Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1883-04-23

VI
Lave given You everything you wanted and
everything 10 make you comfortable and
happy, ana now | find in my old days that
you are o spendthrift, libertine, and q
drunkard!" The son says: Now, father,
what's the use Of your talking in thar way:
You told me ght have a good time and
to go il. i have been acting ON your sug-
gestion that's all" And 50 one parent errs
on one side and another parent ecrs oS the
other, and how 10 strike a happy medium
between severity and two great lsniencv,
and train our sons and daughters for use-
fulness on earth and bliss in heaven, is q
question which agitates every Christian
household in my congregation. Where 50
many good men and women have failed,
is il strange that We should sometimes
doubt the propriety Of our theory aud the
accuracy OF our kind of government?
Again, parental anHiety often arises from
an early exhibition Of sinfulness in the
child. The morning gloriss bloom for q
little while under the sun and then they
shut up as the heat comes on; but there
are flowers along the Amazon that blaze
their beauty for weeks at time; but the
short,l lived morning glory fultiils its mis-.
sion as well rs the Victoria Regia. There
some people who take 40, 80 or 60 years 70
develop. Then there are little children
who fling their beauty on the vision and
vanish. They are morning glories that
cannot stand the glare OF the hot noon sun
of trial. You have all known such little
children. They were pafe; they were
ethereal; there was something very wonder.
fully deep in the eye; they had q gentle
foot, soft hand and something almost
supernatural in their behsvior-ready TO
be waited away. You had such one in
YOUR household Gone now. 1t was too
delicate plant for this rough world. The
Heavenly Gardener saw il and took II in.
We make splendid Sunday school books
out of such children, but they almost
always die. | have noticed that for the
most part the children that live sometimes
get cross and pick up bad words in the
street, and quarrel with their sister and
prove Enthusiastically that they are wicked.
Anxiety on the part OF parents also
arises from a consciousness that there are
A. many Temptations
thrown all around our young people. 1t
NAV be almost impossible To take castle
by seiee-straightt siege-but sup
pose in the night there is a traitor within
and he goes down and draws the bolt and
swings open the great doors, and then the
castle falls Immediately. That is the
trouble with the hearts OF the young they
have foes without and TO-. $ within. There
are a great many who try to make our
Young people believe that II is sign Of
weakness TO be pure. The man will toss
his head and lake dramatic attitudes aud
tell Of his own indisCretions, and ask the
Young man il he would not liketO do the
same. And they call him verdant, and
they say he is green and unsophistcated
and wonder how ne can bear the puritani.
cal straight Jacket. They tell him he
ought 10 break from his mothers apron
strings, and they say, IL will show you all
about town. Come with me, you ought 70
see the world. II won't hurt yQu, 90 as
you plea:r, II will be the making Of You"
..::::r awhile the young man says: 81
don't want TO be odd, nor can afford TO
sacrifice these friends, and III go and see
for myself" From the gates OF hell there
goes a shout OF victory. Farewell TO all
innocence farewell to all early restraints
favorable 10 that innocence which once
gone. never comes back. ] heard one OF
the best men | ever knew. 80 years oI age,
say: "Sir. God has forgiven ne ior all tue
sins OF my lifetime. know that; bat
there is one sin committed at % years
Of age. that never will forgive myself
for. 1t sometimes comes over me, over.
whclmingly and it absolutely blots out my
h ope Of heaven"
] shall devote the rest OF my remarks 10
the alleviation Of parental anxiety. Let me
saw TO YOU as parents that q great deal OF
that anxiety will be lifted il you will be-
gin early with your children. Tom Paine
said: "The first five years OF my live be.
came an inthel" A vessel goes out TO sea.
II has been five days out. A storm comes
on it. II springs leak; the helm will not
work; everythingis out OF order. What Is
the matter? The ship is not seawOrthy
and never was It's poor time % lind IL
out now. Under the fury Of the storm the
vessel goes down with 2Oj passengers 10 a
watery crave. The time 10 make the ship
seawOrthy was in the dry dock before 1t
started. Alas for us if we wait until our
children get ont into the world before We
try TO bring upon them the influence OF
Christs religion. ] tell you the dry dock
OF the Christian
Home IL the Place
She-e we are 10 fl them for usefulness and
for heaven. In this world under the storm
Of vice and temptation 1t will be too late.
In the domestic circles you decide whether
your child shall be truthful or false.
whether it shall be generous or penurious.
You can tell by the way q child divides
an apple just what its future history will
be. You ought TO oversee the process. IL
the child takes nine tenth OF the apple Civ
ing the other tenth 10 his sister, II he
should live b. lie one hundred years old he
will he graspiug and want the biggest piece
OF everything ] stood in house in one
of the Long Island villages and saw bean.
tifu tree, and said 10 the owner: That's
II very fine tree, but what a curious crook
there is in il " Yes, said he, II planted
that tree When il sas year old / went
to New York aud worked as mechanic
\ han I
found they had allowed something 10 stand
again. the tree and SO it has always had
that crook And 80 | thought IL was with
the influence upon children. II you allow
ANYTHING 10 stand In the way Of moral In.
fuence against o child on this side or that
side 10 the latest day OF its life on earth
and through all eternity it will show the
pressure.
Two Young men came 10 the door OF sin.
They consult whether they will 20 in.
One young man goes IN and the other re.
treats. oh, you say, the last had better
resolution" No, that was not it, The first
Young man had no early good influences,
the last had been piously trained. And
for that reason my friends ] believe .,
much in Bible classes. ! wish all the
youpg men and women OF my congregs.
ton were in the Bible classes. But there
is something better than the Bible class
and that Is the Sunday school class. like
il because IL takes children st an earlier
point. And she infant class ] like still
better because IL takes children before
they begin to walk or ~ talk straight aud
puts them on the road 70 Heaven. You
cannot begin too early. You stand and see
your children's character rolling on with
great impetuosity and passion and you
cannot affect them. Go up towards the
source where the character frat starts and
decide that IL shall take the right direction
and II will follow the path you give IL.
But want you 10 remember, o father, .
mother. that IL Is .....
what YSu Ne
that is going TO affect your children snd
not What you say. You tell your children
10 become Christians while you are not,
and they will not. Do you think Noah's
family would have gone into the ark IL he
had not gone in? They would say: "No,
there - something about that boat that 10
not right Father has not gone in" You
can not push children into the kingdom OF
God. You have got 10 pull them in. There
has been many general 10 tower or