Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1905-07-15

came up to view the enemy's posltlon
II you are willing to face danger here
should be willing to do So" Il am
here for duty's sake" answered sher
man. "I am not here for curiosity
You have no right to uselessly risR
your life. Go below at once. You art
doing no good here whatever" what
General William L. Sherman said to
that chaplain say to you with your
children depending upon you, with
your store depending upon you, witD
your church. in one sense, depending
upon you You have no right to run
any usel"~ physical risks.
Foolish Risks.
But though this truth should be axi-
omatlc. 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 | stood
in Yosemite park, looking upon the
great Half Dome, rising nearly o,OOc
feet from the valley below. There Is
trail running up to within three or four
hundred Seet Of the summit. Then the
rocE ascenCn alBoek prpsndiculafly 10
the top. AS | stood LOCKING at that
height gentleman told me that In
1879 n SeOtchman made up his mind
be would ascend to the top OF the Hair
Dome. To ascend 1t would do no one
any good. 1t would only endanger his
own life. But ascend 1t he would. So
| he went and got lot Of iron pegs. lie
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 al
last, after days Of weary work, he
stood upon 'that which Is high" "Oh,
I said to nysef 'hOw like the foolish
actions Of that man are some OF our
actionsl We risk our physical lives FOR
nothing. Down at the seashore we
swim away out beyond the life lines to
make people think we are braYe We &c
fishing in cranky boats. We climb
dangerous heights. We ride fractious
horses. We rln needless risks to benefit
no one" Avoid tkat which Is high
Be wise. and shun foolish and reckless
physical dangers. Lovingly cautious
should we be in reference to our phys
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'
.Hotse Fair" be than the wood which
f.hdis the canvas Of the great French
l:fAaal painter? II the setting OF
level Is valuable, how much more val
uable must be the "Pitt diamond,
which flashed from the golden hilt OF
the court sword which Napoleon l
wore on the day Of his coronationF 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 t(
his fellow men as well as to himself
And yet Just think how quickly some
are ready to risk their good names al
well az their physical existence!
Danger of Bad Associations.
In the first place, for a mere socia
preferment, they are ready to risl
their good names by evil associations
Men and women are always judged b!
the associates they have. You know
this fact as we'll as l know it. Yol
cannot get around that statement Th'
other day the name OF a young lad!
whom I was very anxious to have 1oiI
our church came up. Again and agaii
I have said: "Is 1t not too bad ina
Miss So-and-so does not join ou
church and become a good Christian
worker? She seems to be such MIC
girl" A church officer Of mine said
"Well. do not know whether she Is
nice girl or no, but one thing l d'
know. she associates with men aDou
this town who are everywhere note'
for their immorallties and indecen
cies-men whom / would not allow L
associate with my wife or daughters
That does not speak very well OF he
, Christian character" Whatcould say
could answer nothing. Good mel
} and good women, as a rule, do no
make companions of bad men and ba'
women. Aad yet today that Is jus
what some of We are doing for socia
preferment. Like the ScOtchnan VIII
risked his physical life by climbing tn
smooth rocks of the Half Dome o
. like that reckless climber who tn
: other day lost his life when crawlin
along the edge Of FL Captain In oil
, Yosemite, some of US are risking ou
good names by associating with ey
companions and people Of unsavor
J reputation with whom we are seen o
the street and in social gatherings.
| But the narrow ledges Of socis
heights on which many men and won
: en- foolishly risk their good names ar
not nearly as many or as narrow or
| high as the dizzy and dangerous ledge
J along which some men are ready I
, risk their good names In order to WI
a prize Of gold. Where there is on
man who Is ready to risk his goo
: name for social success there are tel
twenty, fifty - aye, a hundred - me
] who are ready to risk their good name
t for financial success. And those me
> are often ready to risk their goo
4 names when these names are the
Y only capital in life.
$ Oh, my friends, never allow you
: good name to be linked to shad
I financial enterprise. Never trifie wit
: your good name by walking along
t dangerous ledge on which your FEE
g might slip and you may be precipitate
e into the abyss Of disgrace. My fatht
8 many years ago impressed this RAJ
: upon my mind. He said: MY son, o
= minister OF the gospel, in all prob;
9 bility you will never be financial
e wealthy, but on account Of your goo
: name, unless you are careful, SON
Int