Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1906-12-14

come a time when she will begin to
associate with young men whose repu-
tations are not what they ought to be.
The influence OF the one class on the
other is just as sure in its results as
that the midnight darkness follows the
twilight glow. Then when the call of
love comes into the young maiden's
heart, instead OF going and telling her
best friend, her mother, all about IL.
she VIII keep the secret concealed In
her own heart or perhaps she will con-
Tide I'm her school friend. who is herself
girl of whose friendship with their
daughter the parents do not approve.
Cannot you hear the two young girls
talking about this love In their hours of
friendly intercourse? Then comes the
marriage. Perhaps 1t is an elopement.
Then what follows? Inevitably an un-
happy and an unholy home. Cannot
you see the worried look In the face
OF the young wife? Cannot you count
there many wrinkles? Cannot you see
the hair prematurely whiten? Cannot
you hear the church bell toll the fu-
neral dirge as the poor wife's body is
carried to its early grave? What is
the matter? Why did she die? "Oh,"
you answer, "she died of a broken
heart. She had a good for nothing.
worthless husband. He abused her.
He killed her" All. my friend, that
Is not the direct cause OF that young
,wife's death. She prematurely died
because In her young school DAYS she
made friends with young girls whose
associates her father and mother did
NOT Conntinn
was the direct result of not then Civ
Ing her parents her confidence. No
daughter. no son. should make friends
independent of the parental sanction.
And why should you young people
not introduce your friends to your par
ents? Are your fathers and mothers
foolishly jealous? Like a miser. do
they wish to keep you from loving
any one else or associating with any
other people but themselves? II you
make the right kind OF friends, are
they not glad? Is their home a prison
of solitary confinement? When YOU,
as loving son, would bring home a
desirable friend does not your mother
always have place for him at the
table? Does she ot always gladly
welcome your boyhood associates?
Why should houeybee live with
wasps and serpents when she can have
the companionship of other bees in
the maternalhive? Can q dove have her
wings covered with silver and her
feathers with yellow gold when In the
befouled company OF buzzards she Is
roasting upon carbon? Neither can a
child lead pure life and grow spir-
itually strong and come to an honored
old age when her associates IRE the
bestial and the impure and the bad.
To the right kind OF friends thy Chris
tian parents are always ready to ex-
tend glad, loving home greeting.
Beware. o young man. when thy as
sociates cannot be the friends of thy
father and thy mother.
Bct our young people should not
stop here In yielding their wills to the
parental guidance. They should be
willing to press toward the prizes OF
the high callings of life which their
parents are continually holding up be-
fore their eyes. They should be will
ing to do rs young William Pitt did
when his father, the great Earl of
Chatham, came TO him and said: evil
liam, you should not be satisfied with
going through life as an ordinary man.
You should say: i am going 20 fit my
self to be the prime minister of Eng
land. j am going TO fit myself to gov
ern great nation. / am going TO ct
myself to be potent factor in settling
the international politics OF Europe.
Therefore l will put aside all desires
which will swerve me from my main
purpose OF life. and L will study, study,
study. j will work, work, work, and I
Will never be satisfied until 1 achieve
that end" My friends, when our bows
and girls start out with n great and q
noble purpose In life and at the same
time If they will carefully look after
their physical health they are travel
ing the surest road to n long life OF
earthly influence
There is a mistaken idea abroad that
hard mental labor will shorten our
lives Some of the longest lived men
have been men OF intense mental an
plication. Goethe, Palmerston, Glad
stone, Dlsraeli. Mommsen, Michael An
gelo, Hugo. Humboldt, Isaac Newton,
the Herschels, both father and son.
and hosts OF others whom I might
name, all lived to be old. These men
not only lived TO be old, but they were
continually branching out into new
fields OF mental labor clear I'D TO the
end. Just few months before Han
nah More's death she started a new
work. After she had started it she
wrote to her old friend wilberforce
these words: ''The night cometh. But
1t Is a comfort to me to think that
though 1 may be dust and ashes with
In a few weeks, yet by that time this
business will be in actual motion"
When the death angel perched at the
study doors OF thousands upon thou-
sands OF our great men and women he |
always found them busy. And me-
thinks he postponed calling many Of |
them for years because the very in
tensity OF their work not only kent
them at their tasks. but kept their |
physical faculties bright and active.
There is no power this side of heaven
which will make a man triumnb over
ms physical ailments and overcome his |
troubles and trials so surely as the in |
spiration of some high purpose of life |
which Will never allow him one mo- |
ment TO cease labor What, sick. Liga- |
rius?" said Brutus to his friend in the |
great Shakespearean tragedy. "No,
Brutus," answered Ligarius to the as |
sassin of Caesar. eff thou hast any |
noble enterprise on hand am WELL"
That means, "Oh, Brutus, If thou hast |
some work for me to do-some worthy |
prize for me to strive after-that high |
aim of life Will rouse my tagging ener-
giles and can do the WORK of n T,,a-+p,