Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1900-10-19

when it is red, when it moveth itself Alright
in the cup. At the last it blteth Ike
sernent and stingeth like an adder.
do YOU know what you are dong!
said a mother who had broken into res
taurant. the door locked against her, her
son inside She came up to the counter
and saw the man of the restaurant min
Cling the Intoxicating cup for her own son.
She said to the man behind the counter:
'Do Won know what Won are doing?
No. said lie; II don't" Says she, You
are fattening graveyard
| was told at Dos Moines OF train OF
cars going through very stormy night
over one of the western pralres. The
young man who was present told us the
story. in the night there was little child
in the sleeping car fretful and worrying
and CRYING hour after, hour. A man on the
opposite side of the car lost his patience
and said. Either make that child shut
up or take it to its mothpr" Then another
man on the onnosite side of the sleeping
car. a man with a broken heart, pushed
back the curtain and looked ont and said.
"Young man. that child's mother is dead
in the baggage car. and the little thing is
wailing for her" Then the man who had
committed the affront rose and offered his
services for the night and took care OF the
child until the morning. and all the pas
sengers i'm the car were broken down with
emotion.
Oh, if the cry of one child could arouse
so many sympathies. what ought to he the
effect of the ten thousand voiced shrek
of orphanage and widowhood from the inc
briate's grave! God save this country
from the perils of strong drink.
NV subject also impresses me with the
beauty of youthful character remaining
incorrupt away from home. IL Daniel had
plunged into every wickednesS OF the city
of Babylon the old folks at home would
never have heard of it. 1T he had gone
through all the rounds of iniquity. it would
have cast no shadow on his early home.
There were no telegraphs, there were no
railroads But Daniel knew that God 5
eye was on him.
That was enough. There are young neil
not so good away from home as at home.
Frederick tending his fathers sheep among
the hills or thrashing rye i'll the barn Is
different perhaps from Frederick on the
Stock Exchange. Instead of the retiring
disposition there is bold effrontery. In
stead of an obicing spirit there is perhaps
oppressive sel6shness.
Instead of open handed charity there is
tight listed stingness. Instead OF reason
able hours there is midnight rcycl. l speak
to many Young men on this matter-you
who may have left your fathers house and
others who, though still under the par
entail roof, are looking forward to the
time when you will go forth to conflict,
alone in this world. with its temptations
and its sorrows, and when you will build
up your own character. On, that the God
of Daniel might be with YOU in Babylon!
] think the most thrilling passage of a
young mans life is when he leaves home
TO make his fortune The novelty and the
romance of the thing may keep him from
any keen sorrow, but the old people who
have seen the destruction of so many who
have started with high hope cannot help
but be anxious. AS long as he was IN his
fathers house his waywardness was kindly
chded, and although sometimes he thought
the restraint rather bitter and rather Sc
we're in his calmer moments. he acklowl-
edged it was salutary and righteous.
Through the influence of metropolitan
friends the father has obtained a situation
for his son in the city. The comrades OF
the young man come the night before his
departure to bid farewell to the adven-
turer. The morning of his going away he
walks around the place to take a last look
Mt things, perhaps comes upon some OBJ
place. but no one sees the tear The
trunk is put upon the wagon, the young
man is off for the city. He is set down
amid excitements and amid associates who
are not overcareful about their words and
thoughts and actions Morning comes.
No family altar Sabbath comes: No
rural quiet. The sanctuary comes, but all
the faces are strange, and no one cares
whether he comes to church or does not
come. On his way from the store he sees
placarI announcing rare and vicious
amusement Tie has no greeting at the
door of the boarding house. He has no
appetite for the food. No one cares
whether he eats or does not eat. Rather
he would not eat. 1t is cheaper. After the
tea he goes into the parlor, takes up a
book. finds it dull no sister to look over
it with him. Goes upstairs to his room
in the third story, finds it cold and unin-
vitng. and in despair he rushes out, caring
for nothing but to get something to make
him stop thinking. He is caught in the
first whirl of sin. He has started out on
the dark sea where the CLEAN OF the JOY
is the flashing Of the pit and the laughter
is the creaking of the gate or the lost.
Oh. how many graves there are liz the
country churchyard which, if they could
speak would tell of young men who went
off with high hopes and came back blasted
and crushed to disgrace the sepulcher OF
their fathers.
And vet this exodus must 90 on. AS
from distant hills the rivers are poured
down through tunnels to slake the thirst
OF our great cities, so from distant coun'
try places the streams of incorrupt popu-
ation must pour down TO purify our great
cities. Tomorrow morning on all the
thoroughfares in every steamboat and Ill
every rail car will be young men going
forth to seek their fortunes in our great
towns. 0 Lord God of Daniel, help them
to be as faithful in Babylon as they were
at Jerusalem! Forget not, o my young
friend, in the great seaports the moral and
religious principles inculcated by parental
solicitude, and if to-day seated IN the
house of God YOU feel the advantage OF
early Christian culture forget not those to
whom you are most indebted and pray
God that as old age comes upon them and
the shadow of death the hope of heaven
may beam through the darkness. God for.
bid that any of us through our misconduct
should bring disgrace upon fathers name
or prove recreant to the love of mother
The dramatist rade no exaggeration when
he exclaimed, "How sharper than a SER
pents tooth it is to have a thankless
child!" Oh, that God would help you as
parents and as young people TO take to
heart the lessons of this important subject,
and if we shall learn that there is danger
of being arried into captivity and that
early ii press.ons are almost ineifaceable
and tha,t there is something beautiful in
Christian sobricty and that there is great
attractiveness i'll piety away from home,
then it will be to you and to me a matter
of everlasting congratul aton that we con-
sidered how Daniel behaved when he be-
came college student at Babylon.