Year: 1867




No. 5---ObstacIes.


Young men, you have, at least
tho most Of you, been accustomed
from your earliest rccollections to
hear good advice. You have had
line upon line, and precept upoO
preccpt, which, if you had kept
faithfully, you would all Of you be
very good and exemplary young
gentlemen. It il not 90 with all
Of you, reer ito have 20 say. /
am not going to plead excuses for
you, exactly; nor palliate your de-
linquencies; because, at last every
one of you will stand naked before
the tribunal of the world in your
individual responsibilities. TIS
world is not going TO inquire what
your opportunities have been, nor
the obstacles you have had TO sur
mount; it expects that you are TO
be something without any reference
at all as 10 how you came to be
something


l am going TO point out what you
have to conflict with, and to say,
that you must alone, aud nearly
entirely unaided, procure your own
triumphs. First, say to you, lot
at all that you are TO take it as an
excuse for your failings, that you
have had very much more precept
than example. Your elders have
told you what you should do, and
warned You against what you should
not do; but they themselves have
continually failed to do the first,
and shamclessly done the latter.
before your faces, thus neutralizing
all their preaching, and at the same
time prompting you with bad ex.
amples. This is done in q thou
sand ways, and everywhere, in the
ordinary affairs Of life. Your guar.
dams thus show that they think
you should manifest more good
sense than themselves; or they for,
get that all the preaching in the
world is, or will be, aborlive, in the
absecce Of practical example.


You are thrown out on the wide
sea of human life. You will not
find everything friendly TO your
prosperity. You will not find eve
rybody ready TO take you by the
hand and lead you forward on the
higher and better ways Of life
You will find that almost every
body wants something from you
more than you get from them; al
least they want your patronage
your spare change. They will want
all the money you have, or car
earn, If they can devise ways
enough to get it without actually
thrusting their hands into your
pockets. You walk the streets o.
your village, or city, and on The
main street, and some that ain't
main, almost every third door you
come TO opens 20 a drinking saloon
There is something there to suit
the taste ofeverybody, from a stick
Of candy to cigars and tobacco
strong beer and alcoholic drinks
You have been told over and over
not 10 90 near such places. Yoo
have been told that a glass Of beer
prepares the way for whisky and
brandy; aud that the use of tobacco
stimulates people mp to the craving
of intoxicating drinks. You know
nothing about it. You are heed
less; but you are greatly surprised
when you euter to see, if not your
own actual father, many other faith
ers; some of them church members
at that, drinking bcer, or something
stronger, or buying their tobacco
Ifyou are sensible young mar
you leave with feelings of disgust
but many do not: many are led or
to be drUnkards. Some marry
girls that ought to have had goot
husbands; and bring them and sew
eral children to degradation an,
want.


The language Of your seniors a
expressed by their passive and ac
tive lives, is, ",re ,Cdnt these drink
ing establishments among us, thougf
they shall cost US more in The aIti
mate than all our tdreS besides.
Since, then, those who so oft tel
you bow you should walk do no
steer the engines of destruction ou
of your way, you must put your
self on your manhood and stee
past them; there is no other way
These institutions are lawless; bu
they will be continued. 1t is on
of the quasi-legal ways Of getting
money, which the requirements Q
society make it necessary every
body should get. All persons 9
age cooperating could clear ther
away, but they will not. They wi
therefore 60 on. DELTA.