Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1892-06-04


but it puts upon them an impression
that ten thousand years will only make
more vivid and tremendous. AS long as
the old folks live their prayer is for
their children and their childrcn's
children. Day in and day out, month
in and month out, year in and year out,
decade in and decade out the sons and
daughters of that family are remem-
bered in earnest prayer, and they
know it, and they feel it, and they can
not get away from it.
Two funerals after awhile-:not more
than two years apart, for it is seldom
that there is more than that lapse of
time between fathers going and moth
er's going-two funeralspu out of sight
the old folks. But where are the chill
dren? The daughters are in homes where
they are incarnations of good sense,
industry and piety. The sons, perhaps
one n farmer, another merchant,
another physician, another minister
of the Gospel, useful consistent, ad-
mired, honored. What a power for good
those seven sons and daughters! Where
did they get the power? From the
schools, and the seminaries, and the
colleges? Oh, no, though these may
have helped. From their superior
mental endowment? No, l do not think
they had unusual mental caliber. From
accidental circumstances? No, they
had nothing of what is called astound-
ing good luck.
think we will take train and ride
to the depot nearest to the homestead
from which those men and women start
ed. The train halts. Let us stop few
minutes at the village graveyard and
see the tombstones of the parents. Yes,
the one was sevcnty-four years of age
and the other was seventy-two, and the
epigraph says that latter useful life
they died Christian DEATH" How mp
propriately the Scripture passage cut
on the mothers tombstone, "She done
what she could" And how beautiful
the passage cut on the fathers tomb
stone, blessed are the dead who die in
the Lord, for they rest from their Ia
bors and their works do follow them"
On over the country road we ride
the road little rough, for the spring
weather is not quite settled. and once
down in n rut it is hard to get the wheels
out again without breaking the shafts.
But at last we come to the lane in front
Of the farmhouse. Let me get out of
the wagon and open the gate while you
drive through. Here is the arbor under
which those boys and girls many years
ago used to play. But it is quite out of
order now, for the property is in other
hands. Yonder is the orchard where
they used to thrash the trees for apples,
sometimes before they were quite ripe.
There is the NOW where they hunted
for eggs before Easter. There is the
doorsill upon which they used to sit.
There is the room in which they had
family prayers and where they all lsnelt
the father there, the mother there
and the boys and girls there.
We have got to the fountain of pious
and gracious influences at last. That is
the place that decided these seven earth
" and immortal destinies. Behold!
Behold! That is the secret place OF
thunder. Boys are seldom more than
their fathers will let them be. Girls are
seldom more than their mothers will lie
them be. But there come times when
it seems that parents can not control
| their children. There come times in q
BOYS life when he thinks he knows more
than his father does, and remember
now that l knew more at fifteen years
of age than I have ever known since.
There come times in girls life when
she thinks her mother is notional and
does not understand what is proper and
best, and the sweet child says, "Oh,
pshaww and she longs for the time.when
she will not have to be dictated to, and
she goes out of the door or goes to bed
with pouting lips, and these mothers re-
member for themselves that they knew
more at fourteen years of age than they
have ever known since. But, father and
mother, do not think You have lost your
influence over your child. You have q
resource of prayer that puts the sympa-
thetic and omnipotent God into your
parental undertaking. Do not waste
your time in reading fimsy books about
the best ways to bring up children. Go
into the secret place of thunder.