The Yale expositor., 1901-08-02

at the time of decease, and they are
the men whom l would have carry me
out to the last sleep when l am dead.
You cannot make me believe that they
would belong to bad institutions. They
are the men who would stamp on any
thing Ubiquitous, and l would certain
ly rather take their testimony in re-
gard to such societies than the testi-
mony of those who, having been sworn
in as members by their assault upon
them confess themselves perjurers.
One of these secret societies gave
for the relief of the sick in 1873 in this
country, $1,490,274. Some of these So
cieties have poured very heaven of
sunshine and benediction into the
home of suffering. Several of them
are founded on fidelity to good citizen
ship and the Bible. l have never TAX
en- one of their degrees. They might
give me the grip thousand times and
l would not recognize it. / am ignor-
ant of their passwords, and / must
judge entirely from the outside. But
Christ has given us rule by which we
may judge not only all individuals, but
all societies, secret and open. by
their fruits We shall know them" Bad
societies make bad men. Good socie-
ties make good men. A bad man will
not stay in a good society. A good
man will not. stay in a bad society.
! Then try all secret societies by two
or three rules.
Influence on Home Life.
Test the first: Their influence on
home, IL you have home. That wife
soon loses her influence over her hus-
band who nervously and foolishly
looks upon all evening absence as an
assault on domesticity. How are the
great enterprises OF reform and art
and literature and benefcence and
public veal to be carried on if every
man is to have his world bounded on
one side by his front doorstep and on
! the other side by his back window,
| knowing nothing higher than his own
attic or lower than his own cellar?
| That wife who becomes jealous of her
! husbands attention to art or literature
| own scepter of conjugal power.
know an instance where wife
| thought that her husband was giving
! too many nights to Christian service,
| to charitable service, to prayer meet
| ings and to- religious convocation. She
Systematically decoyed him away until
now he attends no church, waits upon
no charitable institution and is on a
rapid way to destruction, his morals
gone, his money gone and, l fear, his
soul gone.
Let any Christian wife rejoice when
! her husband consecrates evenings to
the service of humanity and of God
or anything elevating. but let no man
sacrifice home life to secret society
life, as many do. can point out to you
great many names of men who are
guilty of this sacrilege. They are as
genial as angels at the society room
and as ugly as sin at home. They are
generous on all subjects of wine sup
pers, yachts and fast horses, but they
are stingy about the wives dresses
and the children's shoes. That man
has made that which might be a
healthful influence usurper of his af-
lection and he has married it, and he
is guilty of moral bigamy. Under this
process his wife, whatever her fea-
lures, becomes uninteresting and
homely. He becomes critical of her,
does not like the dress, does not like
the way she arranges her hair, is
amazed that he ever was so unroman-
tic as to offer her hand and heart.
There are secret societies wnere mem
bership always involves domestic ship
wreck. Tell me that man has Joined
a certain kind and tell me nothing
more about him for ten years, and l
will write his history if ne be still
alive. The man is wine guzzler, his
wife broken hearted or prematurely
old, his fortune gone and his home a
mere name in the directory.
Evils of bad Associations
The doctor coming in will at a
glance see it is not only present dis
ease he must fight, but years of fast
living. The clergyman, for the sake
Oh ID6 leelluSS Ol luc ldulily Oh inc
funeral day will only talk in religious
generalities. The men who got his
yacht in the eternal rapids will not be
at the obsequies. They have pressing
engagements that day. They will send
flowers to the coffin, will send their
wives to utter words of sympathy, but
they will have engagements else
where They never come. Bring me
mallet and chisel, and / will cut that
mans epitaph, Blessed are the dead
who die in the Lord?" mo-" you say
chat would not be appropriate Let
me die the death of the righteous, and
let my last end be like his?" mo" you
say. that would not be appropriate. y
Then give me the mallet and the chisel
and will cut an honest epitaph, Here
lies the victim of dissipating associa-
tionsl"'
Another test by which you can find
whether your secret society is right OF