Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-07-15

on every Slue. rnaplaln OF one Oh
the regiments climbed up and took his
position by Shcrman's side. what
are you doing here:" asked Sherman
IN his blunt. gruif way. Have you
any message for me-" No. general
answered the chaplain. II merely
came up to view the enemy's position
II you are willing TO face danger here
! should be- willing TO do So" II am
here for duty's sake" answered Sher-
man. Il am not here for curiosity
You have no right TO uselessly risk
your life Go below ut once. You are
doing no good here whatever" What
General William T. Sherman said to
that chaplain | say to you with your
children depending upon you. with
your store depending upon you. with
your church. in one sense depending
upon you. You have no right to run
any useless physical risks.
Foolish Risks.
But. though this truth should be axi-
omatic. on every hand we find men
trying to prove to the world that they
are brave merely because they are fool
ishly reckless. Some time ago I stood
in Yosemite park. looking upon the
great Half Dome, rising nearly 5000
feet from the valley below. There is a
trail running up to within three or four
hundred feet of the summit. Then the
rock ascends almost perpendicularly to
the top AS l stood looking at that
height a gentleman told me that in
1879 a Scotchman made up his mind
he would ascend to the top Of the Half
Dome. To ascend IL would do no one
any good 1t would only endanger his
own life. But ascend it he would. So
he went and got lot of iron pegs. He
would drill one hole into the side of the
Half Dome and then stick a peg into
the hole. Then he would crawl up and
stand upon that peg and drill another
hole and shove In another peg until at
last. after days of weary work. he
stood upon "that which Is high" oh"
l said to myself. how like the foolish
actions of that man are some of our
actions. We risk our physical lives for
nothing. Down at the seash0re we
swim away out beyond the life lines to
fishing I'm cranky boats. We climb
dangerous heights. We ride fractions
horses. We run needless risks TO benefit
no one" Avoid that which is high
Be wise. and shun foolish and reckless
physical dangers. Lovingly cautious
oh xxy., ~, IN, ,o%nrn,,on 80 o,,. ,.hrS
ical life.
Lovingly cautious. also. should we
be in reference To our good names. II
the gilt frame which holds the artistic
masterpiece Is valuable. how much
more precious must Rosa Bonheur's
holds the canvas of the great French
animal painter? If the setting OF a
jewel Is valuable. how much more val
liable must be the Pitt diamond"
which flashed from the golden hilt OF
the court sword which Napoleon I.
wore on the day of his coronation? II
a mans physical life is valuable. how
much more valuable Is his good name.
by means Of which that physical life
can be made OF some practical good to
his fellow men as well as to himself?
And yet just think how quickly some
are ready to risk their good names as
well as their physical existence,
Danger of Bad Associations.
In the first place. for a mere social
preferment. they are ready to risk
their good names by evil associations
Men and women are always judged by
the associates they have. You know
this fact as well as l know 1t. You
cannot get around that statement The
other day the name of a young lady
whom was very anxious to have Join
our church came UP. Again and again
l have said: "Is II not too bad that
Miss So-and-so does not join our
church and become a good Christian
worker? She seems to be such nice
girl" A church officer of mine said:
well. l do not know whether she Is a
nice girl or no. but one thing I do
know. she associates with men about
this town who are everywhere noted
for their immoralities and indecen-
ClcS-Iicu WIOill i Wuuiu uOt dtiOW 10
associate with my wife or daughters
That does not speak very well of her
Christian character" What could say
could answer nothing. Good men
and good women. as rule. do not
make companions OF bad men and bad
women. And yet today that is just
what some of us are doing for social
preferment Like the Scotchman who
risked his physical life by climbing the
smooth rocks of the Half Dome or
like that reckless climber who the
other day lost his life when crawling
along the edge of FL Captain in old
Yosemite. some of us are risking our
good names by associating with evil
companions and people OF unsavory
reputation with whom we are seen on
the street and In social gatherings.
But the narrow lodges Of social
heights on which many men and wom-
en- foolishly risk their good names are
not nearly as many or as narrow or as
high as the dizzy and dangerous lodges
along which some men are ready to
risk their good names In order to win
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