The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-12-06
YOUNG MEMS MORALS
Rev. Robert Wick Discusses
the Debilitating Influ-
ences Now at Work.
HEREDITY vs.. EDUCATION
One Writer Blames His Ancestors,
While an Editor Deprecates
Hot House Training.

The second of the series of sermons on
"What People Think was delivered, last
night, in the Wayne Street Reformed
Church., by the pastor. the Rev. Robert
k. Wick. The Immediate subject dis
cussed was, "What influence in our COM
munity has the most facilitating effect
morally upon our young men?'
This question:" said Mr.. Wick, lis al
most as hard of solution as is n of
the social, religious and political prob
lens of the day. and its determination
depends altogether upon the man or men
involved. Some of my correspondents
are of the idea hat in this regard moth
ing should be considered except the man;
others ascribe all to heredity, while am
other says that lust is the most debilitat-
ing influence. One anonymous corre-
spondent, who, 1t seems, is ashamed to
give his name, ascribes all to the church
and the f~alsehoods that it teaches
An editor says that if our young men
are debilitated morally it is because they
are treated too much like children and
that they are brought up like dollhouse
plants. Some more think that fake mod
esty is to blame and another editor
claims that the ~blighting influence is due
to the inability of parents to make the
home attractive.
IT wish it were possible for parents to
give more consideration to this subject,
for some men are peculiarly con-
stituted. That May be of good in
herent i~nelinations, and may have
mothers who are paragons of viz
tue and yet If the home is not made
pleasant they win become restless and
dissatisfied, drift into the world and un-
consciously nlingle in bad company and
still more unconsciously become contanli-
mated and at last morally degraded and
wrecked.
"A physician says hat there is no in
huence naofe d~enoraIizing than that pro-
duced by appointing liquor dealers to po--
sition of public trust and confidence. A
New Yorker says that the double stand-
ards of v~irtue-one for man and one Tor
women-is enough to demoralize any
young man, and argues that how can the
young man be expected to live up TO the
letter of the moral law when society
welcomes a man with open arms, no
matter how deep his sin, when the doors
are strongly barred against the sharef
of, and the vfctiIn OF, his name. Repro
bates and roues are made through the
Knowledge that no penalty a~ttacneS, so
long as their actions are veneered with
a superfieiality of conventionalism. SIN
itself is no sin in soctetyS ESTIMATION,
the g~rievous fault consisting in being
found out.
One minister is very severe on the bicy-
Gle, but somewhat qualities his remarks:
Gambling, in the estimation OF many OF
my correspondents, is the influence winch
is more 6emoralizing than anything in the
present day. Gambling is nothing but the
desire to get something for nothing, or 70
get something for as near nothing as can
bO A This trait In N AT1in1OnL1 IN
herent in the human race. Anthony
Con3stock says that all evils follow IN the
path of gambling, Chauncey DepeW thinks
that it is the only vice on the increase,
and that the failures in life n neglect OF
family ties are due to it. Horace Greeley
once said that the blacklist period IN a
mans life is when the desire to get some-
thing for nothing asserts itself as a DOM
mating influence.
"Gambling is a direct violation of Gods
commandment that Thou shalt not covet
thy neighbours goods
Zone Influenced that has been suggested
and appeals to me rather strongly is the
suous press, impure literature of all kinds,
and while speaking I may as well pay nay
respects to the Iibidinous Sunday newspa-
per that prints and exhibits every Known
vice and degradation in the most attrac-
tive pictorial and literary manner
Literature OF any kind is a powerful
influence, nc matter in what direction it
is aimed. The once all-powefful and yet
puissant Order of Jesuits owes it's exist
ence to the fact that while its founder
was in prison expiating. his crimes he
was given the Lives of the Saints to
read, and he became so impressed with
the beauty of their lives that he at once
forsook his evil ways, and afterwards be-
came a power in the moral and religious
world. Martin Luther ascribes the open
ing of his eyes to the reading of an ac-
count of Captain Cooks voyages and he
s~traightway became a missionary Of the
truth among the b~enighted people Of his
own country. Literature is all powerful
in forming the inclinations of the young,
and too much care cannot be exercised in
preventing children from reading indiS-
crinate literature
The dissertation of the sabbath can
hardly be equalled as a denoralizing in
fiuence, for in my opinion there can be
the Sanctity OF the sabbath is not
recognized and strictly adhered to.
Twenty-six of my correspondents affirm
that bad associations and bad company
is the blighting influence, while scatter
ing opinions lay it all to saloons, houses
of prostitution, too much money to spend,
the knowledge Of the evil before the
thorough knowledge of the good can be
instilled, in general the Unborn human
weakness of descending to evil and its
material and physical pleasures, rather
han wait or repose confidence in the
Divine promises of reward and pleasures
to come when we have run our race in
this world. Low moral sentiment has
much to do with the degeneration of
young men and lack of resisting
will power.
After considering all the reasons adj
vanced by my correspondents I arrive at
the deliberate conclusion that there is no
influence which has a more facilitating
effect upon the young men of the
present day than the general dissertation
of the sabbath, and just as soon as long
Sunday bicycle runs are stopped, and
saloons are closed on Sunday and gam
bling hells are shut upon the Lords Day,
then and then only will our young men
advance in the moral scale, and the world
become purer, cleaner and more joy and
real pleasure will be enjoyed by those
here below.
uInIMn rDlM nAn