Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1903-04-25

large cities. When that young man
left home, he was as pure as his sister
or his mother. lie had delicate, spir-
itual touch. He could distinguish
right from wrong as readily as a
trained artists eye can tell the mar
mony of colors or musicians ear can
be shocked ut the slightest discorc.
But after swhile that young man al
lows himself to be led into question
able enioyments When he first saw
enchanting sin. fiery blush mantled
his check. But after awhile his per-
ceptions are dulcd: evil Is no longer re-
puIsive to him; lie begins to believe
that the theater may have beneficial
influence. He can argue for 1t with a
clear eve and steady heartbeat. AIT
er awhile he can go and with absolute
ly no qualms or upbraidings OF con
science can sit and listen to the vllest
of talks which are being uttered upon
the stage: sit there with young girl
by his side who Is no more ashamed or
what she sees and hears than Is her
masculine escort. The fact that the
Young man Is able to argue with you
and that he sees no wrong in watching
sinful play proves beyond doubt
that he has cirrhosis Of the soul,
hardening Of the moral sensibillties an
inability to spiritually distinguish right
from wrong. What color blindness is
to the locomotive engineer who is I'M
able TO distinguish warning signals
alongside the railroad track splrltual
! color blindness is to the sinful soul.
After awhile by the touch of sin the
sinner loses his capacity to distinguish
right from wrong and. like the eyeless
ground mole. is unable to tell the
brightness Of midnOon from the DARK
ness of midnight.
Hardening the Moral Sensibiiities'
have seen, more than once, TINS
hardening of the moral sensibillties by
sin. Within a few blocks of my old
Chicago home there was sinful place.
where most Of the victims caught were
Young boys of fifteen or sixteen years
of age. That evil place, thank God'
has since been closed. In the windows
of that poolroom were hung up great
number of lewd pictures. Again ana
again | have seen young men come up
to that place for the first time. When
they would do it, they would stagger
hack rs though stunned. Then they
would look around the street as though
thev were thieves about to rob house.
Then at those lewd pictures in the
windows they would look again, with
CLASSY eve and flushed face. But art
erward those same boys, who at hrst
were ashamed to look, would become
bold faced and vile tongued. They
would stand around that corner, smok-
ing filthy cigarettes and insulting young
girls as they would pass by. Within
the walls Of my own church l nave
seen this paralyzing Of the moral SELL
sibilities by sin. | have seen man
who once led noble woman to the
marriage altar not only sacrifice him
self but sell his own child into sin, fof
the qualification of quenching a drunk
ards thirst. My brother and sister
with such examples before you of the
metamorphosing power Of sin, can you
afford to run the risk of scofiing at SIM
Are you not afraid that, as In Circe's
palace. you may be changed into the
form of a human brute? Are you moi
afraid that by the touch of sin your
conscience may become so hardened
that Won shall have no moral sensible
ties left?
Evil temptations should not be de
rided. The depths Of human misery
into which they can fling their victims
this side of the grave are unfathoma
Bile. 1t is upon the dark side of the re
suits of sin | would speak. The trou
bic with many of our so called Chris
tan teachers is that we put halo oveI
sin. We picture temptation as a crea
ture of beauty seated Ia. a silver
, cloud lined with gold. She holds in one
hand a pack of cards and in the Other
goblet of wine. The color or hel
cheek. the flowers caught in the folds
Of her garment, clinging about her llth'
form. make her look so innocent one
T cannot help loving her even though sh'
, NAV be bad. But | would tear ava!
the beautiful robe, and under the rim
, of that cloud | would show you
crouching demon whose only music Il
, the agonizing cry Of those whom he ha
got in his clutches, whose only JOY Il
| in tar talizing those whom he Is de
stroying and whose frightened, plead
> ing eyes have no more effect upon hi
r stony heart than the cry Of the help
> less fawn upon the boa constructor VIII
| is wrapping its coils about the trem
< bling body for the fatal hug.
First Steps to Destruction.
The first steps to moral destruction
! may wind through garden, but tina
floral pathway soon changes into tn
! billy road covered with jagged rock
l and running by the side of yawnin
! precipices. The bracelets Of .old ar
? soon changed into the handc. fs
! steel. The merrymakers will sool 1ea
d the echoes of their laughter in I'd
shrieks of the doomed and the los
' There is no permanent happiness /
:. sin. Mark that, my brother - no rea
A happiness in SIM
- Tell me, o drunkard, that you al
n happy? No, no. ANY one who La
1 heard John B. Cough describe the mi
!. cries of his past life knows that u
; drunkard is happy. Tell me that tn
i: libertine is happy when by his crime
Z he lost the respect of all good men an
@ women? Tell me that the gambler
Z happy? No, no! When he sat at IL
gaming table, he not only lost his hol
[ or. but his home, his business, his al
Q He cannot even buy pair of shoes II
his feet or a coat for his back. Thon
as Guthrie once described the cup
!. sin as a beautiful chalice filed VIII
; wine. but at the bottom of the cup Ia
q coiled serpent. And so after we hay
!; slipped for a little while the cup
!, pleasure, then the evil serpent Will a
eal