The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1893-12-01
Y. M. c. A. Anniversary.
CONTINUED from fo,.rth paoe. J

ing of the term. Numerous illustrations of
this view of the subject were cited. one
being OF college man who was Obliged 10
give up a SIS. 900 year position on an east
ern foot ball team Simply because he per-
sisted in thinking tobacco and beer did him
no harm. The speaker once found himself
In company where cigars were passed
around. Ii, OccasiOned no surprise when he
refused, but when they were passed to
well known newspaper man, who was the
most popular and most genial OF men. and
were refused by him, great surprise was
manifested. "Whaiw they exclaimed, "Do
you not smoke. Colonel?" And then the
Colonel told them how, as q young man, he
had used tobacco. but on enlisting at the
age OF Is, he had looked the matter over
ana decided that If he. wished to get through
without running his health he must hus-
band his strength, and for that reason alone
he stopped using the weed; and his de-
termination was strengthened when he saw
the effects or the habit on the men about
him during those hard years. work. In
concluding the Colonel said, but I've done
more than that. I've let it alone ever since"
Again, a cavalry colonel in Maine was
recruiting and drilling a regiment, and
while clustering around noticed tall, pale
youth who sat upon his horse awkwardy
and whose shoulders were somewhat bent
The colonel with an oath ordered him to
straighten up and told him he had better
sand paper his iace if he couldn't get color
into 1t by other means. And yet. the youth
went through the whole war and came out
a strong, healthy man, while the cavalry
colonel was discharged during the first
months for conduct unbecoming an officer
while In the presence of the enemy. The
young man in speaking of his experience
years afterward said that he found from
those first months of army life or even in
the practice camp near Augusta that he
must carefully guard his strength and intel
ligently avoid every kind Of excess if he
would get through alive. The result was
that though he studied to prepare himself
for college, he saved his strength and came
out strong and well. Both of these illustra-
tons were given as instances in which the
men were physically what they proposed in
their hearts to be.
Even in the Arctic expeditions Mr.
MOsher said he had been greatly interested
in noting that in the Peary. Greedy. Kane
and belong expeditions, always the ones
who were slowest to freeze and who thawed
out best when frozen, were the young men
who were graduates of the various polytech-
mic Institutes, the college educated young
and care for themselves.
A poet who recently passed away in
America was cited as an example of this
same thought. He had been called the
Poet of Democracy" Natures Darling"
and had been praised more in England than
any other American poet He had never
written verse of pure, clean love; all was
sensual, his gospel was merely the drench-
ing OF his passions. At thirty-nine, boast
ing in his indulgencies and his nature
worship and a physical wreck at ffty-five.
Appeals were made for help for him as
though his efforts had ever been for the
good of humanity. Better call him Natures
Warning" than Natures Darling" Com
pare him with the pure, chaste Bryant or
the venerable, white haired LongfellOw and
their purity of thought. ''Tis the mind
that makes the body rich"
Look at the faces of the Sisters of Charity
and compare them with the faces of selfish
and repulsive thrOngers Of the street. Even
scientists are beginning to believe the mind
can act on the body through the brain.
bow? How can the immaterial act on the
material? How does electricity pass along
the wires and act on the carbon or filament
ment in the lamps? One can be explained
as well as the other. The truth remains,
LAS man thinketh in his heart, so is he,
physically"
But so also, is he mentally. A famous
"~up Of French writer's was mentioned.
\ ~ ~ these were especially brilliant in
~, rS but both were full of the vilest
Ii .i.i Both ended their days in an in
sh,r ylum. 1t is something which proved
rruIe fatal to them than the opium to
Carlysle or the tobacco to Tennyson. Mad
ness waits on the mind that imagines i'm
pure Il ings.
HeIe. again. he must think to use his
mind with moderation and regularity. The
skilled oarsman or trained foot ball player
is not made all at once, but by systematic
training.
One must also think to guard against the
careless and inexact use of the mind which
is so often seen in the case Of students who,
when they are asked to recite, say they
know the answer but cannot think of it,"
And last, he must guard against the ten
dency to cram the mind in this newspaper
age when everyone seems to be travelling
with note book and unable to remember
what he even would wish to and thus not
training his memooy would seem to be drift
ing rapidly towards that hairless and tooth
less condition which some would have us
believe we are approaching.
Lastly, as a man thinketb so is he
spiritually" He owes as much care to his
soul as his body and should reject poisoned
thought as well as poisoned drug. 1.-The
love of money is the root of all evil" A
man had thought on money so much that
he had become SO dwarfed spiritually that
he would never give cent to help any poor
person, no matter how worthy he might
be. but would rather remark cOldly that
Dine-tenths Of the race were poor, always
had been and always would be, therefore he
would not help them. The apostle Paul
knew the truth of this when he wrote of
mobile things" of 'things Of good repute"
and gave the injunction to think on these
things"
Bul the evil effects of bad thinking does
not stop with the person thinking such
thoughts, as well known instances of
families Of criminals" abundantly prove
On the other hand, there are whole families
where the pure minds and noble thoughts
of the early parents seem to have been
handed down, and judges, governors, states
men, educators and professional men high
in rank are among the members of such
families. Ministers sons do not become
tramps or deacoDs' daughters ballet dancers
II is is only the exceptions to the rule when