The national leader., 1889-03-09

| this way teaching their children? How much
| interest will such children ever take in attend
| ing church when grown? Do you wish to know
why so many of our boys in all our villages,
| towns and cities are found hanging around
| the corners of the streets on Sabbath? Because
| they were not Grained to go to church by their
| parents. Most of these boys you will thus meet
| on The Sabbath were in the habit of going to
| Sabbath-school when they were children. Ask
them and they will tell you so. l have asked
many of them and have found it so. They
went to Sabbath-school of some church when
| they were children: but now they are no longer
| children; they have lost the idea of going to
| Sabbath-School altogether, because, you know,
it has become fashionable to consider the Sab
| bath-school only for children; q wish instead
| OF calling it 'Sabbath-schoOP the name would
| be changed o''The Church Studying the Bible"
I. e., the ,pfOIe church, young and old in COM
MON and that as pupils leave the public school
when they have reached certain age, so may
all those who attend the school in connection
with the church. This idea is not only held in
| theory, but actually carried out in practice.
Parents are largely to blame in too many in
stances they allow the children to feel that
| the Sabbath-school is the children's church
| Qt is 1lOtO therefore, they allow them to do all
| their WorShipping there, and when they grow
| old enough to feel no longer called upon to be
| scholars, they go outside; and, never having
been trained to go to church they remain out
side.
Ihave said it frequently, and love to say it
again and again, for the sake of emphasis, if it
| is impossible for the child to go both to church
service and Sabbath-school, then let the child
miss the Sabbath-school rather than the
church. Nothing on earth will compensate for
! the loss of regular attendance on the House of
| God; nor for your negligence as parents and
| guardians in allowing it,
On, that my words might reach the heart of
| every father and mother in this great city of
| Philadelphia, and that the result thereof
might be an attendance, even at the exercise
ofgreat self-denial on the part of all concerned
of your offspring on the worship of God in His
| Holy Temple.
AS have said before, bring them just as
early as possible to the church. Never mind
| even if they do make an occasional sound God
bless the children; their sweet, treble tones can
never be aught but musical to all who love the
Lord in sincerity and in truth. Surely, He
who said, 'Suffer the little children to come
unto me-" never meant us to go to the Holy
| place without them.
But now that L have spoken thus fully of
| church attendance, let me further say, do not
| neglect to send them also to Sabbath-School.
! Never mind if they are not as well dressed as
other peoples children; this cannot always be.
| 1t is absolute folly for people to vie with each
! other in this way.
Many people are so much exercised how
| they are to cater most to the tastes and
etiquette of society that they have very little
time eft to look after the moral, not to speak
of the higher spiritual welfare of their child
ren. Avoid this! You will be none the less
! thought of by those whose friendship is worth
| having, that your child has worn the same suit
for couple of seasons, if you can purchase
clothing that will endure so long. cannot. How
ever, in these days of such cheap, ready made
wearing apparel, such an excuse requires no
more than passing notice
Rut have said. send VOur child to Slbblt
| school, now, add, send him to the Sabbath
school Of your, not his choice. You are the best
| judge, not the child
| have heard children say: 81 am going to so
and so Sabbath-schOol; there they give the best
| library bOOkS--that is those containing the sill
lieSt stories, for these, by such children are of
course considered the best; lin 50 and so Sabbath
! school, they always have the incest Christmas
tree, and the teachers give the handsomest
presents at Christmas, and there the picnic i'll
summer is just splendid"
Such commentary on the Christian training
! of the professedly Christian home. such re-
| Election on the boasted Christian education of
the day. The very idea of a child going where
he or she likes; why the thing seems, in the
! highest sense, absurd.
1t is not after ALL SO very important which
OF the evangelical Sabbath-schools child goes
| to, but the parent should choose. Ifa child is
| allowed to go to one school to-day, and another
! tomorrow, or two in one day, he will not be
| likely to remain by one church when he reaches
| the age of maturity.
| If you desire to have your children Presby-
| terans send them to Presbyterian Sabbath
! school; if you wish to make them MethOdists
| send them to the Methodist Sabbath-schOOl,
and so on. Remember the Sabbath-school is in
| quite an important sense, the nursery of the
! church. The Roman Catholic Church has taught
us a grand lesson in looking after the children.
! 1t would be well for our children as well as the
| Church. if we would follow their examp e here.
! 1t was Bishop Bellarmin, l believe, who said,
'give me the first eight years of child and
! you may have the rest" But, once more, in
sist upon your child going regularly to the Sab
! bath-School which you select, as well as to
! church. Depend upon it the habit of going to
church one day and staying at home another,
| will grow up with the child, and it WILL in all
! probability, be found that in after years, ir-
regularity in church attendance will be the re-
! suit.
| Be also enioined to discourage your child In
! finding fault with the teacher. Do not grum-
| BILE because the teacher does not say all that
could be said about the Fesson no one can.
Rather tell your child what you discover has
been omitted. Rejoice that the teacher does
! your child some good. Remember that the
teachers work is a labor of love, prompted,
probably by the highest desire for the saving of
your child from eternal DEATH
! But, finally, we notice in the third and last
/ place. inc pfOLlISc VI 1IdlH up IL clllu
in the way he should go, and 1Chen he is old he
! aUM not depart from it,
! How cheerful, how encouraging! Work that
the promise may be realized in your expert
ence, my Chr stan father and mother.
| Pray for your children. Thus did Job con-
! tinually," are the words of the inspired writer
Let us follow his example. The language of
the word is ''prdy without ceasing," ETC., and
! while you pray 1COric and use the means
| for God surely helps those, and only those who
! help themselves The Lord will guide you
only trust Him. Now, oh, now give yourselves
to the task! Nay, not the task, the pleasure
| There can be no doubt that on the great day
| of final account all who have had aught to do
with the education of the young will be held
| heavily accountable, for great had been the
| privilege laid upon them of training the young
in the knowledge of holy things while their
minds were pliable, and Ito whom much is
| given of him shall much be required
| Oh, that we all might be more concerned
about the young. They are the lambs of the
fold. We must not allow them to wander off
| like some of the older sheep who ought to know
better and do not. As it is with the confirmed
inebriate-the habitual drunkard- it is with
sinners who are 6 gospel hardened-and there are
such in every place-there is no use in hopiug
! to do much with them. We must, however, do
| what we can, even with them. We must never
falter or waver in faith in the promise of the
Lord. Even in working with those most harden
| ed or depraved, for,
GAS long as life its terms extends,
Hopes bleSt dominion never ends,
IL