St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1900-04-07
A KINDLY WARNING.
Dr.. Ialmage Speaks Concerning
Evil Associations.

Aptly illustrates Ills Text That "a
Companion of Fools Shall he
Dcstroycd"-Advice for
Young and Old.
Copyright. 1900. by Louis K,opschl
Washington,
In this discourse DIR. Talmage
speaks on a theme which all men,
young and cid, will be glad to see dis
cusscd. and the kindly warning will
no doubt in many cases be taken;
text, Proverbs 1920: a companion
of fools shall be destroyed"
May it please the court" said a
convicted criminal when asked by the
judge what he had to say why SEN
tence of death should not be pro-
nounced upon him. may it please the
court, bad company has been my de-
struction. / received the blessing OF
good parents and in return therefor
promised to avoid all evil associates.
Had kept my promise l should have
avoided this shame and the burden CT
guilt which. like vulturc, threatens
to drag me to justice for my many
crimes. Although l once moved in
high circles and was entertained by
distinguished men, 1 am lost. Bad
company did the work for me-" Only
one out Of thousand illustrations
was that of the fact that "a COM
panion of fools shall be destroyed
1t is an invariable rule.
Here is hospital with hundred
men down with the ship fever. Here
is healthy man who goes into it.
He does not so certainly catch the
disease as a good man will catch
moral distemper if he consents to be
shut up with the vicious and the
abandoned. In the prisons of the
olden time it was the custom to put
the prisoners in cell together, and
j am sorry to say it is the custom
still in some of our prisons; SO that
when the day of liberation comes, the
men, instead of being reformed, are
turned out brutes, not men, each one
having learned the vices Of all the
rest.
We may in our worldly occupation
be obliged to talk to and commingle
with bad people, but he who volun-
tarily chooses that kind Of associa-
ton is carrying on a courtship with
a Delilah which will shear the locks
of his strength, and he will be tripped
into perdition. Look over all the
millions of the race, and you cannot
show me q single instance where q
man voluntarily associated with the
bad for one year and maintained his
integrity. Sin is catching; it is in
fectious; it is epidemic.
A young man wakes up in one OF
our great cities knowing only the
gentlemen of the firm into whose
service he has entered. In the morn
ing he enters the store, and all the
clerks mark him. measure him. dis
cuss him. The bad clerks of that es-
tablishment, the good clerks of that
establishment, stand in some relation
to him. The good clerks will wish
him well, but they will wait for for
NAL introduction, and even after they
have had the introduction they are
very cautious as to whether they shall
call him into their association before
they know him very well.
But the bad young men in that es-
tablishment all gather around him.
They patronize him, they offer to
show him everything that there is in
the city on one copdition-that he
will pay the expenses, for it always
happens SO when a good young man
ana bad young man so together to
a place of evil entertainment-the
good young man always has to pay
the charges. Just at the time the
ticket is to be paid for or the cham
pagne bill is to be settled the bad
young man will affect embarrassment
ami feel around in his pockets and
say: "Well, well, really have for
gotten my pocketbook."
in 4s hours after this innocent
Young man has entered the store the
bad young men will gather around
him. slap him on the shoulder with
familiarity. and, if he is stupid in not
being able to take certain illusions,
will say: "Ah. my young friend, you
will have to be broken in" And forth
with they 60 to work to "break
him in"
Oh, young man, let no fallen young
man slap you on the shoulder familiar
"! Turn around and give withering
glance that will make the wretch cover
in your presence. There is no mon
strosity Of wickedness that can stand
before the glance of purity and honor.
God keeps the lightnings Of heaven in
his own scabbard, and no human may
reach them, but God gives to every
young man a lightning which he may
use, and that is the lightning of an
honest eye. Anybody that understands
the temptations of cur great cities
knows the use of one sermon like this,
in which I try to o-:..orce the thought
that "a companion of fools shall be
And, first, I charge you, avoid the
is, the young man who
puts his thumb in his vest and swag-
gers shout, scoffing at your old-fash-
ioned religion, and taking out the
Bible and turning over to some mys-
terious passage and saying: Explain
that. my friend, explain that. I used
to think just as you do. My father and
mother used to think just as you do.
But you can't scare me about the fu-
turc. used to believe in those things,
but I've got over it." Yes, he has got
over it, and you will get over it if You
stay in his companionship much longer.
For awhile he may not bring one argu-
ment against our holy Christianity.
He will by SCOTS and jeers and carica-
lures destroy your faith in that reli-
zion which was the comfort of your
father in his declining years and the
pillow ON which your old mother lay
l-dying.
That brilliant young skeptic will aft
II awhile have to die, and his diamond
will flash no splendor into the eye OF
leath. His hair will lie uncombed on
he pillow. Death will come up, and
mis- skeptic will say to him: 81 can
not die. Icannot die" Death will say: