Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1892-04-20
IS IT CATCHING7

Bennie Blaine is q bright, clever
boy fourteen years old. He has
inst left school, and his father was
askirg the principal the other day if
he could recommend Bennie to q situs-
ton.
"Well," replied the master, 81 do
know of q place that 1 believe he
would like, and where he would just
about suit, but, you see, his stammer-
ing would stand so very much in his
way! He must get over that impedi-
ment before l should be able to do
anything for him. No one would take
boy who cannot talk"
How grieved was Mr.. Blaine on hear
ing this, and how mortified did Bennie
feel when his father told him.
He had not always suffered. When
he was quite a little fellow he could
speak as clearly and easily as anybody,
but he once spent a month at the sea-
side with q cousin who had an impedi-
ment in her speech, and he used to
initiate her. Not in derision, he was
too kind a boy to do so mean q thing
as that; but 'just for fun" People
warned him that if he picked up this
sad habit he might not find it SO easy
to lay down again. But he thought
differently, and only laughed at the
idea. Now he is sorry enough, for it
has grown upon him so that every year
ne gets worse. Whether or not he
will ever be able to speak plainly
again no one knows.
But, bad as stammering is, it is not
the worst habit that girl or boy may
learn of Q companion. Some have
learned to cheat, tell falsehoods, to
gamble, drink, or use bad words,
simply through association with those
who do so. Evil of every kind is SO
terribly catching.
If you knew that among 8 number
of young people in a park or field
where you were playing was one barely
recovered from scarlet fever or small
pox, don't fancy any of you would
choose him for your companion, walk
arm in arm with him, or sit close be-
side him on the same seat. l think
you would give him as wide berth as
you possible could without seeming
unkind. But wicked ways are more
dangerous than any infectious fever,
for they hurt not the body only, but
the soul.
1t is so much more easy to fail into
the bad habits of those about us, than
by our good example to get them to
do better; and it Is rarely safe for
young folks to remain in the society
of those whom they know to be badly
behaved, with the idea of possibly
helping them to improve. If God SO
places us that we cannot escape from
sinful company: without running
away from our duties, We may trust
Him to preserve us from contamins-
ton. But if we seek it csrelessly, let
us beware; and if We find We are begin
ming to like, or even tolerate it, let us
| flee s. we would from the ancient
! plague If We have not already
''caught" the disease, we are on the
verge of doing SO. and nothing bat i'm
mediate escape into purer air can save
| rs.
We have written "Evil communica-
lions corrupt good manners" 80 often
in our copy-books that perhaps all We
think about the maxim is that we must
do a bold capital E at the beginning,
without getting the manners" cramped
at the end. But the truth of the say
ing is as fresh as ever. II ever you
are tempted to think you may consort
with those who do wrong without iml-
tating them, or initiate them without
being hurt by it, remember Benny
Blaine.