Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1896-05-23
EVIL ASSOCIATIONS.
REV. DR.. TALMAGE POINTS OUT A
GRAVE PERIL.

GRAVE PERIL.
he Plainly Shows the Dangers of Skepti-
cism, of Idlenoss. of Perpetual Pleasure
Seeking and of Gambling-The Fruits of
Bad Company.
WASHINGTON, May 17.-Young and
Dld, but moro especially the young men
and women Of our time, have vital III
tcrest in the theme upon which Rev.
Dr.. Talmage discourses today. He chose
for his subject "Bad Company, the
text selected being Proverbs j. Is, "Walk
not thou i'll 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.
INLAY it please the court, (" said 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 i'll return promised to avoid
all evil associations. Had l 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.
lit is the invariable rule. There is a
well man i'll the wards of hospital
where there are hundred people sick
with ship fever, and he will not be so
apt to take the disease as a good mar
would be apt to be smitten with moral
distemper if shut up with ubiquitous
companions. In olden times prisoners
were herded together i'll the same cell,
but each one learned the vices of all
the culprits, so that instead of being
reformed by incarceration the day Of
liberation turned them out upon society
| beasts, not men.
Deliah's Shears.
We may, ii 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 Oh a
courtShip with Il Delilah whose shears
will clipotf all the locks of his strength,
and he will be tipped into perdition.
Sin is catching is infectious, is cpl
demic I will let you look over the
millions of people now inhabiting the
earth, and l challenge you to show me
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 a
young man has been destroyed by not
approaching this. He wakes up some
morning III the great city and knows no
one except the persons into whose en-
ploy lie 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-
tons 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 Il good young man and a
bad young man go to some place where
they ought rot, the coed young man
has invariably to pay the charges AT
the moment the ticket is paid for, or
the champagne settled for, the bad
young man feels around i'll his pockets
and says, 81 have forgotten my pocket
book. !"
In 49 hours after the young man has
entered the store the bad fellows of the
establishment slap him on the shoulder
Familiarity 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, i'll the name OF
God warn you to beware how you let
a bad man talk Familiarity with you. Il
such q one slap you Oh the shoulder IA
miliarly, turn round and give him
whitening lock until the wretch crouches
in your presence. There is no monStros-
ity CT wicllcdness 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 hu-
man arm can WELD them, but God gives
to every young man 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 Skeptic.
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
who says: Nobody shall scare me; /
am net afraid Of the future. I used to
believe i'll such things and so did my
father and mother, but I have got over
it. Yes, he has got over it, and if you
sit III his company little longer you
will get over 1t TOO. Without presenting
one argument against the Christian re-
ligion, such men will, by their jeers
and sccffs and caricatures, destroy your
respect for that religion which was the
strength of your father i'll his declining
years and the pillow of your old mother