The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1894-04-20

Cowper said of the oak: thine was
when settled on thy leaf fly could
shake thee to the root. Time has been
when tempest could not" In other
words. your children are very impress
sible just now. They are alert; they
are gathering impressions you have nc
idea of. Have you not been surprised
sometimes, months or years after some
conversation, which you supposed was
too profound or intricate for them to
understand-some question of the child
demonstrated the fact that he knew all
about it?
Your children are apt to think that
what you do is right They have no
ideal of truth and righteousness but
yourself. Things which you do know
ing at the time to be wrong, they take
to be right They reason this way:
Father always does right Father
did this Therefore this is right y
That is good logic, but bad premises.
No one ever gets over having had a
bad example set him. Your conduct
more than your teaching makes i'm
preston. Your laugh, your frown,
your dress. your walk, your greetings,
your good-bves, YOUR comings, your GO
| ings. your habits at the table, the tones
of your voice. are making an impress
sion which will last a million years at
ter you are dead. and the sun will be
extinguished. and the mountains will
crumble. and the world will die, and
eternity will roll on in endless cycles,
| ~ N lNa nr,ti IF he
force of your conduct upon the young
ewes that saw it, or the young ears
tn at heard it.
| Now / would not have by this the idea
given to you that you must be in cold
reserve in the presence of your children.
You are not emperor; you are compan'
ion with them. As far as you can, you
must walk with them, skate with
them. fly kite with them, play ball
with them, show them you are inter
| ested in all that interests them. Spen-
sippus, the nephew and successor of
| Plato in the academy, had pictures of
JOY and gladness hung all around the
school room. You must not give your
children the impression that when
they come to you they are playful
ripples striking against rock You
must have them understand that you
were a boy once yourself; that
YOU know boys hilarities, boy S
| temptations, a boys am bition-yea,
that you are a. boy yet. You may de-
ceive them and try to give them the
idea that you are some distant super
natural effulgence, and you may shove
them off by your rigorous behavior, but
the time will come when they will find
out the deception, and they will have
for you utter contempt
! Aristotle said that boy should be-
gin to study at sevente en- years of age:
before that his time should be given to
recreation. | cannot adopt that theory.
But this suggests a truth in the right
direction. Childhood is too brief, and
we have not enough sympathy with its
sportfulness. We want divine grace to
matters.
Besides that, how are your children
ever to become Christians if you your
self are not a Christian? | have no.
ticed that however worldly and sinful
parents may be- they want their chill
dren good. When young people have
presented themselves for admission in
to our membership. have said to them
Are your father and mother willing
that YOU shall Gomez" and they have
said: 'Oh. yes; they are delighted to
have us come; they have not been in
church for ten or fifteen years. but they
will be here next Sabbath to see me
baptized" | have noticed that parents
however worldly, want their children
good.
So it was demonstrated in a police
court in Canada, where a mother, heI
little child in her arms, sat by table
on which her own handouts lay, and
the little babe took up the handcuff:
and played with them, and had great
glee She knew not the sorrow of the
hour And then when the mother was
sent to prison, the mother cried out
Oh. God, let not this babe go into the
Jail Is there not some mother here
who will take this child? 1t is good
enough for Heaven. 1t is pure. | am
bad am wicked. Is there not some
one who will take this child? | cannot
have it tainted with the prison" Their
a brazen creature rushed up and said
Eyes. I'll take the child" NO, no,
said the mother, mot you, not you. L
there not some good mother here whC
will take this child?" And then wher
the officer of the law in mercy and pity
took the child to carry it away to fine
a home for it, the mother kissed it Low
ingly good-by and said: ''Good-by, m!
darling: it is better you should neve
see me again"
However worldly and sinful peopl,
are they want their children good
How are you going to have them good
Buy them few good books? Teacl
them a few excellent catechisms
Bring them to church? That is al
very well, but of little final result un
less you do it with the grace of God il
your heart. Do you not realize tina
your children are started for eternity
Are they on the right road? Those lit
tie forms that are now so bright anC
beautiful, when they have scattered il
the dust there will be an immorta
spirit living on in mighty theater o
action, and your faithfulness or you
neglect now is deciding that destiny.
There is contention already among
ministering spirits of salvation anC
fallen angels as to who shall have tn,
mastery of that immortal spirit You
children are soon going out in tbs
world. The temptations of life viii
rush upon them. The most rigid reso
luton will bend in the blast of evil
What will be the result? 1t will re
quire all the restraints of the gospel
all the strength of a fathers prayer
all the influence of Christian mother:
example, to keep them