I must be careful with whom I 'hang' ... I should seriously note the two promises in this proverb... "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm" (Prov. 13:20).
We must remember the power of influence! Example is a most effective teacher. One day a distinguished nobleman called on Josiah Wedgwood, maker of the famous Wedgwood pottery, and asked to see his factory. Mr. Wedgwood and one of his employees, a boy about fifteen year old, accompanied the well-known man through the factory, showing him the processes of making pottery. The nobleman was a man of somewhat reckless life. Before long it appeared that he was an atheist. His conversation was witty and entertaining, but his humor was accompanied by profanity and jests about sacred Bible names and subjects. At first the young fellow was shocked by the guest's irreverence, but soon be became fascinated by his jokes and laughed heartily at them. After they had gone through the factory, Mr. Wedgwood dismissed the boy and, selecting a beautiful vase of unique pattern, told his guest how much time and care were required to make it. The nobleman was charmed with its exquisite shape, its rare coloring, its picturesque designs, and reached out his hand to take it. Just then, Mr. Wedgwood let it fall to the floor , and it broke into a hundred pieces. The nobleman uttered an angry oath. "I wanted that vase for my collection," he said. "No art can restore what you have ruined by your carelessness." "My friend," replied Wedgwood, "There are other ruined things, more precious than this, which can never be restored. You can never give back to that boy who has just left us the reverence for sacred things which has been his. For years his parents have tried to teach him such. You have undone their labor in less than half an hour."
I say, example is a most effective teacher, for good or evil!
-dick christen
