The Russellville Democrat., 1890-08-14

Another temptation that will hover over the watering place is that of bane- ful literature. Almost every one start ing of for the summer takes some read- ing m alter. It is book out of the li- brary or of the book stand, or bought of the boy hawking books through tho cars. really believe there is more pes tiferous trash read among tho intelligent classes in July and August than in all the other ten months of the year. Men and women who at home would not be satisfied with book that was not really sensible, I found sitting on hotel piazzas or under the trees read ing books. the index of which would make them blush if they know that you knew what the book was.
 ''0h," they say, you must have in- tellectual recreationi" Yes. Thero is no need that you take along into wa tering place sHamilton's Metaphysics. '' or some thunderous discourse on the eternal decrees, or "Faraday's Philoso- phy." There are many easy books that are good. You might as we'll say: II propose now to give little rest to my digestive organs; and, instead of eating heavy meat and yege- tables, 1 will for little while take lighter food--a little strychnine and a few grains of ratsbane. Literary poison in August is as bad as literary poison in December. Mark that Do not lot the frogs and the lice of corrupt printing press jump and crawl into your Saratoga trunk or White mountain valise.
 Would it not be an awful thing for you to be struck with lightning some day when you had in yoar hand one of those paper-covered romances--the hero Parisian roue. the heroine an unprin- cipled firt--chapters in the book that you would not read to your children at the rate of one hundred dollors a line! Throw out that stuff from your summer baggage. Are there not good books that are easy to read
 books of congenial history. books of pure fun, books of poetry ringing with merry canto books of fine engrayings, books that will rest the mind as we'll as purify the heart and elevate the whole life? My hearers, there will not be an hour between this and the day of your death when you can afford to read a book lacking in moral principle.
 Another temptation lowering all around our watering places is the in- toxicating beverage. l am told that it is becoming more and more fashionable for women to drink. I care not how we'll women may dress, if she has taken enough of wine to flush her cheek and put glassiness on her eyes, she is intoxicated. She may be handed into a twenty-iye-hundrcd-dollar car riage, and have diamonds enough to con found the Tifanys-she is intoxicated. She may be a graduate of great in stitute, and the daughter of some man in danger of being nominated for the presidency-she is drunk. You may have larger vocabulary than have, and you may say in regard to her that she is ''convivial," or she is merry, y or she is festive, or she is ''exhil. arated." !" but you can not with all your garland of verbiage cover mp the plain fact that it is an old-fashioned case of drunk.
 Now, the watering-places are full of temptations to men and women to tip pie. At the close of the ten-pin or billiard game they tipple At the close of the cotillon they tipple Seated on the piazza cooling themselves off, they tipple. The tinged glasses come around with bright straws, and they tipple. First they take light wines, as they call them; but light wines are heavy enough to debase the appetite. It is not very long road between champagne at five dollars per bottle and whisky af five cents glass.
 Satan has three or four grades down which he takes men to destruction. One man he takes up and through one spree pitches him into eternal darkness. That is a rare case. Very seldom, in deed, can you find man who will be such fool as that
 When man goes down to destruction Satan brings him to plane. It is al almost level. The depression is so slight that you can hardly see it. The man does not actually know that he is on the down grade, and it tips only a little toward darkness-just little. And the first mile it is claret, and the second mile it is sherry, and the third mile it is punch, and the fourth mile it is ale, and the fifth mile it Is porter, and the sixth mile it is brandy, and then it gets sleeper and sleeper, and the man gets frightened and says: "Oh, let me get off" No" says the conductor ''this is an express train, and it does not stop until it gets to the grand Central Depot of Smashupton. An, Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, and when it giveth it's color in the cap when it inoyeth itself aright At the last it biteth like serpent and stingeth like an adder"
 My friends, whether you tarry al home-which will be quite as safe and perhaps quite as comfortable-or go into the country, arm yourself against temptation. The grace of God is tho only safe shelter, whether in town or country. There are watering places accessible to all of us You can not open book of the Bible without finding out some such water ing place. Fountains open for sin and uncleanness: wells, of salvation; streams from Lebanon; food struck out of the rock by Moses; fountains in the wilderness discovered by Hagar; water to drink and water to bathe in; the river Of God, which Is full of water; water of which if a man drink he shall never thirst; wells of water in the Valley of Baea; living fountains of water; pure river of water as clear as crystal from under the throne of God.
 These are watering places accessible to all of us We do not have a lsbori- ous packing-np before we start-only the throwing away ot our transgres- sions. No expensive hotel bills to pay; its without money and withoutprice. No long and dirty travel before we get there-it is only one step away. In California in five minutes l walked around and saw ten fountains, all bub- bling up, and they were all different And in five min.tes l can 20 through this Bible partefre and find you fifty bright gnark linz fountains bubblin0 m