The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-02-06

IL lney come up again ana again ne
must thrust them from him with great
er determination. There Is deadly
fascination here.
Sense paints her pictures In rich. daZ-
| cling colorB; and II you are sensitive,
my brother, as the best natures are
Therefore. as you love your soul. rs
1t Is not those of coarser and commoner
imagination; It Is those OF finer Or
Eanization that are most assailed.
Therefore. as you loZe your soul, as
you love purity, as you fear God aud
your conscience. put the dreams OF the
flesh away from you, In whatsoever
| form they come up. There are paths
on which flowers are blooming ut first
they promise forbidden knowledge
the very strangeness OF whlchc Is ut
tractiYe-but they slope down ut last
TO precipices. There IS way which
seemeth RICH. unto man, but the end
thereof are the ways OF DEATH" Do
not cherish these visions.
Mammon paints visions for q young
man, and Of course, with unsual clear
ness and persistence In country like
this Of ours. 1t Is foolish to speak
disparaglngly Of money. 1t Is very
potent thing. 1t Is q power. which,
wisely welded, has almost no limits in
its beneAcence. But It Is n very DAN
| gerous thing. Christ and His Apostles
used strong expressions about the in
fuence and love OF it, but not one whit
! stronger than our own experience
teaches us II We look right. Money
has affected marvellous good in the
economic and commercial sphere. in the
sphere OF material civilization. but 1t
has wrought terrible ruin in the moral
and spiritual sphere. The visions that
float before young Americans to-day
are more colored with gold than those
which iloated before their great grand
| fathers, for our country presents un-
usual opportunities OF acquiring wealth.
Every one who thinks about these
things knows that the struggle between
Christ and Mammon for our country
and for the hearts OF our young men,
Is the struggle OF the future.
The hearts of the countrymen of
Moses. Of David. Of Isaiah. yes, they
have. too often been corrupted, won by
the brlbe OF gold. Are the hearts OF
the countrymen Of Knox and the Cove
nanters. of the Purtans, of Sidney,
Howard and Wilberforce, and Of our
own Washington, to be lost In a similar
fashion? Forbid 1t. my brethren. Do
you want to mortgage your future to
the sway of this strong passion? Sup
pose your highest dreams were realized.
suppose n man who started in life with
almost nothing Is able at last to buy
an estate, and pay for 1t with check
for two or three millions OF dollars.
What better. or even happier. is he?
II that Is the realization of his big
h dream. 1t Is ten chances to one that he
has given his life. or the better part
of his life. for this, and 1t has chained
him. 1t has eaten away the marrow
OF his CptI1 fNhpt. hu
in these days can command anything
that 1t can accomplish wonders. 1t
Is quite true: but the most wonderful
thing by 4 good deal that 1t does Is to
metallZe, or harden a human soul.
a prominent public man In our coun-
try some years ago, In addressing
young men. said: young gentlemen,
you have Just been warned to avoid ey-
citing topics. My advice shall be diff
ferent. Give yourselves with enthusi-
asm to some high and noble cause. The
man who rises In the morning to eat and
to drink, and to get gold lives life that
Is not worth living. Enthusiasm in
the cause Of Christ Is the life Of the
soul"
8. Many of us may have had visions
of Intellectual eminence. We dream OF
laying In stores Of information. of mas
terlRs this subject or that. We nave
tasted the delight OF knowledge and
the sense Of power 1t brings. The men,
tai wealth Of ages in history, philosophy,
poetry, literature. science Hes at our
feet. 1t needs only the quiet OF the
winter evening or the precious hours of
a summer morning. to make it ours.
Or, 1t may he, We have become absorb
ed in politics. social questions, in art.
We feel our faculties expanding, and
II oil ryht Ia, st,.t. .s.,1
tereSt and stimulus enough In all this,
and the mind engrossed in 1t shapes
its visions accordingly. Well. these
visions are high and fair, but again,
are they best?
We are bound to demand of the Wis
ions OF our youth that they may be the
best possible. because they come TO us
but once. These ideals OF self-deyelop-
ment, of intellectual requirement, ap-
sorb 4 man. They satisfy him at the
time. But DO they continue TO satisfy
him? Is there Inspiration In them?
Have these visions power to lift oar
lives, to fill them TO the very end? Do
they bring light and healing in trouble
| or sorrow? We have known men who
have made these dreams their all. Was
the result satisfactory Did they min
lister a fresh fund OF moral strength?
| They do not. They cannot. 1t Is not in
them. They are not of God.
| 4. There Is but one other class I
would mention visions of domestic
| happiness. Such dreams arise before
our minds. II we have known what love
and truth are. II n young man has
tasted happiness In the home circle in
which he has been brought up, he
| dreams of getting home OF his own.
He has learned to prize such happiness
/ M t.rt,1 80 Ii, IL ,f ,s,.f.t,
] he has not known such domestic peace
in his boyhood he probably yearns aii
the more to find it in his manhood. The
sweetest dreams of life wreath them
selves around face which has framed
itself in his heart. We know the worth
| and beauty Of visions like these. They
have kept many soul from destruc
| ton. They have beckoned many young
mans steps upward. All that Is deep
and tender and true. center round the
| Images and the affections of the hearth.
The pride In the home circle the joy
In the home circle, Is sufficient are
strong aspiration.
But is this sufficient? Are these best
things Of earth good enough for us?
| Even II such home affections We're to
prove as deep and genuine rs our
highest hopes would make them. you
know the terrible element of uncertnin-
t. that dwells among them: you know
| how chill blast can dissolve the beau
| tiful cloudland OF our vision. At the
| touch Of sickness aud trouble the color
| dies out OF the objects we love. The
| hand of death appears, 1t knocks our
idols \down. 1t brings swift ruin and
| darkness on the palace of our hopes and
loves? Where are our Visions then?
They are legitimate. of course, but not
lasting.
These are the dreams which I know
many women dream. Let us look for
n little at the inspired visions--thc