Childrens’ Column.

Te Aroha News, Volume XXII, Issue 42790, 12 October 1905, Page 2

Childrens’ Column.

[Written expressly for this paper.] FOR THE BOYS. Whatsoever a man soweth, That shall he also reap. There is no better illustration of the above fact than in the case of the murderer Brassi, the assassin of King Humbert of Italy? - He was sentenced to imprisonment for life, land this punishment in Italy means a living entombment, an existence so replete in physical and mental torture that one would prefer death first. ' _ ' Brassi is condemned to a life of absolute solitude, silence and inactivity. He will see no one but bis gaoler and tbat only at rare intervals. He will pass liis days in the secret cell, a narrow pen just large enough to. hold him, while added torture is afforded him in the straight jacket, a bag to sleep in, or starvation. The food is given him only once a day, and he'will neither read, write,. .smoke or work. Absolute silence and absolute idleness. Very few live long, they either go mad or die.

Dear boys, take warning: “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” What are you sowing just now? You know. He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption, but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life ingin 95 cases out of 100, it is evil companions coupled with drink that have been the cause of the ruin of many a lad. Go to a well-filled prison where confession is readily made, and you will find—from old offenders against law; from young women who were once beautiful, but who are now brazenfaced ; from youths and boys just entering on a career of sin—nearly all will tell you that their downfall has been through evil companionship. Many will tell you that they were Sunday school attendants and members of some church. They began to think they were too big for Sunday school. “May it please the Court,” said the 'young man who was just about to be sentenced, “ Bad company has been my ruin. I had the best of fathers and the truest of mothers, but in the face of all their entreaties and ! advice I chose evil I companions. I have nothing to plead in justification, except that I am very sorry.” And for years and years he must sit behind prison bar's. My son when sinners entice thee, Consent thou not; Resist the devil and he Will flee from thee.

One cannot always he a hero, but one can always be a man, and it would he heroic for a man or a hoy to say: “I cannot go with you, I cannot indulge in this sin.” Multitudes are behind prison walls to day from every walklof life because of dishonesty. “ How did you go wrong ?” was asked of a youth who was ashamed of his position. “It began with my stealing sugar, then pennies, and this led to my altering a cheque and I have been three times in prison.” • Every third man in prison confesses that he is there owing to intemperance. It touches all classes of people —men, women, hoys and girls. We looked once into the face of a beautiful young girl, once loved by mother and petted by father, who gave promise of filling a high and honourable position, but there she sat in prison, her life blighted, her prospects all gone, because she loved strong drink, which|had turned her into a demon. Oh ! the sinfulness of sin. Be sure your sin will find you out and you will then receive its wage —death. Even in this life we find the way of transgressors to he hard. Every person with whom we have oonversed on the topic agrees that a life of sin does not pay. I call upon you hoys to give up sin and seek Christ, because you will surely reap the harvest. And not only will you suffer, hut you will cause others to suffer with you. The saddest sight that ever moved me was to see mothers in daily anguish of soul over their disobedient and profligate children, and wives whose hearts were broken, and homes wrecked and family disgraced owing to drunkenness.

A young man, the son of a -wealth}' merchant, after drinking - freely, was seize! with delirium tremens in an hotel. His friends came to see him, but hardly understood his ravings. At last, under the paroxysms of this terrible disease, he started from his be! crying “ Hold me ! hold me ! and dashed out of the window. In the street, amid broken glass, they found him, mangled and bruised, his pocr spirit fluttering against the bars of his crippled body. Deliriums were now gone, his face pale as ashes. He clenched his fingers as if he would press the nails into his flesh, and with the ferocity of a tiger, ere his enfeebled spirit passed away, he shrieked: “ Why did you not hold me?” Why indeed, did they pot hold him ! No power on earth could hold him then. But when as a boy, he stood at his mother’s side, why did she not hold him ? When, as a boy, he sat on his father’s knee, with liis arms around his neck, and his face against his cheek, why did he not hold him ? When he was in Sunday school, and the teacher had a hold of him, why did he or she not hold him?