched my chance for
many long year; when you hesitated
that night on the street. / gained my
triumph; now you are here. Hal ha
You are here. Come, now, let us fill
theso two chalices of fire, and drink
together TO darkness and woe and
death. Haili HALT" Obi young man,
will the good angel sent forth by Christ
or the bad angel sent forth by sin get
the victory over your soulf Their
wings arc interlocked this moment
above you, contending for your des-
tiny, rs above the Apprentices eagle
and condor fight mid-sky. This hour
may decide your destiny. God help
you. To hesitate Is to dicl
Fish on tho Table.
There can be no doubt that it would
| be better for the brain and nervous