Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-10-19

were no teiegraphS, there were no ran
roads. But Daniel knew that Gods
eye was on him. That was enough.
There are young men not 50 good away
from home as at home. Frederick
tending his fathers sheep among the
hills or thrashipg rye In the barn Is
different perhaps from Frederick on
the Stock Exchange. Instead of the
retiring disposition there Is bold effron-
terry. Instead Of an obligiug spirit
there is perhaps oppressive selfishncss
Instead of open handed charity there is
tight listed stingineSs. instead of rea-
sonable hours there is midnight revel
l speak to many young men on this
matter-you who may have left your
fathers house and others who. though
still under the parental roof. are look
ing forward to the time when you viii
go forth to conflict. alone i'm this world.
with its temptations and its sorrows.
and when you will build up your own
character. oh. that the God of Daniel
might be with you i'm Babylon!
Beware of Temptation.
think the most thrilling passage Of
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 have started
with high hope cannot help but be anx-
ious. 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 severe In his calmer moments
he Acknowledged il was salutary and
righteous. Through the influence OF
metropolitan friends the father has OBJ
talned situation for his son i'm the
city. The comrades of the young man
come the night before his departure TO
bid farewell 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 OBJ
Ject that starts tear. some old famil-
inr 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 Goes not come.
On his way from the store he sees a
placard announcing n rare and a vi
cious amusement. He has no greeting
Mt 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 cheap-
or. After the tea he goes into the par
Tor, takes up n book, finds il dull. no
sister To look over it with him. Goes
up stairs to his room i'm the third story.
finds 1t cold and uninviting, and in de-
spair he rusheS out, caring for nothing
but to get something to make him stop
thinking. He is caught in the first
whlrl OF sin. He has started out on
the dark sea where the CLEAN of the
JOY is the Iashing 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 IL
they could speak would tell of young
men who went or with high hopes and
came back blasted and crushed to dis
grace the scpulchcr of their fathers.
And yet this exodus must go on. AS
from distant hills the rivers are pour-
ed down through tunnels to Stake the
thirst of our great cities, so from dis
tant country places the streams of in
corrupt population must pour down to
purify our great cities. Tomorrow
morning on all the thoroughfarcs. i'm
every steamboat and in every rail car
VIII 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 rs they were nj Je-
rusalem! Forget not. O nv young
friend, in the great seaports the moral
and religious principles inculcated by
parental solicitudc. and If today seated
In the house OF God you feel the adj
vantage of early Christian culture
Forget not those to whom YOU are most
indebted and pray God that as old are
comes upon them and the shadow of
death the hope of heaven nav beam
through the darkness. God forbid that
any or us through our misconduct
should bring disgrace upon n fathers
name or prove recreant to the love of n
mother. The dramatist made no exac-
geration when he exclaimed. How
sharper than a serpents tooth it is 20
have thankless childw oh, that God
would help you as parents and as
young people to take TO heart the les
sons OF this important subject, and II
we shall learn that there is danger OF
being carried into captivity and that
early Impressions are almost ineffacea.
Die and that there is something beauti-
ful in Christian sobriety and that there
Is great attractiveness in piety away
from home, then ii will be to you and
to me matter of everlasting congrat-
ulation that we considered how Daniel
Behaved when he became a college stu
dent Mt Babylon.
Copyright. 1900. by Louis Klopsch.l
DiSCOVER RED nv MIII &C