Democratic messenger., 1908-04-25
he said: flush. charleyl Hushi Your

ne Hniu. HUSH. Charley! HUSH! Your
mother Is very sick. Let me undress
you and hear you say your prayers"
Then you remember as he kissed you
good night he left tear on your lips
You remember during that night you
did not sleep wink Aye. she had an
awfully close call II she had died.
where would you be mentally spirit
ually aud physically today Yes. your
Christian mothers life hung on the
balance that night 1t was spared TO
Have you been thankfui for that es.
cape: Today we should not only thank
God for saving our own lives, but also
for saving the lives 0f those upon
whom our early mental and spiritual
development was dependent And
they escaped al. safe to land "
The Right Fraternity
But after we eft the Old homestead
and started Uut 70 make our own way
IN the world then again we had mar
row mora aud spiritual escapes As
We look back at those escapes today
We shudder IN horror As we weigh
cnrefully the conditions then we know
that We escaped our spiritual deaths
as II were. 10y the narrowest margin
oh. how close We were 10 being wreck
ed on the rocks of temptation and sin!
We were rs close rs were the inmates
OF the AleXandrian corn ship on the
day she went 20 pieces on the shoals
Perhaps that narrow moral and spirit
ual ESCAPE occurred Oh the day you left
home for college The goodbys had
been said You were out of your moth
cr's sight and beyond the sound of your
fathers voice for the first time You
had 10 choose your associates. This
ana that college fraternity were open
To YOU. The classes were pretty clear
ly defined one fraternity was com
posed of drinking dissolute young men
Another was composed OF steady. stu
dlous moral students With which
would yon associate yourself? While
you we're h"stutng some old school
friend came 20 YOU and warned you
against the fast set ana persuaded you
To unite with the godly men AS you
look back upon your past life. before
God you can say that next 10 yonr
mothers prayers that advice OF your
old school friend was the most impor-
tant talk OF your life Your whole
spiritual future was affected 10y the de-
cislon you made on that night when
under his influence YOU decided the
fraternity fellowship question
or perhaps yonr moral and spiritual
escape was like that Of the man who
some years ago WAS addressing a
great religious meeting in the city Of
Boston. 1T was a dark night said
the speaker. when three Young men
were passing down the street OF an
eastern city. Their steps quickened as
they came near 10 a house of evil re-
sort When the doorbell was ruug one
of these young men hesitated He
turned and said Boys. am not going
In am going back Scared, are
YOU said his two companions Yes,
answered the young man. I am scared.
The two companions tried to persuade
the falteriug one 10 20 In He almost
yielded He went even TO the tlresh
old: then he turned and broke away
aud ran back to his boarding house
and threw himself on his knees and
thanked God for saving him from fall
Ing" Then the speaker, addressing his
audience said Friends. two Of these
young men entered the house OF evil
resort that night Those two young
mems bodies now lie in dishonored
drunkards graves The third young
man. who almost entered that evil
house and turned and ran away that
night, gave his heart TO God and en-
tered the gospel ministry and is now
addressing you" oh, we men and wo-
men. have your moral and spiritual
escapes been so narrow as that? Thank
God today that, like the passengers on
the Alexaudran corn ship You have
escaped Again and again you have
morally ami spiritually escaped safe TO
land.
The lnsratitude Of the Sailors.
But there are two other facts TO
which | wish TO call your attention In
reference TO these soldiers and sailors
escaping from the wrecked Alexandrian
corn ship The first was the behavior