The Progress. (Shreveport, La.) 1892-1900, 1896-05-23

when asked # he mao 3h! IhIhS W '"'
before sentence OF death was p2SSe"
upon him-"may it please the court
bad company has been my rum | re-
ceiyed the blessing Of good parents
and. in return. promised 10 a'old al
OWL dissertations, Had ! kept my prom
Use. should have been saVeN I"'s
shame. and been free from the ioao VI
gui]t that hangs around me IKE Vu!-
ture, threatening to drag me 10 JuS''''
for crimes vet unrevealed. |, VINO once
moved in the first circles OF society ana
have been the guest of distinguished
public men. am lost, and all 'hro"s"
bad company
Tbis is hut one OF the thousand
proofs that evil associations blaS' d"u
destroy. It is the invariabIe RUE he'e
is a we'll man in the wards OF a hoHpi-
tai, where there are hundred peope
sick with shin fever. and he VIII not De
so ant to take the disease as a good man
would be apt to be smitten with moral
distemper. if shut up with lnlQu''o"S
comnanions. In 0lden times prisoners
were herded together in The same cell,
but each one learned the vices OF all the
culprits, so that, instead OF belhs re-
formed BY Incarceration, the day Oh
liberation turned them out upon So
clety beasts, not men.
We may. in our place OF business
be compelled to talk to and mlngie with
bad men: but he who deliberately
chooses to associate himself with vi
cious people, is engaged in carrying on
courtship with a Delilah. whose
shears will clip off all the locks or his
strength, and he will be tripped into
perdition. Sin is catching, is infectious,
is epidemic. ! will let you look over
the millions of people now lnhabltlng
the earth, and 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. ! care not no"
| strong your character may be. 20 with
the corrupt and you will become cor
runt Clan with burglars, and you will
become a burglar. Go among the un-
clean and YOU will become unclean
MANY a Young man has been destroyed
by not approaching this. He wakes uE
some morning in the great city, and
knows no one except the persons into
whose employ he has entered. AS he
goes into the store all the clerks mark
him. measure him, and discuss him
The upright young men OF the store
wish him well, but perhaps wait for
formal Introduction, and even theT
have some delfcacy about inviting hin
into their associations. But the bat
Young men of the store at first oppor
tunity approach and offer their serv
ices. They patrOnize him. They pro
fess to know all about the town. The,
will take him anywhere he wishes t
go-if he will pay tbs expenses. For
a good young man and bad youn
= man 20 to some place where they ough
not, the good young man has invarla
bly to pay the charges. At the momen
, the ticket is paid for, or the champaign
settled for, the bad young man feel
around in his pockets and says,
y have forgotten my pocket-book.' |
o forty-eight hours after the young ma
has entered the store the bad fellows (
:, the establishment slap him on tt
!. shoulder Familiarity and, at his stup.'
!, itv in taking certain illusions, 50.
"My young friend, you will have to
- broken in" and they Immediately pr
:, coed to break him in Young man.
the name of God, warn you to beWa
= how YOU let q bad man talk familiar
~ with you. If such an one slap you
= the shoulder Familiarity, turn aroul
and give him whitening look, until {
wretch crouches in your present
There is no monstrOsity Of wickedne
49, that can stand unabashed under t
or 'h"' '
=. glance of purity and honor. God kee
=, the lightnings of heaven in his o'
scabbard and no human arm can vie
them; but God gives to every you
man lightning that he may use. a
Nv that is the lightning of an honest e,
80 Those who have been close observe
,'o of city life will not wonder why g
n warning to young men, and say, !
-, ware of evil companions"
''' | warn you to shun the sceptic-'
W Young man who puts his fingers IN
'.o vest and laughs at your old-iashlor
~ religion, and turns over to some IN
'is terry of the Bible, and says, "Expl!
-! that, my pious friend, explain tbn
III And who says, Nobody shall scare I
GO | am not afraid of the future, u
TO believe in such things, and SO
my father and mother. but have
GU over It." Yes, he has got over II. AM
NV you sit In his company a lRtle Ion
20" YOU will get over II too without =
o"' senting one argument agaIns' the Nh
NO tion religion, such mon viii. by II
nv jeers and SCOTS and csriCatufes dest
-" your respect for that religion. VIII
y was the strength of your father in