Semi-weekly independent. (Plymouth, Marshall County, Ind.) 1895-1897, 1895-12-14

| are especially rampant. Now that the
long winter evenings nave come, there
are many who Will employ them in high
pursuits. intelligent socialities. in Chris
| tan work, III the Strengthening and en-
nobling of moral character, and this win
ter to many OF yea will be the brightest
and the best of all your lives, and in an
| ticipation i congratulate you. Bet -
others it may not have such effect, and
1 charge You. my beloved. lock out where
You spend your winter nights.
| Evil A1Iuremcuts.
| In the first place. l have To remark that
at this season of tie year the evil allure
mcnts are especially busy. There is not
very much temptation for man to
plunge in on 4 hot night amid blazing
gaslishts and TO breathe the fetd air of
an assemblaGe, but in the cold nights
satan gathers Il great harvest. At such
times the grogshops in one night make
more than in four or five nights in sum-
mer. AT such times the playbills of low
| "laces of entertainment seem especially
| attractive. and the acting is especially
impressive and the applause especially
bewitching. Many q man who has kept
| right all the rest of the year will be cap
sized now. and though last autumn he
came from the country, and there was lus-
ter in the eye. and there were roses in the
cheek and elasticity in the STEP by the
| time the spring hour has come you will
pass him in the street and say To yonr
friends: whats the matter with that
man! How differently he looks from
what he looked last September" Slain
OF one winters dissipation. At this time
OF the year there are many entertain
mcnts. If we rightly employ thcm and
they are Of the right kind, they enlarge
our sOcialities. allow us to make import-
ant acquaintances build up in our morals
and help up in q thousand ways. | can
scarcely think of anything better than
good neighbOrhood. But there are those
entertainments from which others will
come bcsoilcd in character. There are
those who by the springtime viii hc
broken down in health. and. though at
the opening of the season their prospects
were bright, at the close of the season
they will be in the hands of the doctors or
sleeping in the cemetery. The certificate
OF death will be made out. and the phy-
stefan. to save the feelings of the family.
VIII call the disease by a Latin name
But the doctor knows. and everybody
knows, they died of too many levecs
Away with all these wine drinking con
vivlalities. How dare you the father
Of n family. tempt the appetites of the
young people? Perhaps at the enter
ment. 10 save the feelings of the minister
or some other weak temperance man, you
leave the decanter in n side room. and
only few people are invited there TO
partake, but it is easy enough TO know
when You come out by the glare of your
eye and the stencil of your breath that
you have been serving the devil.
Practice Self Control.
Men simetimes excuse themselves and
say after late suppers it is necessary To
take some sort of stimulant To aid diges-
ton. My plain opinion is that if you have
no more self control than to stuff yourself
until your digestive organs refuse their
Office you had better not call Yourself
man, but class yourself among the beasts
that perish. At this season of the year
the Young Mems Christians Associations
OF the land send out circulars asking the
pastors 10 speak word on this subject
and SO 1 sound in your ear the words of
the Lord God Almighty, WOE unto him
that puttcth the bottle To his neighbours I,
lips" rejoice That you have come II the |
glad winter months that remind you of |
the times when in your childhood YOU |
were shOne on by the face Of father moth |
or, brothers, sisters, some of Them al;s, |
no more to meet You with Happy New |
Year. or Il Merry Christmas But |
again and again have we seen on New |
Years day the sons of some of the best |
families drunk, and young men have ex- !
cused themselves by the fact that the |
wine cup has been offered by the ladies. |
and again and again il has been found |
out that lady's hand has kindled the |
young mans thirst for strong drink and |
long after all the attractions of the holt
day have passed that same woman
crouchcs in her rags. and her desolation.
and her woe under the upifted hand of |
the drunken monster 10 whom she had
passed the fascinating cup on New Years
day. If we want To go 10 ruin. let us go
alone and not take others with us. Can
we not sacrifice our feelings if need be?
When the good ship London went down,
The captain was told that he might es-
cape in one of the lifcbOats NO" he re-
piled, I'll go down with the passengers"
All the world applauded his heroism. And
can we not sacrifice our tastes and our
appetites for the rescue Of others! Sure
~ 1T is not very great sacrifice. oh.
mix MT with the innocent beverage of
the holiday the poison of adders! Mix not
with the white sugar of the cup the snow