The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-01-23
FiREsIpE nELiGIoN.

The home undcrlies 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 az home was one of the Great
Apostles injunCtions, and another was for
wives To he Keepers ut home" There may
even be such thing as letting their light
shine in female prayer-mccting, while il
smokes very sadly among their own house
hold
This is the time of the year for the Culti-
vation of family religion IL il the season
of long evenings and of indoor occupations.
The qu stion What shall ! do with my
evenings comes NJ IN the minds uf tens of
thousands of sons and daughters, and unless
parents help them to settle il wisely tho
devil will help many of them to settle il in
way tO be- sorry for. The strong
est counter attraction to dangerous
evening resorts is u cheerful and happy
home. II 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 winsonc there
would be fewer sons in the theatre the pub
lie billiard room and the drink cursed
haunts. ! know II Christian gentleman
/ who has fitted up billiard-table In his up
per story, and engage, in a friendly game
with his own boys there; he lets them go
occasionally to some public amusement
where he can go with them. ! fear that
| there IL more than one godly father, who
prays and gives money for the conversion of
the hcathcn in China or Africa, and yet
does not seem 10 be winning his own chill.
drcn very successfully towards Christian
life. lie fires at too long range, and neg
lccts the religion of his own hearth
stone.
There's no place like home for training
character. But we must anchor our chill
dren To il we would make it good train
ing-schOol. kiudlc II up, make IL look
bright. More than once in these columns |
. have advocated an open fire aS II means of
grace. Beside such q generous wide
mouthcd fireplace ! rejoice to have passed
the autumnal and winter evenings of my
/ boyhood, And how | pity the thousands If
D young men who leaving such rural fire
sides, have no such evening attraction in
the rather cherries lodging houses of our
great cities ! many of them drift into
dangerous evening sorts, II is not to be
wondered at. Here lies one of the strongest
pleas for such places of Wholesome resort ~
| the Young Mems Christian Associations
provide.
But ! am not speaking II the homeless
. now, | am cNhOrtiug those who control the
| home to make it the safe anchorage, the
training school, the house of worship, and
the spiritual birthplace and rcarinc.p place
of their children. No school like this when
]
! Bcccher on Litchfeld Hill, Connecticut
as he describes il i'm his charming autOb-
b 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
! Of them were about theological
problems. Pleasant games were played
/ during the long evenings, and sometimes
/ the merry hearted old Boancrgcs brought
T in his violin. as u source of entertainment
To the iiresidc group. Music is one of the
sweetest and pure.t of home enioyments;
and IL is to be regretted that 80 many moth.
crs discard the musical attainmcn's of their
pTlhood amid the cares of maternity, or the
demands of that incXOrable gobbler-up Of
! time and thought called society" No
| parent ought 10 lay aside his or her musical
/ accomplishments. More than one wise
. father has anchored his bows at home by
| practising with them on the flute, the vio-
/ lin or the piano,
! OF the great vital matter of household
, worship-whlch, | fear, is not as generally
observed ~ formerly have no space to
write The lowie.t matched cottage OF log
| cabin, such as the Missionary GOude ,nCe
described among the New England hills or
such as the Missionary Patton describes in
his recent autobiography, is safer place
| for a Child's soul than the most elegant and
/ cultured mansion that has no family altar.
Again let MS remind Christian parents that
! they are the priests and the pastors of the
! homc-llock. No installation of minister
over u church is more solemn in its nature,
more imperative in its dldks, more far
reaching in its spiritual influence. When
IA son or daughter gets weaned from home,
il is too often the prelude to being weaned
from hope of conversion, and ultimately
weaned from Heaven. 4 cheerful, happy,
Christ inhabited home is the best earthly
picture Of and preparation for, our
Fathers house on highn--ReV. Th(odo,s l..
Cuyler, u. d., IN EcaHgrli1.