The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-11-25
A SERMON TO PARENTS.
Rev. T. De Witt Talmage on the
Bearing of Children.

Rev. T. De Witt Talmage on the
Bearing Of Children.
Parental Anxicty-Ineficiency and Imper-
fcction-Unwise Discipline and Instruc-
tion-Youthful Sins and Tempts-
tions- Doing vs.. Teaching.
BROOKLYN, N. Y, Nov 2I.-The subject
of DR. Talmage's sermon at the Tabernacle
this morning was: What Is to Become
Of Our Chiidren!'' The text chosen was
from Genesis n 80, as follows: "Sceing
that his life is bound up in the lads life."
Mr.. Talmagc said:
These words were spoken by Judah as
descriptive of the tenderness and affection
which Jacob felt toward Benjamin, the
youngest son of that patr. archal family;
but they are words just as appropriate to
many parent in this house-since "his
life is bound up in the lads life" l have
known parents that seemed to have but lit
tie interest in their children. A father
s.ys: my son must look out for himself
II he comes up well, all right; if he turns
olt badly l can net help it. am not re-
sponsiblc for his behavior: he must take
the same risk in life that took" As well
might the shepherd throw a lamb into IL
den of lions and then say: "Little lamb,
lock ont for ycurselfi''
1t is generally the case that even the
beast looks after its young 1t is generally
the case that tie old bird will pick your
eyes out ",Itfcr than let you come nigh its
brood. The lion will rcnd you in TWAIN if
You approach too nearly the whelps: the
fowl N the barnyard, clumsy-fcoted and
heavy winged, flies fiercely at you if you
cone too near the little group and God in
tended every father and mother to be the
protection and help of the child. Jesus
GENES into every dwelling ard says to tho
father or mother: You hive been look ng
after this child's body and mind; the time
has come whcn ycu ought To be looking
after its immortal soul" ! stand befo o
hunjleds of people with whom the Gues-
ton, morning. noon ard night. is: WHAT
is TO become of the child! What will be its
history! Will it choose paths OF virtue Or
v,ce9 VIII it accept Christ OF reject Ii ma
Where will it spend etcrnity!'
read of n vessel that foundered. The
boats were launched; many of the passen-
gers We're struggling in the water. A
mother with one hand beat the waves and
with the other hand lifted up the little child
toward the Ifc-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. l 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 inefficiency and iuperfection of par
euts themselves. We have slight hope,
ali of us, that our children may escape our
faults. We hide our impcrfections, and
think they will steer clear of thea. Alasl
there is poor prospect OF that. There is
more probability that they will choose our
vices than choose our virtues There is
like slcrcdpess in parental inn
projections when the child looks upon
them. The folly of the parents is not SO
repuls;ve when the child looks at il. He
says: Father INDUCES in it: mother in
Gulges in it; it can't be 50 ba ~ There is
not one of Us this morning that would de-
lberatcly choose that HIS children should
in all things follow his example, and it is
the consciousness of imperfcctlon on our
part as parents that makes US most anxious
for our children.
We are also distressed on account of tho
of our discipline and instruction.
II requires great deal of ingenuity 10
build house or fashion ship, but more
Ingenuity to build the temple of childs
character and LAUNCH it on the great ocean
of time and eternity. Where there is one
parent that seems qualified for the work
there seems TO be twenty parents who mis-
erably fail. Here is father who says:
'.My child shall know nothing but re-
h. l~,-x
he shall see nothing but religIon.'
The boy is aroused at six o'clock
in the morning 20 recite the Ten Command
rIcnts. He is awakened eff the sofa on
Sunday nights to see how much he knows
of the Westminster Catechism. 1t is re-
gio.i morning. noon and night. Passages
Of Scripture are plastered on the bedroom
wall He looks for the day of the month
in a religious almanac. Every minister that
comes to the house is told to take the boy
aside and talk Ia him and tell him what
great sinner be is. After awhile the boy
comes to that period of life when he is too
old for chastscment, and too young to feel
the force OF moral principle. Father and
mother arc sitting up for the boy
TO COME home. 1t is nine o'clock
OF night ten o'clock--it is twelve o'clock
night Key jingle in the door. They say he
is coming. George goes very softly through
The hall, hoping 10 get upstairs before he is
The father says: George,
where lave you been!" Been outl" Yes.
he has been out, and he has been down, and
he is on the broad road destruction, for
this life aud the life to come. Father says:
81 There is no use in the Ten Command
ncnts; the catechism seems to me to be an
utter failure" All, my friend, you make
very great mistake. You stuffed that child
with religion until he could not digest it:
you made that which is a Joy in many
households an adherence in yours. A man
In middle life said to me: Al can't become
a Christian. In my fathers house l got
such prejudice against religion l don't
want any of it. My father was one of the
best men that ever lived, but he had such
severe motions about things, and he damned
religion down my throat, until don't want
any OF il, sir" There have been some who
have erred in that direction.
There are households where mother pulls
one way and father pulls the other
Father says: my son, told you the first
time caught you in falsehood l would
you, ard now / am going to do it,"
Mother says: Don't, let him off this
time" In some families it is all scolding
and frctfulness with the child: from
Monday morning to Saturday night it is
that style of culture. The boy is picked at,
and picked at. and picked at. Now you
had better give one sound chastisement
anu have done with 1t, than TO indulge in
perpetual scolding and fretfulness. There
is more health in one good thunderstorm
than il three or four days of cold drizzle.
Here is a parent who says: Il will not
err on the side that parent has erred, in
being too strict with his children. will
let mine do as they please. If they want
to come in to prayers, they can; if they
want to play at cards, they can; they can
DO any thing they please-there shall be no
hindrance. Go it, Here are tickets for
The opera and theater. son. Take Your