The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1900-10-25

WnO1l
them The God of Daniel will take. care
of them far away in Babylon. Train, up
a child in the way he should 90, and when
he is old he will not depart from it.. lie
NAV wander away for awhile and fall INTO
sin and break your heart. but before he -
done with his life, you. having commend
ed him to God, he will come back AGAIN,
for I put the emphasis in the right place
and on the word "old' when | repent that
passage aud say. "Train up a child in the
way he should 60, and when he is old he
will not depart from it."
Are you fond of pictures, Here is one
drawn by Solomon who hath woe!
Who hath sorrow? Who hath conten-
tions? Who hath babblng? Who hath
wounds without cause? They that larry
long at the wine, they that 60 to seek
mixed wine. Look not thou upon the VINE
when it is red, when it moveth itself Alright
in the cup. At the last it biteth like
serpent and stingeth like an adder"
'Do you know what you are, DOING"
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 you know what YOU are doing?
NO" said he; 81 don't" Says she, "You
are fattening graveyards."
| was told at Des Moines of a train OF
cars going through a very stormy night
over one Of the western praIrles Inc
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. 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
car. a man with a broken heart, pushed
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 the morning, and all the pas
sengers in the car were broken down with
emotion.
Oh, if the cry of one child could arouse
so many svmpathles. what ought to be the
effect of the ten thousand voiced shrek
of orphanage and widowhood from the inc
briate's grave! God save this country.
from the perls of strong drink.
My subject also impresses me with the
beauty of youthful character remaining
incorrupt away from home If Daniel had
plunged into every wickedness 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. it would
have cast no shadow on his early home.
There were no telegraphs, there were no
railroads. 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 retiring
disposition there is bold effrontery. In
stead Of an obliging spirit there is perhaps
oppressive selfishness.
Instead of open handed charity there is
tight listed stinginess. Instead of reason
able hours there is midnight revel. | 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
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
OuN NC cllAlOuS. as IullB DIS nc as III lis
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 acllloWl-
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
departure to bid farewell to the adven-
turer. The morning of his going away he
walks around the place to take a last look
at things, perhaps comes upon some OBJ
Ject that starts 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 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
a placari announcing a rare and a vicious
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. 1t is cheaper. After the
tea he goes into the parlor, takes up q
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-
viting, and in despair he rushes out, caring
for nothing but to get something to make
him stop thinking. He is caught in the
first whrl 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 Of the lost.
Oh, how many graves there are in the
country churchyard which, ii they could
speak, would tell of young men who went
of with high hopes and came back blasted
and crushed to disgrace the sepulcher Of
their fathers.
And yet this exodus must go 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-
lation must pour down to purify our great
cities. Tomorrow morning on all the
thoroughfares, in every steamboat and in
every rail car will be young men going
forth to seek their fortunes in our great
towns. o Lord God of Daniel, help them
to be as faithful in Babylon as they were
at jerusalem Forget not, 0 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
( I'D hat old ~