Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1896-05-18
EVIL ASSOCIATIONS.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE POINTS OUT A
GRAVE PERIL.

He Plainly Shows the Dangers of Skepti-
cism, of Idleness, Of Perpetual Pleasure
Seeking and of Gambling-The Fruits of
Bad Company.
WASHINGTON, May 17.-Young and
old, but more especially the young men
and women Of our time, have vital in
terest in the theme upon which Rev.
DR.. Talmage discourses today. He chose
for his subject bad Company, the
text selected being Proverbs i, Is, "Walk
not thou in the way with them
Hardly any young man goes to place
of dissipation alone. Each one is accom-
panied. No man goes to ruin alone. He
always takes some one else with him.
"May it please the court, . said a con-
victed criminal when asked if he had
anything to say before sentence of death
was passed upon him-'may it please
the court, bad company has been my
ruin. I received the blessing Of good
parents and in return promised to avoid
all evil associations. Had I kept my
promise 1 should have been saved this
shame and been free from the load Of
guilt that hangs around me like vul
ture, threatening to drag me to Justice
for crimes yet unrevealed. who once
moved in the first circles Of society and
have been the guest of distinguished
public men am lost, and all through bad
company.
This is but one of the thousand proofs
that evil associations blast and destroy.
1t is the invariable rule. There is a
Ill IL 9 .&oJ
where there are a hundred people sick
with ship fever, and he will not be SO
apt to take the disease as good man
would be apt to be smitten with moral
distemper IL shut up with iniquitous
companions. In olden Zines prisoners
were herded together in the same cell,
but each one learned the vices of all
the culprits, so that instead of being
reformed by incarceration the day CT
liberation turned them out upon society
beasts, not men.
DeIiIah's Shears.
We may, in our places Of business,
be compelled to talk to and mingle
with bad men, but he who deliberately
chooses to associate himself with vicious
people is engaged in carrying on a
courtship with a Deli1ah whose shears
will clip off all the locks Of his strength,
and he will be tripped into perdition
Sin is catching, is infectious, is cpl
demic. l will let you look over the
millions Of people now inhabiting the
earth, and 1 challenge you to show me
a good man who after one year has
made choice and consorted with the
wicked. A thousand dollars reward for
one such instance. I care not how strong
your character may be. Go with the
corrupt and you will become corrupt.
Clan with burglars, and you will be-
come burglar. Go among the unclean,
and you will become unclean. Many q
young man has been destroyed by not
appreciating this He wakes up some
morning in the great city and knows no
one except the persons into whose en-
ploy he has entered. AS he goes into
the store all the clerks mark him, meas
ure him and discuss him. The upright
young men Of the store wish him well,
but perhaps wait for formal introduce
ton, and even then have some delicacy
about inviting him into their associa-
lions. But the bad young men of the
store at the first opportunity approach
and offer their services. They patronize
him. They profess to know all about
the town. They will take him anywhere
he wishes to go-if he will pay the ex-
penses. For if a good young man and
bad young man go to some place where
they ought not, the good young man
has invariably to pay the charges. At
the moment the ticket is paid for, or
the champagne settled for, the bad
young mar feels around in his pockets
and says, 81 have forgotten my pocket
book
In 40 hours after the young man has
entered the store the bad fellows of the
establishment slap him on the shoulder
familiarly and, at his stupidity in TAX
ing certain illusions, say, "My young
friend, you will have to be broken in, -
and they Immediately proceed to break
him in. Young man, in the name of
God warn you to beware how you let
a bad man talk familiarly with you. If
such a one slap you on the shoulder IA
military, turn round and give him a
whitening look until the wretch crouches
in your presence. There is no monstros-
ity of wickedness that can stand I'M
abashed under the glance of purity and
honor. God keeps the lightnings of
heaven in his own scabbard, and no hui
man arm can WELD them, but God gives
to every young man a lightning that he
may use, and that is the lightning of an
honest eye. Those who have been close
observers Of city life will not wonder
why I give warning to young men and
say, Beware Of evil companions. -
Shun the SIxeptic.
warn you to shun the skeptic-the
young man who puts his fingers in his
vest and laughs at your old fashioned
religion, and turns over to some mystery
of the Bible, and says, Explain that,
my pious friend, explain that. - And