St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-04-01
Talking to Ones Children.
From The Christian Monthly. /


Why is it that Christian fathers and
mothers often feel it more difficult to
speak to their own children on direct
personal religious matters than to any
one else ? 1t has been said that in
some cases those who form part of the
same household know SO well how the
home-life cOutIadicts the Christian pro-
fession, that there is a sufficient reason
why the parent should be silent. But
it is far from being always so. Many
child would bear full testimony to the
general consistency OF his parents life
with their Christian profession, who has
yet possibly never been spoken to by
them in a direct personal way on the
subject of religion. We think that this
may often proceed in part from the ma
ture possessed by some persons, which
leads them to shrink from speaking of
any matter which lies near their heart.
But vet more does it arise from the
dread lest such direct conversation
should do harm-lest it should cause a
shrinking from free intercOurSe-lesti 1t
should prove hindTance where there
is the greatest desire to help. There
may be enough principle and enough
love, as far as the father or the mother
is concerned, to make either willing to
break through the reserve but then
comes the question, "What if | do make
the effort, and by So doing increase the
distance between me and my child. or
even cause him Il greater dislike to that
personal religion of which | would give
everything to see him possessed He
knows what | think he has heard our
family prayer is it not better that the
matter should rest there r.
There is no doubt an amount of force
in these questions, aud the awkward
(shall we say perhaps too solemn y way
in which some persons would very likely
make the attempt to speak directly to
their children might possibly have a
repelling effect, at least for time.
Still we can hardly believe that it woald
be without a good result.
While thinking of the difficulties of
this subject, it must not be forgotten,
on the other hand, that there are young
hearts which are just longing for an
earnest word to be spoken to them by
their parents longing, while perhaps
all the while they study to hide this
longing with an appearance of indif1er-
ence. Great is the joy of having an
perhaps one of the greatest and the
purest which this world knows, we'll
repaying any effort that may have been
gone through. Whatever may be the
difficulty attending these attempts at
directly religious conversation, we can
not but think they ought to be made
but we want specially to suggest what,
it seems to us, would remove much oil
the difficulty, and that is, we would say,
begin with your children from theiI
earliest days. The most secret feeling
of your heart and the most sacred de-
sires of your soul may be uttered tC
the unconcieus infant you toss in the
air or cradle in your arms. Let them
kneel with you in those arms before
they can bend their own knees, SO that
they may never remember when they
first knelt with you in prayer. 1t viii
then be a natural thing, and natura
too will be the earnest words which you
speak to your child, and the ice of re
serve will probably never form on it:
heart. 1t may be that, after all, the
tall youth and the growing maiden viii
turn away from the truth that has 81
often been pressed on them but i
will be far easier in this case to adde's!
an earnest word to them from time Il
time, and the great barrier will never
exist which makes n man feel as though
he could preach to large congregation
or urge salvation on the veriest strang
er, more easily than speak few word
alone to his own chi Id.