Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-05-22
EVIL ASSOCIATIONS.
REV. DR.. TALMAce POINTS OUT a
GRAVE PERIL.

KEW. Dh. iRLWF'-E TOllH - w -
GRAVE PERIL.
He Plainly Shows the Dangers Of skepti-
cism. Of Idleness. Of Perpetual Pleasure
Seeking and Of Gambling Fruits Of
Bad Company.
WASHINGTON, May 17.-Young and
old, but more especially the young men
and women Of our time, have a vital in
tcrest in the theme upon which Rev.
DR.. Talmage discourses today. He chose
for his subject bad Company" the
text selected being Proverbs i, ID, Walk
not thou in the way with them "
Hardly any young man goes toa place
of dissipation alone Each one isaccom-
panied. No man goes to ruin alone. lie
always takes some one else with him.
May it please the court, " said con-
victcd 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. l received the blessing of good
parents and in return promised to avoid
all evil associations. Had ! kept my
promise 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 unreyealed. l 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 inyariable rule. There is a
well man IN the wards Of a hospital
where there are a hundred people sick
with ship fever, and he will not be so
apt to take the disease as a good man
would be apt to be smitten with moral
distemper if shut up with iniquitous
companions. In olden times prisoners
were berded 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 Of
liberation turned them out upon society
beasts, not men.
Delilah's Shears.
We may, in our places Of business,
be compelled to talk to and minele
with bad men, but he who deliberately
chooses toasscciate himself with vicious
people is engaged in carrying ON a
courtship with a Delilah whose shears
will clipof all the locks If hisstrengih,
and he will be tripped into pcrdition.
Sin is catching. is infectious, Is cpl
demic. l viii 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. 4 thousand dollars reward for
one such instance l 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 a burglar. GO among the unclean,
and YOU will become unclean. Many a
Young man has been destroyed ly not
appreciating 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 wei,
but perhaps wait for a formal introduc
tion. and even then have some delicacy
about inviting him into their assocla
tions. But tie bad young men OF the
store ut the first opportunity approach
and offer their services They patroniz
him. They profess TO know all abou
the town. They Will take him anywher'
he wishes to go-if be viii pay the eX
ponsos. For if a good young man and
bad Young man 90 to some place wher
they ought not, the good young MAJ
has invariably to pay the charges. y
the moment the ticket is paid for, @
the champagne settled for, the bs'
Young man feels around i'll his pocket
and says, Il have forgotten my pocket
book.
In As hours after the young man ha
entered the store the bad fellows Of tn
establishment slap him on the shoulde
familiarly and. at his stupidity IN tax
ing certain allusions, say, My youn
friend. YOU will have to be broken III,
and they Immediately proceed to brea
him in. Young man, in the name {
God warn You to beware how you Il
a bad man talk familiarly with you.
such one slap you on the shoulder Il
miliarly, turn round and give him
withering look until the wretch crouch'
; in your presence. There is no monstro
itv of wickedness that can stand III
abashed under the glance Of purity al
honor God keeps the hghtnings
heaven in his own scabbard, and no hi
man arm can WELD them, but God giv'
TO every young man lightning that
/ NAV use. and that is the lightning OF a
> honest eye. Those who have been clo
observers Of city life will not wond'
why give warning to young men an
say. beware Of evil companions
=, Shun the skeptic.
warn you to shun the slIeptic-tl
+ Young man who puts his fingers IN h
d vest and laughs at your old fashion'
: religion. and turns over to some mystel
-, of the Bible, and says, Explain tha
" nv pious friend, explain that " Al
who SAYS; Nobody shall scare me;
|, am not afraid Of the future. used
believe in such things, and so did II
" father and mother, but / have got ov
! it." Yes. he has got over it, and II y
D.. sit in his company little longer y
, will Get over it too. Without presentn
l ono argument against the Christian I
81 ngiou. such men will, by their Jee
y and scofrs and caricatures, destroy 20
u respect for that religion which was q
strength Of your father in his docllnil
Il wears and the pillow Of your old moth
,e when she lay a-dying
o, Alas. n time will come when Il
clustering young inhdel will have
% die. and theu his diamond ring W
il fash no splendor in the eyes Of Dea
j, as he stands over the couch waiting I
his soull Those beautiful locks VIII
2 uncombed upon the pillow, and the d