Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1898-11-01

L
drop Of iodine can color hundred gal
Ions Of water.
u | said that habits were tremendoul
factors In shaping our lives, and 30 they
are. Better than all the gold Of Midas
better than all the power Of Rome In bel
glory; better than all the education It Il
possible to acquire lis sweet, noble
virtuous, spotless soul. Boys, seek this
above all. Girls, fee from the insinua.
tion of impurity and the companionship
Of the evil minded as you would from q
serpent.
Two hundred millions Of dollars OF
over have we got In the national treas
ury to-day? Put four hundred millions
put ten hundred millions; put t,co thou
sand millions-and neglect the moral
health Of the rising generation, and what
under Gods Heaven is going to save US
Nothing. And when the moral life Of the
nation Ia eaten, and decayed and cor
rupted, the heart OF the nation Is dis
eased, and how long 1t will continue to
throb Is uncertain. Certainly It's days
are numbered! For, when the moral life
Of the nation Is unclean and unwhOle-
some, don't you see It Is like the break
Ing Of the msinspring Of q watch? 1t is
like the cessation OF mans heart. The
watch ceases to tick. The life flows out.
Here let me PROFOUND few practical
questions. They may strike home and
make US smart. But never mind. The
physician must probe the wound TO find
the bullet. President Hyde the other
day told OF q very bashful young man 10
college days, who found himself called
upon to take young lady out to re-
freshHients. He was so overwhelmed by
this novel and bitter sweet experience,
that every idea left him. He couldn't
think OF a word TO say. And so, for
several minutes-minutes which were
ages OF agony to him, they sat side by
side In awful silence. Then, at last, the
cruel maiden broke the spell, or rather
bound II all the tighter, by saying, snow
let's talk about something else."
We would like TO talk about something
else-but let US face these questions
which want to ask. What about that
boy who is getting to be an inveterate
liar and an inveterate swearer! What
about that boy that dislikes anybody to
curb his little stubborn will? What
about that boy who is using indecent
and vulgar language? What about that
boy who spends his nights on the
streetsg What sort Of man Is he going
10 maker II he likes TO have his own
way now-and he is allowed TO have 1t
| ahat sort of u citizen 10 he going TO
make by-and-by. VIII he respect law
then, II he is lawless now? II he will lie
| a nd Aa,.tx,o uNu, ,yt11 ha ho h0paaf nd
frank aud upright and truthful In his
dealings with the world by-and-by? II
he likes unchaste and vulgar words now,
and seeks the companionship Of the un-
chaste and the vulgar now, what kind
OF society will he be likely to seek and
crave when you send him out TO dis
charge his duties to the nation and the
world when he becomes OF sgeY
What about that girl who deceives her
mother now? Will she be q true and
afIectionste daughter In after years!
Will she likely be true, loyal wife 10
the by-snd-by? What II her mind 10
contaminated, so that she smiles at and
laughs at little departure from modesty
and little deviation from virtue and
slight departure from propriety now.
viii Il make no difference tomorrow?
Where Is that boy Of yours at night time?
Where Is that girl? DO you know? II
not you ought to know, and for Gods
sake find out.
And here let me put in u statement
made by one OF the greatest experts on
sociology that we hsve--that Never in
the history of our nation has there been
such immortality among children from )
to H." In this country to-day, there
are ten thousand little children OF the
ages just Indicated-ten thousand little
children-in reformatories for criminal
ofienses-offenses for which the law
sends men to state prison-but these are
children and the nation hrs to attempt
their reform. That Is very lamentable
condition Of things; and facts will not
be brushed aside.
There Is no denying the fact that child
hood is capable Of inestimsble possibili-
ties. Childhood Is the time to lay founda-
tions; the time to form q strong, pure
character; the time to implant noble and
abiding principles. But too often the
books which the child reads are not the
books he ought to read; the language
which he speaks Is not the language he
ought to speak; and alas too often the
companions OF our boys and girls
are not the companions which they
ought to select-and hereby hangs a
tale! need not call your attention to
the youthful indiscretiOns and the exhibit
tions Of youthful depravity which have
occurred In our community during the
last twelve months at least. Let the
moral lepers be ostracised and warned,
for the protection Of the pure and sweet
and innocent children who walk our
streets. Physical leprosy Is terrible, but
moral leprosy Is hell. And my especial
purpose In speaking upon this subject
this morning Is to warn the moral lepers
that we are on their track, and TO pro-
tect the innocent and the weak.
Impurity Is not SO much an epidemic,
as IL Is u contagion. Ii results from
contact. The greatest human protection
10 clean hearted, clean minded, clean
tongued associates. We very quickly
des pise ply steal defilement-why are we
not ss quick to despise moral and spirit
ual defilement and blackness?
do not forget that as men are born
with physical deformity, so are they
often born with mental and moral de-
fOrmity. A child OF intemperance comes
into the world diseased. A child OF
licentiousness comes into the world
diseased. But environment and the
grace OF God can work wonders for that
child. While family heredity counts for
much family training counts for more.
The next generation Will have tre-
mendous problem TO sOlve-and that
problem will be the problem Of the home.
In fact 1t is upon US now. The perils OF
the home are the most serious because
the most fundamental perils of society.
The simple fact that divorces since
1867 have been multiplying In the Unit
ed States nearly three times rs fast as
the population, is generally regarded as
the most OminOus fact In regard to the
family. In Connecticut in 1875 there
was one divorce to each eight msrri gee
In Delaware one to each thirty-,ix. The
average for the whole country Is one d.
vorce to every twenty marriages. And
IL was such statistics that caused Mr..
Gladstone to write TO DIR. Dixie, 'The
facts cause me some slsrm as to the
future OF your country" When, sc-I
cording to reliable statistic, ''Our nation
Is Outstripping the world Ia divorce aud
crime, and outstripping its own growth
In both these and drink" surely the
moral education OF the young must be |
considered necessity Of life to the Re-
public! But one would sometimes i'm |
sgine thst grammar and arithmetic wasI
considered OF far moro Importance In the
minds OF eome parents, than chastity,
md honesty and obedience. The home
life of the nation is rapidly breaking W, |
and though multitudes OF children still