The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-04-16

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 bad ex-
ample set him. Your conduct more than
your teaching makes impression. Your
laugh, your frOwn, your dress, your
walk, your greetings, your goOd-byes,
your cOmings, your gOlngs, your habits at
the table your tones of voice, are making
an impression which will last a million
years after you are dead, and the sun will
be extinguished. and the mountain viii
CrumDle, and the world will die and
eternity viii roll on in 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.
Now, I would not have byithis the idea
given to you that you must be in cold re-
serve in the presence of your children.
l.Gou are not emperor; you are COM
paniou 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 in
terested in all that interests them.
SpensIppus, 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 a rock. You must have them IN
| derstaud that you were boy once your
self. that you know a boys hilarities,
boys temptations, boys ambition-yea,
| that you are a boy yet. You may deceive
! them and try TO give them the idea that
you are some distant supernatural efful-
gence, and you may shove them Off by
your rigorous behavior, but the time will
Ii J 4
tion. and they will have for you utter
contempt.
Aristotle said that a boy should begin
to study at seventeen years of age before
that his time should be given to recrea-
tion. l cannot adopt that theory. But
this suggests a truth n the right direc-
ton Childhood is too brief, and we have
not enough sympathy with it's sportful-
ness. 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 yourself
are not a Christian2 / 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 membership / have
| said to them, Are your father and
mother willing you shall Gomez" and
they have said, "Oh yes; they are de-
lightek 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" I have noticed that
parents, however worldly, want their
c hildren good.
So it was demonstrated in 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 ba be
| 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, 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. It 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
creature rushed up and said, Eyes, I'u
take the child NO, 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 home for it, the
mother kissed it lovingly good-by, and
said, "Good-by, my darling; it 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
cellent catechisms? Bring them to church?
That is all very well, but of little final re-
suit unless you do it with the grace of
God in your heart. Do you not realize
that your children are started for etern-
ityl Are they on the right road? Those
little forms that are now so bright and
beautiful, when they have scattered in
the dust there will be an immortal spirit
living on in mighty theater of action
and your faithfulness or your neglect
now isdeciding that destiny
There is contention already among
ministering spirits of salvation and fallen
angels as to who shall have the mastery
of that immotal spirit Your children
are soon going out in the world. The
temptations of life will rush upon them
The most rigid resolution will bend in the
blast of evil. What will be the result2
1t will require all the restraints of the
| gospel, all the strength of a fathers
prayer, all the influence of Christian
mothers example, to keep them.
You say it is too early to bring them
Too early to bring them to God? Do vol
know how early children were taken tC
the ancient passoverl The rule was lust
as soon as they could take hold of the
fathers hand and walk up Mount MORTAL
they should be taken to the passover
Your children are not too young to com,
, to God. While you sit here and think O
! | IuoIn, perhaps Jnelf forms, now so bright
and beautiful, vanish from you, and theil
disembodied spirit rises. and you see i
after the life of virtue or crime is pas
aud the Judgment is gone and eternity i
here.
| A Christian minister said that in tn
Z first year of his pastorate he tried to per
} suade young mechanic of the importanc
1 of family worship. Some time passed
| and the mechanic came TO the pastor
study and said, do you remember tina
girl| That was my own child; she die
, this morning very suddenly; she has gon,
to God, | have no doubt, but if So she ha
3 told him what l tell you now that chile
: never heard a prayer in her father
. house-never heard prayer from he
S fathers lips Oh if / only had her bacl
S again one day to do my duty!" 1t will b
a a tremendous thing at the last day if som
, one shall say of US, Il never heard m
r father pray; l never heard my mothe
f pray"
Again | remark, we want religion in al
D our home sorrows. There are TO- 900 cues
+ tlons that come up in the best regulates
0 household that must be settled. Perhap
! the father has one favorite in the family
the mother another favorite in the family
e and there are many questions that nee
!, delicate treatment.
t Tyranny and arbitrary decision hav
. no place in a household If the parent