The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-07-01
THE NATIONS FUTURE MEN,
WHAT SHALL WE DO WITH OUR
BoYs7
Thoughtful Address ON This Inn
portant Problem by MI. H.
Weinstock.

w e108C0Cks
Last evening the closing service OF
the season was held at the jewish
synagogue, the feature of which was
an address by H. Weinstock on the
OLD put always timely theme, "Whas
snail We Do With Our Boys?" Mr..
Welnsfock's recent addresses. or lee
lures, on Jesus, the Jew and Tne
Jew In Commerce. have attracted wide
attention not only in this State but in
the East. The UNCONVENTIONAL journals
nave. commented at length on them IN
the most complimentary terms, and the
1act has been learned that Mr.. Vein
stock Is in frequent receipt of letters
from men of prominence in the theo-
logical world containing flattering re-
ferences to these lectures, especially the
first-named.
In his address last evening Mr.. Vein
stock started out with these quotations,
which serve the purpose Of text: If
you lose wealth, you lose nothing; II
You lose health, you lose something;
if you lose character. you lose every
thing"
should have if all men lived in accord
ance with the sentiment thus ex-
pressed.
If character was thought of first,
then health, and last of all wealth,
there would needs be a revolution IN
the daily practices of untold numbers.
II character became the object of life,
how very different would be the careers
of many who seem to be favored by
fortune, of many who occupy hiSh
places, of many who exercise great
power. How needless would become
our jails and prisons, our police de-
partments and reformatory schools. II
men but better appreciated the value
of character how 10th they would be
to barter it away for a mess of pottage
and to thus make themselves poor ia
deed. Ask the generality of men what
is their object in life, and some will
tell you fame, some honor, some pleas
ure, some money, some power; few
Will seem to place sufficient Importance
on the value of character to name 1t as
the chief object of their career, and
yet what purpose higher than the at
tainment of character? How much
ency, are the opportunities through the
possession of character for winning
fame and honor, money and power
What form of pleasure or happiness
can be purer and higher than to win
these valued prizes through and by
character?
To see how thoughtlessly and ruth
lessly men and women destroy their
characters, one would imagine that
character can be as speedily replaced
as soiled or lost garment. How few
seem to realize that the character,
which it has taken lifetime of honest,
virtuous living to establish, can be de-
stroyed by one act, perhaps never to
be fully recovered.
Let man, for example, who has led
sober, temperate life during all the
years of his manhood, be seen reeling
along our streets under the influence
Of liquor, and his character for So
briefly is fatally injured. Let woman
who has led a good and pure life, be
seen in questionable company or visit
ing questionable resort, and her good
name is speedily shattered
Nothing in life is harder to estab-
lish than character; nothing so easy to
lose. By character, of course, do not
mean reputation-there Is a wide diff
ference between the two. Reputation
is what we. are known to be; character
is what We are. We may have an ex-
cellent reputation despite a bad char
acter, but sooner or later a bad char
acter comes to the surface and sweeps
away the hitherto good reputation.
The man of good reputation but bad
character imagines he can deceive the
world indefinitely and continue to hold
the respect of his neighbors despite his
secret vices and failings In reason
ing thus, he deceives no one more than
himself. There are men and women,
myriads of them, who have been secret
sinners and wrong-doers, but who have
sincerely repented of their errors and
have thereafter led pure and honest
lives. Such as these may go to the
grave deservedly honored and respect
ed with reputation unSullied and char
acter made even stronger by their
earlier acts of wrong-doing and folly.
But few, If any, men or women
can, under the cloak of responsibility,
continuously lead immoral or dishonest
lives and end their days retaining the
esteem of friends and neighbors Sooner
or later their sins will find them our.
Sooner or later their real characters
will come to the surface. Sooner or
later the world will arrive at their true
estimate and sooner or later their real
characters will establish also their final
regulations
Beecher said that "a man rotten in
heart, ragged in morals, deceitful in Ills
ways, full Of all manner of verminous
immoralities, base. loathsome men, may
have prosperity for moment, but can
not, until God is foresworn, be happy OF
enduring
If you were to ask what are the at
tributes of character, should say that
they are many, and include such quail
ties as truth, honesty, virtue. unset
fishness, courage, grit. high-minded-
ness, puremindedness, fortitude
generosity, sympathy, gentleness
tolerance and love. The per
feet character should embrace all these
qualities. But since perfection is not
attainable, the most that can be hoped
for is a striving after these attributes
Each of the fourteen qualities named
would be sufficient to furnish a text 70,
a separate discourse. The most tina:
can therefore be done in one evenings
address, is to blend them all unde,