The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-09-22

mastery that will give him victor's
sense of power. He will be too high
souled to mind low and dishonorable
things. They may throng about him,
but they cannot appeal to him.
This matter of reverence; what a
safeguard 1t is when 1t Is reverence for
God and for what manifests God
Certainly no one may expect youth to
estimate all objects as manhood does.
Youth is not asked to be as sedate as
age. Its very nature is sprightly. But
if youth, whatever its sprightliness,
will continually hold itself to rever-
ential use of Gods name, of God's
house, of Gods worship, OF Gods Bible,
yes, and of every fact that in nature,
in the soul, and in history reveals God,
youth will have laid ups condition OF
mind that will be its salvation when
doubt contemptuously asks, "What is
truth ?" For If there is reverence for
the real and an earnest purpose to exalt
highest the best things of life, youth
has panoply that all the hosts OF
mental and moral confusion cannot
pierce. But If there is no such reyer-
ence failure is sure. Once I saw my
own class-mate, urged to a stronger,
better life, throw himself on a sofa aud
with tears in his eyes hopelessly an
swer: "It is no use. l cannot do it.
[ have yielded to wrong SO often that
have no will power left. l cannot re-
solve to do right" It was a pitiful
scene; charming, popular young man
looking for an instant beneath the sur
face OF things, and heiplessly declaring
himself the slave of a powerIess will
And all because throughout his youth
he had habitualiy yielded to the poorer
elements of his nature and had allowed
an impotent will to become his lasting
characteristic.
But there is one more sphere for
youth-time trophies, and that great
one-memories.
All youth is filling itself up with
memories, but no youth seems to have
such happy opportunities for memo
ries as college youth. Memories
They are almost the largest, if not, in
fact, the very largest, part OF what
man keeps with him when long years
have passed since he was college
youth. Why should those memories
ever shame our hearts Or lnjure our
power in manhood? What mistake
that youth made who for fifteen min
utes, out Of mere curiosity, read de-
basing book, and then afterward was
obliged to say, "That book has haunt
ed me like an evil spectre ever since. l
have asked God On my knees to obllt-
crate that book from my mind, but l
believe that l shall carry down the
damage OF those fifteen minutes to my
grave ~
Good memories are strength and
comfort. Moses, still nntrled, heard
God speak message of recognition
and duty to him from burning bush.
Later, grown to be an old man and
burdened with anxieties, Moses recalled
that experience at the bush and it re-
vived his faith and cheered his heart.
It is in early years that God loves to
put his voices into the soul, assuring
us of his nearness, calling to us to be
earnest, and aronsing us to endeavors
for our fellows. In more mature years
we may be almost dazed by our disap-
polntments, by the compIexity and
strife of business, by the unkindness
and even falseness of our supposed
friends. Then the temptation comes
to us to question the goodness OF God,
to question the reality OF the soul and
the worth of self-denying effort. In
such an hour what help it is to look
back and say, "Oncc I was IN college,
and there God came very close to me
with his blessings. felt him in my
heart. And though knew less of the
world than now, still / bad a tender
conscience then; I was not embittered
by life's rough usage; my motives
were simple and pure p That very
memory steadles the soul like an an
chorage.
Noble Christian character Who
will lay up this trophy nowf It is
trophy, never coming of itself, but
won, and won through contest. There
are five inclinations, Horace says, that
must be fought in this contest. His
words are "Youth yields to every
evil Impression, is rongh to reproof, is
slow in attending to his best interests,
is presumptuous, and is swift to leave
what before has pleased his fancy"
These are the inclinations to be con-
quered They are conquered when
youth Q) resists evil, (2) values re-
proof, (3) hastens to do right, (4) seeks
(E\ nJ..,,oa a.,