The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-10-30
Children nc Church.

i had happy chIldhood,' writes
henry Crabb Robinson. The only
suffering recollect was the restraint
Imposed upon me on Sundays, especial.
~ being forced 70 go twice 10 meeting,
an Injurious practice, l Rm satisfied.
once recollect being whipped by my
mother for being naughty ut meeting.
A sad preparation for religious Hep
A sad preparation indeed. How INTEL
llgent parents reconcile themselves to
nursery SabbatarianIsm is a thing not
easily understood. The most tractable
children show perversity and a re.
serve Of latent nauRhtiness under the
Sunday discipline which are entirely
absent during the week time; and, ex-
cept, on the principle OF doing evil that
GOOD may come, 1t would be hard to
hnd single argument In support Of
the system. In the first place, let US
consider the effect of compulsory
church-goIng on the moral and spirits
ual nature OF childhood. Children are
naturally religious; they take kind
~ TO religious teaching when
It Is of a cheerful and whole
some kind; they love q little mys-
terry, and at the same time have an I'M
bounded hunger and thirst after dry
facts. Thus devotional exercise attracts
them, and Biblical narrative affords
endless wonder and delight. But II
anything Ia calculated TO damp the ar.
dor and warp the aspirations OF fresh
young minds, 1t is the dreary formal.
ism to which they are condemned, part.
~ by mistaken zeal and partly by Gus.
tom' The mlseries OF Juvenile Sab
bath do not end With the Church service.
MOST likely some nAughtiness or mat.
tention during the sorrowful ordeal
have entailed the punishment OF 30
many collects to be learned or Scrip.
ture questions TO be answered, aud
what ought TO be day of rest and hap.
piness is turned Into day OF fault and
retrioutton. Surprising, however, that
the conscientious parents or govern
esseS are satisfied with the mornings
behavior, II does not follow that the
childB paths are 10 be the paths OF
pleasantness throughout the rest OF the
day. -
Religious books, so called, are dry
reading. Luckily, some publishers
have hit upon the clever expedIeut Of
giving magazines Of a lay character
religious titles, by which means pa.
rents minds are set at ease, and the
sunday burden OF many youthful
shoulder Is made lighter. Making,
however, very liberal allowance for
THIS or any other distraction, the sew
enth day OF the week generally hap
pens TO be the saddest and the least
productive Of good influences to the
best disposed children. And how does
the question affect parents? The re-
port Is not satisfactory. Fathers and
mothers who think seriously on the
subject OF early religious teaching are
forced to acknowledge the inadequacy
OF the present system.
we have lastly to consider the third
party concerned In the attendance Of
children at church, namely, the clergy
man. Except very young curates whose
nervousness forbids them bestowinR
any heeds to their congregation what.
ever, we fancy few clergymen could
not get on better without the conscious.
ness OF juvenile auditory. They feel
compelled TO take account Of these
young listeners now and then, and pet
cannot preach a sermon that should be,
from beginning to end, within the COM
pass OF child's mind. The painful
conclusion 10 brought home to many a
good mans mind RfLer the long morn.
Ing service, that the little ones of his
HOOK have come unwillingly, and have
gone away unedlfed. Now, 1t seems to
US that very simple and practical
remedy is at hand for all this dtscom-
Tort on the one hand, and dissatIsfac-
lion on the other. In some parishes
monthly service for children Ia
performed, lasting about an hour, and
III every way adapted 10 q youth
lul congregation. Why can not
this custom be extended? Surely II
would be easy to give short service
on alternate Sunday afternoons go as
10 provide for all the young In the dis.
trict: Such an arrangement might
prove especially salutatry among the
poor. Many working man would
give up questionable amusements for
the sake o taking his children 10 church:
and, II the service were simplified,
children would go TO church with glad
ness Again, the association Of chill.
oren OF all classes under such circum>
stances could have but humanizlng
eneot upon their minds, thus knitting
rich and poor by the common tie OF
Christian fellowship and love: A few
easy prayers and hymns, and short
discourse illustrative OF the history OF
the Old Testament and OF the ethics Of
the New, would be all sufficient for the
service; but we have not space to dwell
upon this point. We are chiefly con.
cerned with the existence fan absurd
theory, which proposes to build up
iaith, hope, and charity on SUPER
structure OF Indifference. disgust and
self>deCeption,-Pdn Mall Gazette,