The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-09-01

Ere their sweet and tender juices
Have hardened into wood
That to the world are children;
Through them it feels the glow
OF a brighter and SUMMER climate
Than reaches the trunks below"
The glory of another world seems to
linger in their hair, and shine in their
faces.
mot in entire forgetfulness,
And not in utter nakedness.
But trailing clouds of glory. do we come
From God who is our home:
Heaven lies about us in our infancy
From that greater and diviner L fe
which is the source and life of our
spirits, the child brings disposition
that may well serve as a model to those
who have reached later years. Purity,
meekness, gentleness, love, trustful
ness, obedience, unselishness, all
those graces and virtues which con-
stitute the highest character are
found in the bosom of childhood.
Hence, said Jesus: "Of such is the
kingdom of heaven"
Except ye become as little chill
dren." What does that mean? Not
that you are to throw away the accu-
mulated knowledge of years Not that
you are to cease investigation. Not
that you are blindly to bow to author
ity. 1t means none of these things. 1t
means that you are to become convert
ed to the undetiled heart of childhood.
l will tell you what it means. Man Of
mature years,-of gray hairs, per-
chance,-let the curtains of the past
part to-day. Go back through the long
years that stretch behind you. Go
back to the dawn of life. Go back to
the days when the skies were bluer than
you have seen them since,-the grass
more green,-the streams more spark
ling, time when life was sound
ing and singing joy,-when your voice
joined in the chorus which birds and
signing breezes and ripping rocks were
won't to make. Go back to that season,
and let your memory dwell moment
upon one picture. 1t is evening. By
the knee of her who brought you into
this world, whose dear face has long
since turned to dust and ashes, you
kneel and with clasped hands say "Our
Father" That was long before con-
tact with the world, the deprecated
morals of business, the questionable
standards Of society, had furnished
your youthful truth and honor. Back
to the spirit Of those early days,-the
purity, the trust, the love! Childhood
is the perpetual ideal of character, the
ever fresh revelation of the divine will
II. In the second place, Childhood
is a constant inspiration. Let US be
grateful for the bright faces and sweet
voices of children. The cradle is the
center in every household. The little
boy and girl is everywhere an object of
interest. 81 love God and little chill
dren," said Richter. They appeal to
and develop the best part of our
nature.
''Those truants from home and from heaven
They have made me more manly and mild
And know now how Jesus could liken
The kingdom of God to a child
1. They make US careful. Their
bright eyes are very sharp. Their ears
are very quick. That which we do not
wish our children to do, we must our
selves avoid. Our own lives will have
more influence than our precepts or
rod. We cannot lecture or beat our
children in one direction while we our
selves take the opposite.
There is an old fable that the crabs
and craw-fshes once held convention
and resolved that something must be
done to relieve them of the odium
of walking backward. whether the
science of the story be correct or not,
the moral is just as good.) They said,
whenever a man loses courage or
backs out of an enterprise or position,
he is at once likened to one of u.s." 1t
was therefore unanimously resolved by
the assembly that their children be
taught a different way of walking. On
reaching home, an old crab said to his
son, "My son, we have resolved that
you shall be taught to walk forward. F"
"Very well, father, will you show me
how?" The old one made the attempt,
but at once began to back as usual.
"But, my father, that is just as l have
always walked" "You must do as l
tell you, and not as have done" "But
can not unless you show me-" Every
attempt was failure, and so it is still
popularity believed that this class of
animals continue to walk backward.
Children cannot be taught to walk
forward, while their parents are walk
ing backward. The thing we do moulds
them, and not the thing we say. 1t is
not long before we hear them echo
back our words and see our actions re-
Elected in them. They teach us to be
careful.
2. They make us unselfish. We
think only of ourselves until we begin
to work for our children. We live for
them. We work and plan and dream.
There are many for whom little
child gives to life all its value and sig