Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1892-05-09

! GROUND. Dtl lenu upon, IL IT no pruning,
no fruit; TO climbing, no elevation; no
battle, no victory; no cross, no crown.
Had there been no Nebuchadnezzar
there would have been no Daniel. Even
so it has been in all ages. The flames
that have flashed up from the stake have
been so many illuminations of Christian
| hiumphs. When God would make
great light Of truth and holiness in the
world he often takes great prosecutions
and with them strikes fire.
The DEVILS hate is Gods glory. Had
it not been for the prosecutions Of EN-
porer Valelian, the world would not
have known of the courage of Cyprian,
and if the tyranny of Diocletian had
never been known, the triumphant grace
would not have been seen which made
Maximilian, when sentenced to death,
exclaim, "God be praisedT Had not the
bandits of Piedmont pursued the Wal
denses through the valleys of the Alps,
and the infuriate decree put to massa-
ere the Albigenses Of France, the world
would have had fewer illustrations of
Christian heroism Be Joseph before
Pharoah. Be Paul before Felix. Be
Daniel before Darius.
THE BEAUTY OF YOUTHFUL PURITY.
Again let the story of Daniel teach
us the beauty Of that youthful charac-
ter which remains unblemished and up
right when away from home. Had
Daniel on arriving in Babylon plunged
into every excess his friends in Jeru-
salem would never have heard of it.
His dissipation and remuneration Of re-
ligion would not have cast one sorrow
on the family hearth where he had lived
or the old family Bible which he used
to read. But, though far away from
home, he knew that Gods eye watched
him and that was enough. 1t is not
every young man who maintains the
same character when absent that was
maintained at home.
Frederick watching his fathers sheep
among the hills or thrashing rye in the
barn is far different from Frederick on
the Stock exchange. How often does
the kind, retiring spirit become bold
effrontery, and the accommodating, self
sacrificing disposition once exhibited
among brothers and sisters becomes a
cold and unresponsive selhshness, and
economy, wastefulness, and opened hand
ed charity, tight listed stinginess, and
the keeping of good hours is changed
into midnight revelry.
/ probably address young men now
distant from their fathers house, and
others who, still under the parental
roof, look forward to time when they
will depart alone to conflict with the
world and among strangers be called to
build up characters for themselves.
Happy for you, oh, young man, if you
shall, like Joseph, be the same when
living with the wicked Pharaoh as with
pious Jacob, or Daniel as pure in Baby
Ion as in Jerusalem. There is no pas
sage in a mans life of more thrilling in
terest than the day in which he leaves
home and goes off to seek his fortune.
The novelty and romance connected
with the departure may keep the young
man from any poignant sorrow, but
parents, who have seen the destruction
among strangers of those who were con-
sidered promising youths, cannot help
feeling that this step is full of momen-
tous Importance. Before the youth left
home all his conduct was under affec-
tionate guardianship. Outbursts of
folly, carelessness and impropriety of
manner and looseness of speech were
kindly reproved, and although the re-
straint seemed sometimes too severe,
yet hours of sober reflection have con-
vinced him that it was salutary and
righteous. But behold, how the scene
changes.
The father, through the interceding
of metropolitan friends, has secured the
son place in some bank or store or Of
flee. Schoolmates on the night before
his departure come to take their fare
well Of the young adyenturer. That
morning he takes a last walk around
the old place, and going past some loved
spot sly tear may start, but no one
sees it. The trunk is on the carriage,
and after a warm goodby away they
speed over the hills. Set down amid ex-
elements and among companions not
overscrupulous as to their words or
deeds, temptations troop around the
stranger.
The morning comes, but no family
altar, and the sabbath, but no real
quiet, and perhaps vt the sanctuary the
faces are all strange and no one cares
whether he goes TO church or whether
he does not go Long winter evenings
arrive and how shall they be spent? On
his way home from his place of business
he saw flaming placards announcing
rare performances and that this was
positively the last night, At the door
Of his cheerless boarding house no one
greets him, and the evening meal is in
sipid, for no one cares whether he eats
or does not eat The room in the third
story that evening seems doleful and
repellng. A book snatched up from
the stand proves to be dull, for no sister
is there to look over with him.
In despair he rushes out reckless as to
where he goes if only he can see some
thing that will make him stop thinking.
That night may be the turning point in
his history. Once within the fatal circle
of sin and the soul has no power to re-
pei it. On that dark sea he is launched,
where the CLEAN of joy is only the flash
of the pit and the roar of laughter is
only the crealdng of the gates of the
lost.
SAD WRECKS OF WICKED YOUTH.
In many country churchyard is now
the grave of some youthful spirit that
went away 1.-the and bounding, but came
home diseased and crushed and blasted
to disgrace the sepulcher Of his fathers.
Yet this exodus must be made. AS from
far distant hills rivers find their way
through tunnels to great cities, so from