The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-12-23

of loss of soul. Oh, there are scores and
hundreds of homes that have been blasted,
and if the awful statistics could be set be-
fore you, your blood would freeze into a
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:
eWhat is to become of thems What will be
their destinies?'
Let me say to you, as parents, that
great deal of anxiety will be lifted if you
will begin early with your children. Ton
Paine said: s'The first five years of my
life became an infidel." A vessel goes
out to sea; it has been out five days,
a storm comes on it; it springs leak; the
helm will not work; every thing is out
of order. What is the matters The ship is
not seaworthy, and never was. 1t is poor
time to find it out now. Under the fury OF
the storm the vessel goes down, with $50
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 to
bring upon them the influence of Christ's
religion. I tell you, the dry dock of the
Christian home is the place where we are
to fit them for usefulness and for Heaven.
In this world, under the storm of vice and
temptation, it will be too late. In the do
nestle circle you decide whether your child
shall be truthful or false-whether it shall
be generous or penurious.
Two young men come to the door of sin.
They consult whether they will go 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 the
matter he looked around as if to see some
one, and he felt an invisible hand on his
shoulder, saying: Don't go in! Don't go
in!" Whose hand was it? A mothers
hand, fifteen years ago gone to dust. A
gentleman was telling me of the fact that
some years ago there were two young men
who stopped at the door of the Park Thea
ter, in New York. The question was wheth
er they should go in. That night there was
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 crowd of iniquities, and died in
the hospital of delirium tremens. The 9th
er young man, who retreated, chose Christ,
went into the Gospel, and is now one of the
most eminent ministers of Christ in this
country. And the man who retreated gave
as his reason for turning back from the
Park Theater that night that there was
voice within him saying: Don't go in;
don't go in" And for that reason, my
friends, believe so much in Bible-classes.
But there is something better than the
Bible class, and that is the Sunday School
class. like it because it takes children at
an earlier point; and the infant class like
still better, because it takes children before
they begin to walk or to talk straight, and
puts them on the road to Heaven. You can
not begin too early.
But want you to remember, y father! Q
mother! that it is what you do that is going
to affect your children. You tell your chill
dren to become Christians while you are
not, and they will not. Do you thinl
Noah's family would have gone into the
ark if he had not gone in! They would
say: 'No, there is something about that
boat that is not right; father has not gone
IN" You can not push children into the
Kingdom of God-you have got to pull them
in. Do you know all the instruction you
give to your children in religious direction
goes for nothing unless you illustrate it in
much what you teach.
Have family altar. Let it be cheer
full place, the brightest room in your house.
Do not wear your children's knees out
with long prayers. Have the whole exer-
else spirited. If you have melodeon, or
an organ, or piano in the house, have it
open. Then lead in prayer. If you can not
make a prayer of your own, take Matthew
nr.xyfc Er,ic
book. None better than that. Kneel down
| with your little ones morning and night,
| and commend them to God. Do you think
| they will get over its Never! After you
| are under the sod a good many years there
will be some powerful temptations around
| that son, but the memory of father and
| mother at morning and evening prayers
will have it's effect upon HINT will bring
| him back from the path of sin and death.
But want you to make strict mark, a
| sharp, plain line, between innocent hilarity
| on the part of your children and vicious
proclivity. Do not think your boys will go
to ruin because they make racket A
| glum, unresponsive child makes the worst
form of villain. Children, when healthy, al
ways make racket. Iwant you at the very
first sign of depravity in the child to cor
rect it. Do not laugh because it is smart.
If 70 do you will live to cry because it is
malicious. Do not talk of your children's
frailties lightly in their presence, thinking
they do not understand you; they dc
understand. Do not talk disparaging
| ly Of your child, making him feel
that he is reprobate. Do not say to your
little one: you're the worst child ever
knew" If you do he will be the worst man
| you ever knew.
| Are your children safe for Heavena You
can tell better than any one else. l put to
you the question: 'Are your children safe
| for Heaven!" heard a mother who, when
the house was afire, in the excitement OF
the occasion got out great many valuable
things-many choice articles of furniture
but did not think to ask until too late: SIS
my child safe?' It was too late then. The
flames had encircled all; the child was
! gonel Oh, my dear friend, when sea and
land shall burn in the final confagratior
will your children be safes
| wonder if what have said this morn
ing has not struck chord in some one il
the audience, who had a good father ane
mother, but who is not yet Christians Is
that your history! Do you know why YOU
came here this morning? God sent you tt
have that memory revived. Your dea,
Christian mother. how she loved you'll YOl