The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1886-12-23
A SERMON TO PARENTS.
Rev. T. De Witt Talmage on the
Rearing Of Children.

Parental Anxiety-Inefiiclency and Imper-
fection-Unwise Discipline and Instruc-
tion-Youthful Sins and Tenpta-
tions-I,oing vs.. Teaching.
BROOKLYN, N, Y, Nov. 21.-The subject
of Dr. Talmage's sermon at the tabernacle
this morning was: "What Is to Become
of Our Childrens" The text chosen was
from Genesis 44:30, as follows: Seeing
that his life is bound up in the lads lfe."
Mr. Talmage said:
These words were spoken by Judah as
descriptive Of the tenderness and affection
which Jacob felt toward Benjamin, the
youngest son Of that patriarchal family;
but they are words just as appropriate to
many a parent in this house-since "his
life is bound up in the lads life" / have
known parents that seemed to have but lit
tie interest in their children. A father
says: "My son must look out for himself.
If he comes up well, I'll right; if he turns
out badly l can not help it. / am not re-
sponsible for his behavior; he must take
the same risk in life that took" As well
might the shepherd throw lamb into
den of lions and then say: little lamb,
look out for yourselfp
It is generally the case that even the
beast looks after its young. 1t is generally
the case that the old bird will pick your
eyes out rather than let you come nigh its
brood. The lion will rend you in twain if
you approach too nearly the whelps; the
fowl in the barnyarl, clumsy-footed and
heavy winged, flies fiercely at you if you
come too near the little group, and God in
tended every father and mother to be the
protection and help of the child. Jesus
comes into every dwelling and says to the
father or mother: "You have been looking
after this child's body and mind; the time
has come when you ought to be looking
after it's immortal soul" I stand before
hundreds of people with whom the ques-
ton, morning, noon and night, is: ''What
is to become of the child? What will be its
historya Will it choose paths of virtue Or
vice? Will it accept Christ or reject Him9
Where will it spend eternitys"
l read of vessel that foundered. The
boats were launched; many of the passen-
gers were struggling in tie water. A
mother with one hand beat the waves and
with the other hand lifted up the little child
toward the ife-boat, crying: "Save my
childl Save my child" The impassioned
outcry of that mother is the prayer of hun
dreds of Christian people who sit listening
this morning while l speak. I propose to
show some of the causes of parental anx-
iety, and then how that anxiety may be al
leviated.
/ find the first cause of parental anxiety
in the ineficiency and imperfection of par
ents themselves. We have slight hope,
all of US, that our children may escape our
faults. We hide our imperfections, and
think they will steer clear of them. Alas
there is a poor prospect of that. There is
more probability that they will choose our
vices than choose our virtues. There is
something like sacredness in parental i'm
PROJECTIONS when the child looks upon
them. The folly of the parents is not SC
repulsive when the child looks at it. He
says: Father INDUCES in it; mother in
dulges in it; it can't be so bad" There is
not one of US this morning that would de-
hberately choose that his children should
in all things follow his example, and it il
the consciousness of imperfection on oul
part as parents that makes us most anxious
for our children.
We are also distressed on account Of the
unwisdom of our discipline and instruction
1t requires great deal of ingenuity tt
build house or fashion ship, but more
ingenuity to build the temple of child's
character and launch it on the great ocean
of time and eternity. Where there is one
parent that seems qualified for the worl
there seems to be twenty parents who mis-
erably fail. Here is father who says
t'My child shall know nothing but re
ligion-he shall hear nothing but religion
he shall see nothing but religion
The boy is aroused at six o'clocl
in the morning to recite the Ten Command
ments He is awakened off the sofa OF
Sunday nights to see how much he know!
of the Westminster Catechism. 1t is re
ligion morning, noon and night. Passages
OF Scripture are plastered on the bedroom
wall. He looks for the day of the month
IN religious almanac. Every minister tina
comes to the house is told to take the DO,
aside and talk to him and tell him what
great sinner he is. After awhile the DO,
comes to that period of life when he is to-
old for chastisement, and too young to fee
the force Of moral principle. Father an,
mother are sitting up for the bo
to come home. It is nine o'clocl
at night-ten o'clock-it is twelve o'clock
it is half-past twelve, and they hear tn
night-key jingle in the door. They say h
is coming. George goes very softly throug
the hall, hoping to get upstairs before he i
tAICOotCu. 1H0 1dtuor says t6Orge
where have you beena" "Been outln Yes
he has been out, and he has been down, an,
he is on the broad road to destruction, TO
this life and the life to come. Father saws
"There is no use in the Ten Command
ments; the catechism seems to me to be a.
utter failure All, my friend, you make
very great mistake. You stuffed that chill
with religion until he could not digest it
you made that which is Joy in man
households an adherence in yours. A ma
in middle life said to me: az can't becom
Christian. In my fathers house I &c
such prejudice against religion I don,
want any of it. My father was one of tn
best men that ever lived, but he had sue
severe notions about things, and he jamme
religion down my throat, until don't wan
any of it, SIR" There have been some VIII
have erred in that direction.
There are households where mother pull
one way and father pulls the Other
Father says: "My son, 1 told you the frs
time caught you in a falsehood 1 woul
chastise you, and now am going to do it.
Mother says: Don't, let him off thi
time" In some families it is all scoldin
and fretfulness with the child; fro1
Monday morning to Saturday night it !
that style of culture. The boy is picked a
and picked at, and picked at. Now 70
had better give one sound chastisemen
and have done with It than tn indulco i