Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1894-04-21
on them ali the gfandeurs Of eternal hiss

tuJy.
You reed the religion Of Christ in the
discipline Of your children. The rod
which IN ether homes may be the first
means used in yours will be the last.
There will be no harsh epithets-"you
knave, you villain, you scoundrel I'll
thrash the life out Of you; you are the
worst child l ever knew" All that kind
Of chastisement makes thieves, pick
pockets, murderers and the outlaws Of So
ciety. That parent who in anger strikes
his child across the head deserves the
~penitentiary. And yet this work of dis
|. cipline must be attended to. Gods grace
can direct us. Alas, for those who come
to the work with fierce passion and reck-
lessness of consequences! Between Sc
verify and laxativeness there is no
choice. Both ruinous and both destruct-
i've. But there is a healthful medium
which the grace of God win show to us.
Religion as an Example.
Then we need the religion of Christ
to help us in setting a good example.
Cowper said of the oak: Time was
when settled on thy leaf a fly could
shake thee to the root. Time has been
when tempest could not" In other
words, your children are very impressi-
Bile just now. They arc alert; they are
gathering impressions you have no idea
of. Have you not been surprised some
times, months or years after some con
versation which You supposed was too
profound on intricate for them to under
Sandstone question of the child DEM
onstrated the fact that he knew all about
it?
Your children are apt to think that
what you do is right. They have no idea
of truth or righteousness but yourself.
Things which you do knowing 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" 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
impression. Your laugh, your frown,
your dress, your walk, your greetings,
your goodbys, your comings, your 60
ings, your habits at the table, the tones
Of your voice, are making an impression
which will last a million years after you
are dead, and the sun will be extin-
guished, and the mountains will crum-
BILE, and the world will die, and eternity
will roll on i'll perpetual cycles, but
there will be no diminution Of the force
of your conduct upon the young eyes that
saw it or the young ears that heard it.
The Age For Study.
Now | would not have by this the idea
given to you that you must be i'll cold
reserve i'll the presence of your children.
You are not emperor. You are companion
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 interested i'll all that
interests them. Spensippus, the nephew
and successor of Plato in the academy,
had pictures Of joy and gladness hung
all around the schoolroom. You must
not give your children the impression
that when they come to you they are
playful ripples striking against a rock.
You must lave them understand that
you We're a boy ono yourself, that you
know a boys hilarities, a boys tempta-
tons, a boys ambition-yea, that yo1
are a boy yet. You may deceive them
and try to give them the idea that you
are some distant supernatural effulgence,
and you may shove them off by your rig
orous behavior. but the time will come
when they will find ont the deception,
and they will have for you utter con
tempt.
Aristotle said that a boy should begin
to study at II years of age. Before that
his time should be given to recreation.
Icanuot adopt that theory. But this sug-
gests a truth in the right direction.
Childhood is too brief, and we have not
enough sympathy with its sportfulness.
We want divine grace to help us in the
adjustment of all these matters.
Besides that, how are your children
ever to become Christians if you your
self are not a Christian? l have noticed
that however worldly and sinful parents
may be they want their children good.
When young people have presented
themselves for admission into our mem
bership, | have said to them, ''Are your
father and mother willing you shall
Gomez" And they have said, "Oh, yes;
they are delighted to have rs come.
They have not been in church for 10 or
10 years, but they will be here next Sab
bath to sec me baptized. Ihave noticed
that parents, however worldly, want
their children good.
A Good Mother Sought.
So it was demonstrated in a police
court in Canada. where a mother, her
little child in her arms, sat by a table
on which her own handouts lay, and
the little babe took up the handouts 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: 30 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" Then a brazen crea-
ture rushed up and said, Eyes, I'll take
the child" mo, no, " said the mother,
mot you, not you. Is there not some
good mother here who will take this
child?" And then when the officer of
the law in mercy and pity took the child
to carry it away to find a home for it
the mother kissed it lovingly goodby and
said: 'Goodby, my darling. 1t is better
you should never see me again"
However worldly and sinful people
are, they want their children good. How
are you going to have them good? Buy
them a few good books? Teach them a
few excellent catechisms? Bring them
to church? That is all very well, but of
little final result unless you do it with
the grace of God i'll your heart. Do you
not realize that your children are started
for eternity? Are they on the right road?
Those little forms that are now so bright
and beautiful-when they have scat
tered in the dust, there will be an i'm
mortal spirit living on in a mighty thea
ter of action, and your ~faithfulness or