Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1896-05-23
EVIL ASSOCIATIONS.
REV DR.. TALMAGE POINTS OUT a
GRAVE PERIL.

REV DR.. TALMAGE POINTS OUT a
GRAVE PERIL.
he Plainly shows the Dangers of skepti-
c,sm. OF Idleness. of Perpetual Pleasure
seeking and of Gambling-The Fruits OF
had Company.
WASHINGTON, May 17.-Young and
old. hut more especially the young men
and women of our time, have vital in
terest in the theme upon which Rev.
DIR TalmaQe discourses today. BE chose
for his subject "Bad Company. = the
text selected being Proverbs i, 10, Walk
not thou in the way with them.
Hardly any young man goes to place
If dissipation alone. Each one is accom-
panied. No man goes to ruin alone. He
ALWAYS takes some one else with him.
l"May it please the court, = said a con-
yicted 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. received the blessing of good
parents and in return promised to avoid
an evil associations Had | kept my
nromise | should have been saved this
shame and been free from the load OF
guilt that hangs around me like a 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 q
well man in the wards Of hospital
where there are hundred people sick
with ship fever, and he will not be SC
apt to take the disease as good man
would be apt to be smitten with moral
distemper if shut up with ubiquitous
companions. In olden times 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.
DeIilah's Shears.
We may, in our places of business,
be compelled to talk TO and mingle
with bad men, bat he who deliberately
chooses to associate himself with vicious
people is engaged in carrying on a
courtship with a Delilah whose shears
will clip off all the locks Of his strength,
and he viii 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 challenge You to show me
a good man who after one year has
made choice and consCrted with the
wicked A thousand dollars reward for
one such instance. / care not how strong
your character may be. Go with the
-ecHupt and you will become corrupt.
Clan with Burglars, and you will be-
come a burglar. Go among the 6nc1eaa,
and you viii become unclean. Many q
young man has been destroyed by not
approaching this. He wakes up some
morning in the great city and knows nc
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 introduc.
tion, 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 patronizt
him. They profess to know all about
the town. They will take him anywhere
he wishes to go-if he viii 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 MAJ
has invariably to pay the charges. Al
the moment the ticket is paid for, o.
the champagne settled for, the bat
young man feels around in his pockets
and says, 81 have forgotten my pocket
book. T"
In 48 hours after the young man hal
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 breal
him in. Young man, in the name O
God warn you TO beware how you le
a bad man talk Familiarity with you. L
such one slap you on the shoulder ia
miliarly, turn round and give him ;
whitening look until the wretch crouchel
in your presence. There is no monstros
ity of wickedness that can stand un
abashed under the glance of purity anC
honor. God keeps the hghtnings o
heaven in his own scabbard, and no hu
man arm can WELD them, but God give
to every young man a lightning that b,
may use, and thati is the lightning of al
honest eye. Those who have been clos
observers Of city life will not wonde
why l give warning to young men ant
say, Beware of evil companions. I"
shun the skeptic.
warn you to shun the skeptic-thl
young man who puts his fingers in hi
vest and laughs at your old fashioned
religion, and turns over to some myster,
of the Bible, and says, Explain that
my pious friend, explain that Ant
who says; Nobody shall scare me;
am not afraid of the future l used t
believe in such things, and so did m,
father and mother, but l have got owe
it. y Yes, he has got over it, and if yol
sit in his company a little longer yol
will get over it too. Without presentin,
one argument against the Christian re
hgion, such men will, by their jeer
and SCOTS and caricatpres, destroy you
respect for that religion which was tn
strength of your father in his declinin,
years and the pillow of your old mothe
when she lay a-dying.
Alas, a time will come when thi
clustering young infidel will have {,
die, and then his diamond ring vii
flash no splendor in the eyes of Dealt
as he stands over the couch waiting 70
his soull Those beautiful locks will b.
uncombed upon the pillow, and the dy
ing man viii say, 81 cannot die; can