The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-12-12
SPOKE AT THE Y. M. CA.
MICHAEL CODY ON 1INFLUEMCE OF
 COMPANIONsHIPr
Montgemery Banker Made EseSeeAs Appeal to Young Men for t4igher Ideals, Pure Thought ana
 Better Lives.

BG1tcE AhNGSs
 The afternoon meeting at the T. VI c, A. yesterday at S:so o'ciock .as gu dressed by Michael Cody. Fes.ue. V. V, .sSornanion ship and it's Influence" and va. heard by the largest crowd of younr men that has attended the meet ings this season. solos of J. J.. Pierce.
 MT. Cody spoke as follows:
 "Companionship and its influences. is A subject as old 1s time. and as broad as the universe itself. Beginning with the influences brought to bear upon Adam, resulting in the fall of the human race, we might with interest refer to examples of every age and generation, and with profit draw les and from every phase of human char acter. Indeed. so varied the sources. and so diverse the effects, 1t is dihicult for us to determine as to which truths we may most appropriately present to a meeting like this and come within the limit of time allowed us.
 Created a separate and individual being, with the power of thought, and reason, and speech, and the exescise of sovereign will. yet was man made de- pendent upon God his Maker. and in- ter-dependent upon man his fellow. By nature man seeks converse with man. by choice he mixes and mingles with those about him; born innate in his very being is the desire. the craving for companionship. And we'll may we look ascant at him who keeps himself apart and who separate and isolated seeks to live within the narrow sphere of his own selfish interests.
 Your florist will tell you that yer benas, though they be of snowy white ness. if planted by the side of those which are colored are soon impregnated by the pollen of those of different shades. and.as subsequent blossoms ap- pear the spots and discolorations show the contaminating effect, the flower loses it's beauty and value, and is 1t only to be cast out.
 Let us go into the photographers studio and we find there as essential to his work. prepared plate, the sur face of which Is so sensitive that upon it is transfixed in the negative, the image of every object, whether at tractive or hideous, whether perfect or defective. upon which the Tense, or eye of the camera is focused. And though the effect may be dispelled by exposing to the light. yet if covered up 1t is stis- ceptible to development and capable of reproduction in years to come.
 Examine Edison's wonderful phono- graph and you find there a waxen cylinder. adjoining which is the aper- ture through which sound passes, and every sound, whether low or loud whether gentle or rough which comes into the ear of that instrument, is re- corded upon this smooth and waxen surface. and in the reproduction, il emits sounds of perfect harmony, or notes of harsh and grating discord
 Co out into your garden in mid winter and see the scrawny and unat- tractive appearance of the rose,-with Its stem-like roots seemingly dry and lifeless. and every pore closed by the chilling effects of winters cold. In the springtime, go see it again, when 1t has become regenerated under the influences of Gods invigorating sun shine and refreshing showers. From these dry and semi-lifeless roots my riads of little feeders have gone out to absorb the strength and vitality of the soil, and through these into the body and into the limbs. and from every branch and twig there springs the verdant foliage, the bud and blos- som, and that which was a cold and uEgainly plant. has become a thing of life and beauty and fragrance.
 There is an element in the moral construction of this higher creature embracing all of these characteristics and more than these. How great a thing is man, how inexhaustible his resources; with mind that may soar upon the pinions of thought, and with aspirations almost divine. With a n xxyhtn
 rottenness and corruption, to be trod- den under foot of men; or it may be made to blossom into that which is akin to the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of the Valley. With heart which may be attuned to accord with the harsh and discordant sounds of the de- bauched reveler. which shall echo and re-echo in the caverns of the lost, or 1t may be attuned to angels minstrelsy whose strains of sweetest melody float out and upward to Heavens pearly gates, caught up by Cherubim and Ser aphim, and made to reverberate through the corridors in the palace of the King With soul which may be starved by greed. dwarfed by selfishhess, and scared by sinful pleasures; or 1t may be made to expand and grow. may be made strong in faith, anchored in hope, and beautified by love, made joyous by lay ing hold of the promises of God, and lit up by visions of celestial glory.
 Let us appreciate our advantages, our capabilities; let us rise to the dig nifty of the positions we occupy. These bodies of clay into which was breath ed the breath of life" these temples for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, are the cap-stone of creation, the mas terpiece of the great Divine artist.
 Causes about us produce effects.- the avenues of sound and sight and smell and taste and touch lead some where. And whether you call it mind. or heart, or soul, there is something. the surface of which is of such deli cate fabric, yet of such tenacious tex ture, as to receive and retain imnres- sions good and evil, from without and from within. which|tend to mould tbe character and shape the destinies of men.
 Flow guarded ought we then to be as to the influences exerted upon us.