Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1880-01-29
Sundays Exercisess--Two Prac-
tical Sermons.
BAPTIST CHURCH

Proverbs, Chapter Sxii, verse 6: "Train up
child in tho way he should 60 and whom he il
old he will not depart from it," Aftor ad.
mitting that we havo made great progress
during tho last century in practical know.
ledge and the scionces, no beloved that in
many rospecto We had resrograded from thu,
sound wisdom which Solomon possessed
Solomon perhrps know much leas of the
sciences Of geology, astronomy, mathematics,
&c., than como in tho house, but he possessed
| wisdom and understanding and his teachings,
If followed, would tend largely to the decrease
Of crime and tho mora! elevation Of tho hu.,
man race. 10 train up our children properly
is ono of the first md highest duties We owe
to Cod for in childhood Tho character and
aspirations Of tho future man or woman
are fashioned for good OF evil Tho infant
mind is tender and susceptible. Tho good
and evil tendencies Of the heart are in cqui-
librium and then, moro than at any other
period Of life, should the passions and appe-
tites bo restrained, and tho virtues Of love
and pioty and veneration DO encouraged
Tho eternal happiness or msory Of tho chill
is to great degree determined by early
training. In the ncxt place wo owo to our
country tho proper training Of our children,
for thus only can wo feel assured of thoir
becoming good and yirtuous citizens. The
primary rights Of life, liberty and property
can be most surely preserved by bringing up
our children in the nurture and admonition of
the Lord. In this way, too, can We best
preserve peace and order, curb or eradicate
entirely crimo, save expensive taxation result
ing from crime, and truly enjoy lifo under
our own vino and fgrce without fear or
molostation from any ono. lIo believed that
in most cases Of orin,o committed by mon Or
boys tho root and cause could DO traced 10
tho failure Of the patents to properly trnn up
their children, and to n great degree they arc
morally, if not legally, responsible equally
with the actual criminal lie referred briefly
to the jaila Of this and adjoining counties and
pointed to his text if faithfully ind prayer
fally followed, rs the true aid suro remedy
for this doplorablc state of things. lie
stated farther that the proper training of our
children was duty we owed to tho child as
we'll as to ourselves. The child may natu
rally have violent passions. 1t knows little
Of the duties responsibilities, dangers and
temptations Of mans estate. aud hence cannot
realize tho necessity Of striving to restrain
these inherited tendencies. If the parent
lets the child have its own way these passions
will grow and strengthen until in after life
upon little or no proyocation ho may take
human life and cSpiatc his crime on the
galows. Not few Of us mourn over the
waywnrdness Of our children after il is too
late, and many 80 down to the grave under
lond of grief caused by their children, while
in fact it was their neglect in early life which
brought their children to crir,c and inhmy
Apart from the effects Of ncglccting our child
Nren or thoir conduct in this life, often, ttuo
oftca, are they and no made miserable here
and lost forever hereafter Gods word is
full Of commands and exhortations to parents
touching their duty to their children, and
&bouhds with sweet promises to children who
obey their parents and who seek Him early,
Offering inducements to both, 10 encourage
them in Il walk which will rebound to their
prosperity and happiness hero and eternal
salvation hereafter. IIc then proceeded to
discuss tho question, how shall wo train our
chidrcn2 First, by prcccpt. We should
teach tEcm the law of God and their duty to
Him and their fellow man flowing rom that
law, instructing them as carefully on these
matters as VIC would friend who wns igno5
rant of our State laws and desired to know
them that he might not violate or transSress
their provisions. In tho next place, We
should if necessary. enforce our prcccpts by
the exercise Of positive command Solomon
says spare the rod and spoil tho child, and
whilo kindness and persuasion should be
exhausted as preferable to force, sill when
these will not answer the parent should uso
hiu authority over the child and exact obedi'
cncc. 1t is tho highest evidence Of love to
the child to do our duty to it, both in instruc-
ing and enforcing obedience. The most power.
ful and effective means Of training q child is
by example. Example is better than pro-
ccpt," is an old but true and wise adagc. 1t
operates strongly between man and man, but
between parent and child it is almost
omnipotcnt. The child lives in the parents.
The parents arc tho glory of tho child and it
would desire no better reason or authority for
any net Of its life than to be able to say,
father and mother does tho samo thing. 10
illustrate This popularity Of children wo will
state little story wo saw years ago. a
father started to visit ncighbor when his
little boy begged to 60 and followed the
father. The snow was deep on tho ground
and tho father in brown study walked q
considerable distance, when thinking of tho
child he turned and called to him. Tho child
replied ho was coming and was stepping in
every ono of his tracks. So it is in tho moral