The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-04-24
Parental Training.

God in his providence has established
a very interesting and very important
relationship between parents and their
offspring. The child is largely dependent
upon its parents, and parents feel that
they are in many respects. largely re.
sponsible for the life and comfort of their
child. For several years of its existence
| every child is dependent upon it's mother,
or some one who will supply the place of
n mother, for food and that peculiar
watchful care without which it cannot
live. There ia nc living being more
helpless than an infant, and there is no
love so tender az that of u mother Physi.
cally, mentally and morally the child
| must be trained, or it must remain o
creature possessed Of undeveloped eapa.
bilities. It's instincts are few in number
and void Of power. With its tiny body
there is, mysteriously united, an immor.
| tai soul lat it requires training to bring
that soul ito action. The proper per.
sons to dj charge that important Office
arc the pa ,nts Of The child. This is one
os the appointments Of God.
Parents are largely responsible for The
position which their offspring occupy in
society. Children in their features and
in the forms of their bodies resemble
their parents, and they inherit the men.
tai traits of their parents, but children
are like their parents, In that, in great
majority Of cases, they are the rigid imi.
tstors Of their parents. The child learns
to talk by initiating tho parents. No
matter what may be the language Of the
parents, it will be the language of the
child.
Parents are required to teach their
children to be obedient to themselves
This is the first lesson in the system of
training which God has appointed. The
neglect, on the part OF the parents, to
discharge this duty, Is always attended
with the most unfavorable results. Pa.
rents could adopt no more certain method
TO bring their children to infamy and
shame than to neglect to demand Of them
obedience. To givs child its own way
is TO point out to it the road that leads to
destruction and to encourage 1t to walk
therein. Parents who allow their chill.
dren to do rs they please will, in the
majority of cases, bo brought. % shame
by their children. The first stop toward
the penitentiary or gallows, is disobedi.
encc to parents.
1t is to be feared that parents rarely
reflect upon tho important duty which
God imposes upon them. Seldom do
they take into consideration the fact that
God requires them to train their children
for him. Multitudes of parents promise
to bring up their children "in the nur-
ture and admonition of tho Lord" and
never attempt to perform the VOW.
Parents train their children TO work.
This is commendable. 1t is duty. No
parents should suffer their children
to grow up i'll idleness. 1t would be
sin. Parents. at least many parents,
train their children to make money.
This, if properly understood, is right.
There is, however, one kind of training
that parents frequently neglect 10 give
their children. Parents neglect TO train
their children for God. This is q sad
neglect Not unfrequently 1t is equivs.
lent to training them for the devil.
The fundamental principles Of the
Christian religion are learned around the
fireside. In fact they can DO learned no
place else. The instructors in the school
Of Christ are the parents in this par.
ticular, God has assigned duty to pa
rents which no one else can perform. If
they neglect it, their children never learn
it. 1t Is not claimed that parents can
communicate grace to their offspring !:
but it is claimed that God has promised
to bless the efforts Of parents in training
their children for him. God uses means
in grace as we'll as in nature. Without
the use Of these means no good results
can be expected.
God promises that if parents will train
up their children in the way they should
50. whSn they are Ole they will not depart
from !bs: way. This premise God mas ever
been faithful to fulfil, and ho will con.
tinue to be faithful to the end of time.
No parent will ever have just ground to
complain that God has been unfaithful
10 fulfilling this gracious promise. On
the contrary, as rule, when professed
Christian parents neglect to train their
children for God they train them for the
great arch enemy of all good. Such chill
dren generally 60 TO destruction. They
rush to ruin.-REv. ROBERT LATHAM,
in YorkviYe Enquirer.