Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-01-13
The Gospel of " Don't"

DON'T do that" is almost the only
| exclamation which you hear falling from
the lips of parents in some homes. In
apologizing for their children and them
selves such parents will frequently say:
/ can't see why my boys are SO bad.
I'm sure [ constantly check them for their
badness, but it does no good
Certain teachers are very much like
| these parents, and ought to be called
don't teachers" because the sum and
substance of their effects is prohibitory
and not productive. All such persons
need to learn that " the gospel of DON'T"
which is about all they teach, will not
produce any of the good fruits which are
SO needful in every life. Destroy weeds
ever so thoroughly, and, if you stop there
and fail to plant good seed of some kind,
they will soon spring up with renewed
vigor. A boy or girl must do something,
The restless activities of his or her nature
will push IN some direction. 1t is the part
of the wise parent and teacher to guide
this impulse in the right direction, rather
than to leave it to push as it pleases and
then repress it.
! There is place and an important use
for ''don't'' in training the young. We
find it in the law of God, who says
Thou shalt not'' very often. This is the
rod by which until there are higher mo-
tives the child must be restrained from
wrong doing. Don't" is well enough as
present check to some evil doing, but
after such check from wrong there should
be an immediate impulse to what is praise
worthy.
1t is strange that so many protesting
Christians seem to have no higher gospel
than the gospel of don't" 1t is not
strange that such persons invariably make
such an utter failure in securing anything
good or noble by their efforts Encour-
agement is no less important than restraint;
and, if one or the other of these is to be
cast aside, we would rather risk the aban-
Comment of the latter.
There are but two ways, right doing and
wrong doing. There is no third way of
doing nothing. If such course could be
taken, it would run alongside of wrong
doing. Satan soon picks up the idler, and
leads him off in the road of the wrong
doer." The life Of Gods law is summed
up in positive precepts: Thou shalt love
the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
thy neighbor as myself" All prohibitory
enactments, ''don't steal, don't kill, don't
lie,'' ETC., are but as hedges to shut US up
to the direct way Of love. The life of re-
ligion is oftentimes well-nigh killed out in
young hearts by the unwise and improper
use CT " DON'T
You would never put high strung and
spirited young horse into the hands of one
to train who would use the whip from
morning to night upon him, especially if
he would make the use of the whip sub
stitute for good food and kindly care The
child must have his moral nature fed and
strengthened, as we'll as restrained.
" Don't'' is good as a rod and restraint,
but it will not do as a substitute for food.
If you are determined to press your child
into the service of God, gently, resolutely
and irresistibly say: Come this way!"
The Don't go that way any fartherI' is
included in this. Backbone is good
thing | admit that backbone is essential
to man but nobody wants man who is
all backbone and nothing else. There
must be f1esh-soft and warm and sympa-
thizing-on the bones, or else they will be
of but little use.
The gospel of don't' is the mere skel-
eton of the Gospel of Christ, and people
want the living man and the living Cos
pei, not the mere skeleton. Don't make
your teachings of the Gospel consist of
"don't,'' or the results, both to yourself
and to others, will bring bitter disappoint-
ment-W. I. WyZte, TN the Sunday
Teachers Treasury.