The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1890-01-29
FrREsIDE RELIGION.

The home underlies both commonwealth
and church, and we cannot look for good
citizens or good Christians from any other
quarter. The parent is the pastor of the
"church in the house." God ordains fathers
and mothers to this high office; First to
show piety at home was one of the Great
Apostles injunctions, and another. was for
wives to be keepers at home" There may
even be such thing as letting their light
shine in female prayer-meeting, while it
smokes very sadly among their own house
hold.
This is the time of the year for the cult
vation of family religion. 1t is the season
of long evenings and of indoor occupations.
The QUESTION "What shall I do with my
evenings?" comes up in the minds of tens of
thousands of sons and daughters; and unless
parents help them to settle it wisely the
devil will help many of them to settle it in
a way to be sorry for The strong
est counter attraction to dangerous
evening resorts is a cheerful and happy
home. If wives were wiser in this direction,
there would be fewer husbands in the club
room or in the saloons. If all parents would
try to make home bright and winsone, there
would be fewer sons in the theatre, the pub
lie Dillard-room, and tie drink-cursed
haunts. I know q Christian gentleman
who has fitted up billiard-table in his up
per story, and engages in a friendly game
with his own boys there; he lets them 30
occasionally to some public amusement
where he can 60 with them. | fear that
there is more than one godly father, who
prays and gives money for the conversion OF
the heathen in China or Africa. and yet
does not seem to be winning his own chill
dren very successfully towards Christian
life He fires at too long range, and neg
ly:ts the religion of his own hearth
stone.
There's no place like home" for training
character. But we must anchor our chill
dren to it if we would make it good train
ing-school. Kindle it up; make it look
bright. More than once in these columns I
have advocated an open fire as means OF
grace" Beside such generous wide
the autumna1 and winter evenings Of my
boyhood. And how pity the thousands Of
young men who, leavi g such rural fire
sides, have no such evening attraction in
the rather cherries lodging houses of our
great cities. II many Of them drift into
dangerous evening r. sorts, it is not to be
wondered at. Here lies one of the strongest
pleas for such places Of wholesome resort as
the Young Mems Christian Associations
provide.
But am not speaking OF the homeless
now; am exhorting those who control the
home to make it the safe anchorage, the
training school, the house of worship, and
the spiritual birthplace and rearing-place
of their children. No school like this when
it is we'll kept The tireside of DR.. Lyman
Beecher on Litchtield Hill, Connecticut
as he describes it in his charming autobi
ography---was worth as much for educa-
tional purposes to his eight or nine children,
as any school or college which they ever
entered. Books of the right stamp were
read there and were discussed by the fami-
ly. Questions were debated there, to the
great sharpening of Their. wits; some
problems. Pleasant games were played
during the long evenings, and sometimes
the merry-hearted old Boanerges brought
in his violin, as a source of entertainment
to the fireside group. Music is one of the
sweetest and pure.t of home enjoyments;
and it is to be regretted that so many moth
ers discard the musical attainments of their
girlhood amid the cares of maternity, or the
demands of that inexorable gobbler-up OF
time and thought called society" No
parent ought to lay aside his or her musical
accomplishments. More than one wise
father has anchored his boys at homo by
practising with them on the flute, the vio-
lin or the piano.
Of the great vital matter of household
worship-which. fear, is not as generally
observed as formerly-I have no space to
write. The lowliest thatched cottage or log
cabin, such as the Missionary Goode nee
described among the New England hills, or
such as the Missionary Patton describes IN
his recent autobiography, is safer place
for child's soul than the most elegant and
cultured mansion that has no family altar:
Again let us remind Christian parents that
they are the priests and the pastors. of the
home-hock. No installation of minister
Hyer church is more solemn in its nature,
NE imperative in its duties. more far
aearn9g q son in its spiritual influence: s When
i is too SoSs she pEssde SS1 to being veansd
from nope e. q conversion. and ultimately
weaned from G;tsG yen. A cheerful, hsppy,
GhFsT Cicfmre !hHao'tu Of and is the best earthly
rathet : n NUS in Erano.liSft4ev. Theodore L.