Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-12-18
HOW TO GUIDE CHILDREN.

III. ooiln DTOWnS llttlo BOOK or
" Health has more good advice in il
than is often crowded into such small
compass, and no parent can read il
without receiving suggestions he will
remember, and put to worthy practice
III the home circle. There arc some
wise hints in the following par,
agraphs
Whatever you wish your child To
be, be it yourself. If you wish it to
be happy, healthy, sober, truthful. af-
fectionate, honest and godly, be your
self all these. If you wish it to be
lazy, sulky, and liar, and thief, and
a drunkard, and swearer, be your
self all these. As the old cock crows
the young cock learns. You will re-
member who said, 'Train up a child
in the way he should GO, and when he
is old he will not depart from il, And
you may, as a general rule, as soon
expect to gather grapes from thorns,
and figs from thistlcs, as get good,
healthy, happy children from diseased,
and lazy, and wicked parents.
"Be always frank and open with
your children. Make them trust yon.
and tell you all their secrets. Make
them feel at ease with you, and make
free with them. There are no such
good playthings for grown up chill.
drcn like you and me, as reans, wee
ones. 1t is wonderful what you can
get them to do with little coaxing
and fun. You all know this as well
as do, and you will practice it every
day in your own families. Here is a
pleasant little story ont of an old
book: y gentleman having led
company of children beyond their
usual journey, they began to get wea-
ry, and all cried to him to carry them
on his back, but because of then mul-
titude he could not not do this. 'Bnt,'
says he, I'll get horses for us all -
then cutting little wands ont of the
hedge as ponies for them, and great
stake as a charger for himself, this
put mettle in their little legs, and they
rode cheerly home So much for a
oit OF ingenious iun.
"One thing, however poor you are,
you can give your children, and that
is, your prayers, and they are, if real
and humble, worth more than silver
or gold, more than food and clothing,
and we have often brought from the
Father who is in heaven, and hears
our prayers, both money, and meat,
and clothes, and all worldly good
things. And there is one thing YOU
not y6urscTI nnuN rru~ rJ5 iit,l.- -o..,-...,.
and therefore you may not be able to
teach your children how to do these
things; you may not know the names
OF the stars or their geography, and
may, therefore, not be able to tell them
how far you are from the sun, or how
big the moon is; nor be able to tell
them the way TO Jerusalem or Aus
tralia but you may always be able
to tell them who made the sun, aud
moon and stars, and numbered them,
and you may tell them the road to |
heaven. Iou may always teach them
to pray. Some weeks ago was taken
out to see the mother of little child !
She was very dangerously i'll, and
the nurse had left the child to come
and help me. | went up to the nur-
scry to get some hot water and in
the child's bed saw something raised
up. This was the little fellow under
the bcd-clothes, kneeling. | said:
"Whlt are you doing 2"
al am praying to God to make
mamma BETTER said he.
God likes these little prayers and
these little people--for of such is the
kingdom Of heaven. These are His
little ones, His lambs, and He hears
their cry and it is enough if they on
ly lisp their prayers. Abba Father
is all he needs; and our pra yers are
never SO truly prayers as when they
are most like childrcn's in simplicity,
in dircctness, in perfect fullness of re-
lance"