Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-22
Trinity M. E. Church.

Rev. Dr. Gootssel on Parental Authority
 -WhoIesOnae IpJuncSfOns for Youthful
 Blinds.
 The sermon by Dr. Goodsell on Sabbath eve, crowded out of our issue yesterday, was full of practical advice to the youth of our city, and by desire of hearers we lay brief extract before our readers this morning The text selected for the occasion was the command given to the children of Israel by Moses during their journey to the promised land and recorded in the sixth chapter of Deuteronomy and the seventh verse; And | thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy | children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou Hest down, and when thou risest up" We see in the text, said the speaker, the plans laid l down by the great Jewish lawgiver for the | instruction Of the children. This important | work was not committed to the prophets and ministers alone, but to the heads of families They were to set the example of obedience to 1 the law. I appeal to the Christians of this city for greater watchfulness over the train jag of the children. We see recorded in the l daily press most surprising accounts of youthful depravity, and one could hardly | credit them to be true. In our police courts large percentage of those arraigned for trial are young people. When we look into the causes of these things we find that lad books and a certain class Of newspapers have most pernicious influence on the minds Of the young. If bad books and bad papels were only to be bought at certain place |. Al publishers of vile literature spare no efforts 10 force them into our homes and by our iresides. They seek the catalogues of our scho 3ls and the youth of both sexes have mailed to them reading matter of the most debasing kind. We are called to battle against this gigantic evil, and seek to over throw it's influence. How to do this is 8 difficult problem Tho tendency in these days is not to be so watchful of the Sabbg sh as cur fathers were. Sunday papers with their secular news are sought for and read eagerly by different members of the family and the news discussed, thus making Gods Sabbath like the other days. We are com to the Lord, not thinking our own thoughts, nor speaking eur own words" The changes of modern busi- Less life often make it difficult for parents to spend the proper time in morning devotiors The heightened hours Of study at school of
 
 see the little onea, and many of the youth grow zp without proper homo influences. There is also tendency to set aside parental authority. Theyoung left to themselves grow up wilful. The holy influence of the Sabbath school no one, ,gin question, but the work Of the teacher is not to suppiant the priesthood of the parents. The great lawgiver urges diligence iIl this matter. AS we live familiar with our children every day, 50 should we 1 encourage them by Christian counsel. Young men and maidens leave the farm and ent er the 1 city because of the increased advantages they l think there arein the city. They forget too l soon the open doors to temptation for the young They need the early influence of home life to make them strong. That is, 8 strong moral patuRe that can resist by them selves the temptations al2out them in a city like ours, Evil companions, bad books and trashy papers are strong forces for evil and surround the young on every hand. l do not profess to tell how to remedy all this, as well as to point them out, but we should daily exercise priesthood. We should cultivate the moral side of our cbild- ren's nature and the forces men use for evil we must combat. With Christ iu view, the duty of parentsl example is plain, aud the text comes to us with word of command, F'Cbou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children" By cultivating the Christian graces in our homes may do much toward ersdicating these great evils in our city. Let us stand t.I with our voice of warning and pray for Gods bleaSing upon the young