The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-12-08

hundreds Of homes that have been blasted,
and II the awful statistics could be set be
fore you, your blood would freeze INTO
solid cake Of ice at the heart Do you won
der that fathers and mothers are anxious
about their children, and that they ask
themselves the question day and night:
"What is TO become of them! What will be
their destiniesr' NAG ma
| Let me say TO you, rs parents, that
great deal of anxiety will be lifted il you
will begin early with your children. Tom
Paine said: "The first Ave years Of my
life l became an inHdel." A vessel goes
out to- sea; Il has been out five days;
a storm comes ON it; it springs leak; the
helm will not work; every thing Is oat
| Of order. What is the matteri The ship is
not seaworthy, and never was. 1t is apoor
time to find it out now. Under the fury OF
the storm the vessel goes down, with go
passengers, to watery grave. The time
to make the ship seaworthy was in the dry
dock before it started.
| Alas for US, if we wait until our children
get out into the world before we try u
bring upon them the influence Of Christ's
religion. l tell you, the dry dock OF th,
Christian home Is the place where we art
to fit them for usefulness and for Heaven.
In this world, under the storm of vice an
temptation, it will be too late. In the do
nestle circle you decide whether your CHILD
shall be truthful or false-whethcr it shall
be generous or penurious.
Two Young men come to the door Of sin
They consult whether they will 90 in. The
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 influence
the last had been piously trained, and when
he stood at the door Of sin discussing tn
matter he looked around as II to see som
one, and he felt an invisible hand on hi
shoulder, saying: DON'T go ini Don'tg
imp Whose hand was it! A mother
hand, fifteen years ago gone TO dust A
gentleman was telling me OF the fact that
some years ago there were two young mel
! who stopped at the door Of the Park Thea
ter, in New York. The question was wbeth
or they should go in. That night there wa
to be very immoral play enacted In
the theater. One man went in; the
other stayed out The young man who
went in went on from sin to sin and
through a crowd Of iniQuities, and died il
the hospital Of delirium tremens. The 9th
er young man, who reiterated, chose Christ
went into the Gospel, and is now one OF tn
most eminent ministers of Christ in thi ],
country And the man who retreated CAV
as his reason for turning back from tn,
Park Theater that night that there was a
voice within him saying: Don't 20 in;
don't 60 in" And for that reason, m,
friends, 4 believe 30 much In Bible-classes
But there is something better than tn.
Bible class, and that is the Sunday-Sch0o
class. Il like it because. N takes CHI ldren o
an earlier point; and .the infant class Xix
still better, because il takes children befor
i they begin to walk or to talk straight, an
puts them on the road to Heaven. You cal
not begin too early,
But want you toremember, U father, (
mother! that it is what you do that is going
to affect your children. You tell your chill
dren to become Christians while you ar,
n not, and they will ot DO you thinl
Noah's family would have gone into tn
: ark if he had not gone in! They woul(
say: s'No, there is something about tina
boat that is not right; father has not gon'
ln." You can not push children into tn
. Kingdom Of God-you have got to pull then
in. Do you know all the instruction vol
give to your children in rel gious direction
goes for nothing unless you illustrate it IL
, your own lifel 1t is what you are, not 81
much what you teach.
Hayo family altar. Let it be cheer
! full place, the brightest room in your house
Do not wear your children's knees on
; with long prayers. Have the whole exer
: else spirited. If you have melodeon, o.
an organ, or piano in the house, have !
| open. Then lead in prayer. II you can no
. make prayer Of your own, take Matthew
Henry's prayers or the Episcopal prayer
book. None better than that Kneel dow
g with your little ones morning and night
i and commend them to God. Do you thlnl
r they will get over It'll Ncverl After yol
are under the sod good many years Their
9 will be some powerful temptations aroun,
that son, but the memory Of father an,
t mother at morning and evening prayer
/; will have its effect upon hint will brin,
D him back from the path of sin and death.
But want you to m AXE a strict mark,
sharp, plain line, between innocent hilarit.
r on the part of your chilli and viciou
3 proclivity. Do not think your boys will &
r to ruin because they make racket. !
e glum, unresponsve child makes the wors
o form of a villa H. Children, when healthy, al
C ways make racket. lwant you ut the yer,
e first sign of depravity in the chll to cor
r rect it. Do not In Ugh because it is smart
3 If 70 do you will live to cry because it i
u malicious. Do not talk Of your children
{ frailties lightly in their presence, thinkn
t they do not understand you; they
: understand Do not talk disparagine
t ly of your child, making him fec
! hot ba ia a hat n, IN Wi
: little one: "You're the worst child eve
n knew" If you do he will be the worst ma
C you ever knew.
e Are your children safe for Heavenl 10
e can tell better than any one else. I put I
y you tho question: "Are your children sal
. for Heaven" heard a mother who, whe
d the house was afire, in the excitement {
n the occasion got out great many valuabl
It things-many choice articles Of furniture
n but did not think to ask until too late: ~
10 my child safe" 1t was too late then. Th
is flames had encircled all; the child wa
d gonei Oh, my dear friend, when sea an
Ie land shall burn in the final conaagratio
Nc will your children be safe!
q. Iwonder II what have said this morl
g ing has not struck . chord in some ono
u the audience, who had . good father III
is me Their, but who is not yet Christ AMI
he that your historyl Do you know why &c
y came here this morningi God sent you
ID have that memory revived Your DEL
TO Christian mother. how abe loved you'll "
r. remember when you were SICK how kind
n she attended you-the night was not =
Or long, and you never asked her to turn Il
is pillow but she did i'll You remember b
IN prayers also; you remember how some OF
u, of you'll do not know where the man is
81 the audience-how some one here broke B