Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-08-03

the lattice upon the pale form that
looks like a detained specter OF the
night. Soon In madhouse she will
mistake her ripgletS for curling ser.
penis. and thrust her white hand
through the bars OF the prison. aud
smite her head. rubbing II back as
though 10 push the scalp from the
skull. shrleking. "My braini Ny
brain" Oh. stand or from that, Why
viii you go sounding your way amid
the reefs when there is such a vast
ocean In which you may voyage. all
sail set?
Purity In Art.
Much of the impure pictorial liter
allure Is most tremendous for ruin.
There Is no one who can like good pic
lures better than | do. The quickest
and most condensed way OF impress
lug the public mind is by picture.
What the painter does by his brush
for few favorites the engraver does
by his knife for the million. What the
author accomplishes by 30 pages the
artist does by a fash. The best part of
painting that costs $4,000 you may
buy for 10 cents. Fine paintings be-
long TO the democracy Of art. You do
well TO gather good pictures i'm your
homes
But what shall say OF the prostitu-
ton OF art to purposes of iniquity !?
These death warrants OF the soul are
ut every street corner. They smite the
vision OF the young Iian with pollution.
Many young man buying a copy has
bought his eternal discontinue. There
may be enough poison I'm one bad pic
ture TO poison one soul. and that soul
may poison ten and ten fifty and the
fifty hundreds and the hundreds thou-
sands until nothing but the measuring
light of eternity can tell the height
and depth ard ghaStliness and horror
OF the great undoing The work OF
death that the wicked author does i'm n
whole book the bad entraver may do
on half side of pictorial. Under
the guiSe OF pure mirth the Young man
buys one of these sheets. He unroIls
1t before his comrades amid roars OF
laughter. but long after the paper is
gone the result may perhaps be seen in
the blasted imag;nations of those who
saw ii. The queen OF death holds n
banquet every night. and these ppri-
odicals are the invitation to her guests.
Young man. buy not this moral
strychnine for Your soul! Pick not mn
this nest Of cooled adders for your
pocket! Patronize no newsstand that
keeps them, Have your room bright
with good engravings, but Tor these
outrageous pictorials have not one
wall, not one bureau. not one pocket.
man is no better than the pictures
he loves to look ut. If your eyes are
not pure, your heart cannot be. At n
newsstand one can guess the character
of man by the kind of pictorial he
purchases, When the devil fails to
get man to read bad book. he some
times succeeds i'm getting him TO look
at bad picture. When satan goes
a-bShing, he does not care whether II
is long line or Il short line IL he only
draws his victim In. Beware of las.
civious pictorials, young man. i'm the
name or Almighty God, l charge you.
Cleanse the Library.
Cherish good books and newspapers:
beware Of bad ones. The assassin of
Lord Russell declared that he was led
into crime by reading one vivid ro-
nance. The consecrated John Angel
James. than whom England never pro-
duced n better man. declared i'm his old
age that he had never yet got over the
evil effects OF having for IL minutes
once read bad book. But / need not
so so far Off. / could tell you OF n
comrade who was great hearted. noble
and generous. He was studying for
n N l..
nfidel book In his trunk. and he said
to me one day. "De Witt. would you
like 10 read itT' said. "Ycs; would"
| took the book and read Il only for n
Few minutes. | was really startled
with what | saw there. and handed
the book back TO him and said. You
had better destroy that book" No: he
kept IT. He read IL. lie reread it. Aft
er awhile he gave up religion as n
myth. He gave up God as n nonentity.
He gave up the Bible as fable. lie
gave up the church OF Christ us n use
less institution. He gave up good
morals as being unnecessarily strIn-
gent. have heard OF him but twice
In many years. The time before the
last heard OF him he was confirmed
tnebriate. The last heard OF him he
was coming out OF an insane asylum.
In body. mind and soul an awful wreck.
l believe that one infdel book killed
him for two worlds.
Go home today and look through
your library and then. having looked
through your library. look on the stand
where you keep your pictorials and
newspapers and apply the Christian
principles ! have laid down this hour.
III there Is anything In your home that
cannot stand the test. do not give IL
away. for il might spoil an immortal
soul Do not sell 1t. for the money YOU
get would be the price of blood. but
rather kindle fire on your kitchen
hearth or I'm your back yard and then
drop the poison In IL. and the bonfire
IN your city shall be as consuming rs
TINT one in Ephesus
icopytight. 1900. by Louis Klopseh. y. VI