The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1888-03-01
be worn out CT existence before
mothers influence will begin to give

be worn out CT existence before a
mothers influence will begin to give
away.
If q mother tell child he is not good,
some bugaboo will come and catch him.
the fear excited may make the child
coward, and the fact that he finds that
there is no bugaboo may make him
liar, and the echo of that false alarm
may be heard after fifteen generations
have been born and have expired. If
mother promises child a reward for
good behavior and after the good be-
havior forgets to give the reward, the
cheat may crop out in some faithlessness
half a thousand years further on. If
mother culture a child's vanity and
eul ,gize his curls, and extol the
mig at black or sky blue or nut brown
of the child's eyes, and call out in his
presence the admiration of spectators,
pride and arrogance may be prolonged
after half a dozen family records have
been obliterated. If mother express
doubt about some statement of the Holy
Bible in a child's presence, long after the
gates of this historical era have closed
and the gates Of another era have opened,
the result may be seen in a champion
blasphemer. But, on the other hand, if
a mother walking with child see suf-
fering one by the wayside and says: ssMy:-
child, give that ten cent piece to that
lame boy" the result may be seen on
the other side Of the following
century in some George Muller building
whole village Of orphanages.
If a mother sit almost every evening
by the trundle bed of child and teach
it lessons of a Saviour's love and
Saviour's example, of the importance of
truth and the horror of a lie, and the
virtues of industry and kindness and
sympathy and self sacrifice, long after
the mother has gone and the child has
gone, and the lettering on both the tomb
stones shall have been washed out by the
storms of innumerable winters, there
may be standing. as result of those
trundle bed lessons, flaming evangels,
world moving refornlers, circulating
Summerfields, weeping Paysons, thunder
ing Whitefelds, emancipating Washing
tons.
Good or bad influence may skip one
generation, or two generations, but it
will be sure to land in the third or fourth
generation, just as the Ten Command
ments, speaking OF the visitation of God
on families, says nothing about the Sec
ond generation, but entirely skips the
second and speaks Of the third and
fourth generation: "Visiting the iniqui-
ties of the fathers upon the third and
fourth generations of them that hate
me-" Parental influence, right and
wrong, may jump over generation, but
it will come down further on as sure as
you sit there and 1 stand here. Tim
| othy's ministry was projected by his
Grandmother Lois. There are men and
women here, the sons and daughters of
the Christian church, who are such as a
result Of the conservation of great-great-
grandmothers. Why, who do you think
the Lord is? You talk as though his
memory is weak. He can no easier
remember prayer five minutes than
he can five centuries. This explains
| what we often see-some man or woman
| distinguished for benevolence when the
father and mother We're distinguished for
| penuriousness, or you see some young
man or woman, with bad father and
hard mother, come out gloriously for
| Christ and make the church sob and
shout and sing under their exhortations.
| We stand in corners Of the vestry and
whisper over the matter and say: "How
is this, such great piety in sons and
daughters of such parental worldi-
ness and sin?" Twill explain it to you
if you will fetch me the old family Bible
containing the fun record Let some
septuagenarian look with me clear upon
the page of births and marriages, and
tell me who that woman was with the
old fashioned name of Jemima or Betsev
or Mehitabel All, there she is, the old
grandmother OF great grandmother, who
had enough religion to saturate Gen.
tury.
There she is, the dear old soul, Grand
mother Lois. In our beautiful Green
wood-may we all sleep there when our
work is done, for when I get up in the
resurrection morning I want my congre-
ga,ion all about me-in Greenwood there
is the resting place Of George W.
Heights, his name never spoken among
intelligent Americans without suggesting
two things-eloquence and evangelism,
In the same tomb sleeps bis grandmother,
Isabella Graham, who was the chief in
spiration Of his ministry. You are not
surprised at the poetry and pathos and
pulpit power of the grandson when you
read of the faith and devotion of his
wonderful ancestress. When you read
this letter, in which she poured out her
widowed soul in longings for sons sal.
walton, you will not wonder that sue
ceeding generations have been blessed:
New YORK May 20, 1T91.--This day my only
son left me In bitter wringings of heart; he is
again launched on the ocean, Gods ocean. The
Lord saved him from shipwreck, brought him tc
my home and allowed me once more to indulge
my affections over him. He has been with me
but a short time, and i'll have improved it; he
Is gone from my sight and my heart bursts with
tumultuous grief. Lord have mercy on the
widows son, ''the only son of his mother"
l ask nothing In all this world for him; repea,
my petition, save his soul alive, give him saliva
ton from sin. 1t is not the danger of the sea.
that distresses me; 1t Is not the hardships hs
must undergo; it is not the dread of never seeing
him more in this world; it Is because I canno
discern the fulfllment of the promise In him.
cannot discern the new birth nor its fruit, bu
every symptom Of captivity to Satan, the worl(
and self will This, this is what distresses
me; and in connection with this hi
being shut out from ordinances at dis
tance from Christians; Aaut up with those wht
forget God, profane his name and break his Sab
baths; men who often live and die like beasts
yet are accountable creatures, who must answe
for every moment Of time and every word
thought and action. Oh Lord, many wonder
hast thou shown me; thy ways Of dealing witt
me and mine have NOT been common ones; adj
this wonder TO the rest GALL convert. Pegeneret
and establish sailor In tie faith Lord, all thing
are possible with thee; giortfy thy son and ex
tend his kingdom by sea and land; take the pre-.
from the strong. ! roll him over upon thee
Many friends try to comfort me; miserable com
forters are they oil. Thou art the God of conso
lation; only confirm to me thy precious word, o.
which thou causedst me to hope in the da
when thou saidst to me, Leave thy fatherles
children, will preserve them alive" Only lie
this life be spiritual life and put blank 4
thy hand as to all temporal things
wait for thy salvation. Amen.
With such grandmother would 20,
J not have q right to expect q George w
, Bethune? and all the thousands converte,
through his ministry may date the saw
ing power back to Isabella Graham.
God fill the earth and the heavens wit
such prandmothers; we must some da