Am I too earnest about this? Am I saying too much? Oh, boys, young men, if you knew the frightful danger that you may be in some day, the subtle temptations that will beset you, the many instances of weakness about you, the shipwrecks of character, the utter ruin that comes to sisters and to innocent wives and children by the crimes of brothers, husbands and fathers, as we who are older know, you would not wonder that I speak as I do. Every case of breach of trust, every defalcation, weakens confidence in human character. For every such instance of wrong-doing is a stab at _your_ integrity if you are in a position of trust. Men of the fairest reputation, men who are trusted implicitly by their employers, men who are hedged about by the sacredness of domestic ties, on whom the happiness of helpless wives and innocent children depend, men who claim to be religious, go astray, step by step, little by little; they defraud, steal, lie, try to cover up their tracks, cannot do it long, are caught, tried, convicted, sentenced and imprisoned. Then the question may be asked about you or me: “How do we know that Mr. So-and-So is any better than those who have fallen?” Don’t you see that these culprits are enemies of the public confidence, enemies of society, _your_ enemies and _mine_? If the names of those who are now serving out their sentences in the public prisons for stealing, not petty theft, but stealing and defrauding in larger sums, could be published in to-morrow morning’s papers, what a sad record it would be of dishonored names and blighted lives and ruined homes, and how the memory would recall some whom we knew in early youth, the pride of their parents, or the idol of fond wives and lovely children; and we should turn away with sickening horror from the record! But, if there should appear in the same papers the names of those who are _now engaged in stealing and defrauding_ and _falsifying entries_, who are not yet caught, but who may, before this year is out, be caught and convicted and punished, what a horrible revelation _that_ would be! * * * * * I close abruptly, for I cannot keep you longer. But do not think that it is for your future in _this_ life only that I am concerned. Life does not end here, though it may seem to do so. Our life in this world is a mere _beginning_ of existence. It is the _future_, the _endless_ life before us, that we should prepare for; and no preparation is worth the name except that of a pure, an upright and honorable life, that depends for its support on the love and the fear of God. You must accept him as your Father, you must honor him and obey him, and so consecrating your young lives to his service, trust him to care for you with his infinite love and care. [Illustration: _William Welsh._] ON THE DEATH OF WILLIAM WELSH, _First President of the Board of City Trusts_.