St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-10-10
Should Children Play on sundayP

81 hate Sunday" Have you evel
heard child say it? / have; neither
could / find it in my heart to reprove
him. Poor, lonesome little darling He
was told on Saturday to ''put away all
of his playtings, for tomorrow would
be Sunday !" And now he has nothing
to do but wander about and wish Sun
day was Over-that it would not come
so often.
"Mamma, have | honOred you much
to-day ?" asked child. "Why do you
ask, child 2" because this is one of the
longest days ever saw, and the Bible
says, Honor thy father and thy mother
that thy days may be long,"
1t is sad to know that children are
not the only persons who consider days
Iona spent in serving God.
Should children play on Sunday ?
Yes. What With playthings? Yes.
At this rate will not observance of the
Sabbath soon be custom of the past Z
A dislike for the Sabbath in the hearts
of children is certainly an unprOmising
basis for its continuance. Liberty, not
license, is what is needed, and the flu
ture American citizens can learn at no
better time than in childhood to wisely
discriminate between liberty and Ii
cense.
Perhaps play with God in it is one
of the ways in which His praise shall be
perfected out of the mouths of babes
and stockings. One day a mother
missed the usual clatter of her two little
darIings, and knowing that they were
in the adjoining room, she stepped soft
I'll, eli al
Little Wilbur and Allie had stopped in
the midst of their play and were kneel-
ing together by a chair, thanking God
RI their playthings, each ~ name.
ihey turhod occasi~-''ffy 10 LOOK at
them so that nothing should be for
gotten.
There is n right and wang Wav of
doing everything, so there is right
and wrong way to play on the Sabbath.
just here lies the special duty of the
mother or elder sister. Clement P,
only ten years old, made a game of
Bible authors TO play with on Sabbath
day. W., has a game of Ostrander's
Oriental buildings blocks, with which
the tabernacle and other edifices men,
toned in the bible can be built. Little
Emma - has a picture puzzle of
Christ blessing little children. Every
child has, or can have, Noah's ark,
which could be set up while stories of
NOah's faithfulness and Gods provi-
dences were being told. 1t is good
thing to keep Sunday playthings out of
sight through the week, so that the chill
dren may have fresh interest in them.
| should not object myself to a minia-
ture Sunday school, with dolls for pu-
pills and little Chatterbox for teacher
Children need the mother OF elder sis
ter to direct their thoughts into proper
channels. They need a guide in this
as well as in all other things. 1t takes
time and effort to do this, and the older
people want to rest or read on Sabbath
day. Should they thus follow their own
desires and neglect one of the most
urgent duties of the home in Gods
sight, that is, teaching the children to
love and enjoy His day.
A mother, who realizes her duty in
this matter, has written the following :
GOTTEN on pleasant Sabbath after
moons, after Sabbath school and church
are over, we gather under the trees
with the green turf for seats. There we
love to linger until twilight deepens
into darkness, reading from religious
papers, or from what the little ones
love best, Gods holy word, for the sim
pie story of our Saviour's life never
ceases to interest, and the men, Moses,
Joshua and Samuel, are real heroes to
them. The songs we sing, Tell me the
old, old story and Shall we gather at
the riverT will linger in my ear long
after these little ones have gone forth
to fight alone the great life battle. Who
knows but in some hour of temptation
their minds will revert to these holy
happy hours, and this remembrance
will make them strong to choose the
right