The semi-weekly messenger., 1900-10-26


night over one OF the western praries.
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 mother" Then another man
on the opposite side of the sleeping
cara man with a broken hear-push-
ed back the curtain and looked out 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
morning, and all the passengers in the
car were broken down with emotion.
Oh, if the cry of one child could arouse
so many sympathies, what ought to be
the effect of the thousand voiced shrek
of orphanage and widowhood from the
inebriate's grave? God save this coun-
try from the perils of strong drink.
My subject also 'impresses me with
the beauty Of youthful character re-
naming incorrupt away from home.
If Daniel had plunged into every wick
edness Of the city of Babylon, the old
folks at home would never have heard
of it, If he had gone through all the
rounds of iniquity, il would have cast
no shadow on his early home. There
were no telegraphs; there were no rail-
roads. But Daniel knew that Gods
eye was on him. That was enough.
There are young men not SO good away
from home as at home. Frederick
| tending his fathers sheep among the
| hills or thrashing rye in the barn is
| different perhaps from Frederick on the
| Stock Exchange. Instead of the retir-
| ing disposition there is bold effrontery;
| instead of an obliging spirit there is
perhaps oppressive selfshneSS; instead
| of open handed charity there is tight
| fisted stinginess; instead of reasonable
| hours there is midnight revel. I speak
| to many young men on this matter
| you who may have left your fathers
house and other who. though still un-
| der the parental roof, are looking for
| ward to the time when you Will go
| forth to conflict, alone in this world,
| with it's temptations and it's sorrows,
and when you will build up your own
character. Oh, that the God of Daniel
might be with you in Babylon!
| LEAVING HOME.
| 1 think the most thrilling passage of
a young mans life is when he leaves
home to make his fortune. The novel
| ty and the romance of the thing may
| keep him from any keen sorrow, but
the old people who have seen the de-
| struction Of so many who started with
/
| AS long as he was in his fathers house
his waywardnesS was kindly chided,
| and although sometimes he thought the
restraint rather bitter and rather Sc
| we're in his calmer moments he &C
| knowledged it was salutary and right
| eOuS. Through the influence of metro
pOlitan 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 fare
| well to the adventurer. The morning
of his going away he walks around the
place to take a last look at things
perhaps comes upon some object that
starts a tear, some old familiar 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 sanctu-
ary comes, but all the faces are strange
and no one cares whether he comes
to church or does not come. On his
way home from the store he sees a
placard announcing a rare and viva
cious amusement. He 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-it is cheap
er! After the tea he goes into the par
lor, takes up book, finds it dull, no
sister to look over it with him. Goes
up stairs to his room in the third story,
finds it cold and uninviting, and in des-
pair 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 gleam of the
joy is the flashing of the pit and the
1 laughter nf q q
the lost. Oh, how many graves there
are in 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 dis
grace the sepulcher of their fathers!
KEEP THEM FAITHFUL.
And yet this exodus must go on. AZ
from distant hills the rivers are poured
down through tunnels to slake the
thirst of our great cities, so from dis
, tant country places the streams of in
corrupt population must pour down tc
purify our great cities. Tomorrow
, morning on all the thoroughfares, ir
every steamboat and in every rail cal
. will 10 young men going forth to seel
their fortunes in our great towns. {
Lord God of Daniel, held them to be a.
faithful ir Babylon as they We're il
. JereSalem! Forget not my youns
; friend, in the great seaports the mora
,, and religious principles inculcated by
parental solicitude, and if today seated
, in the house Of God you feel the advan
tage of early Christian culture forge
not those to whom you are most in
debted and pray God that as old ag
comes upon them and the shadow O.
, | death the hope of heaven may bean
. ! through the darkness. God forbid tha
! any OF us through our misconduc
should bring disgrace upon a father
, | name or prove recreant to the love o
= mother The dramatist made no ex
q aggeration when he exclaimed. "Hov
= sharper than a serpent's tooth it is t,
= have a thankless child" Oh. that G.,
would help you as parents and as youn,
people to take to heart the lessons o
: this important subject, and if we shall
9 learn that there is danger of being car
9 ried into captivity, and that early i'm
q pressions are almost ineffacable, an,
= that there is something beautiful il
. Christian sobrety, and that there i
? great attractiveness in piety away from