The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1894-04-27

first means Used, In yours will be the
last There will be no harsh epithets
you knave, you villain. you seoun-
drel, I'll thrash the life out Of you; you
are the worst child ever knew" Ali
that kind of chastisement makes
thieves, pickpockets, murderers and
the outlaws of society. That parent
who in anger strikes his child across
the head deserves the penitentiary.
And yet his work of disciple must be
attended TO. Gods grace can direct
us Alas for those who come to the
work with fierce passion and reckless
ness of consequences. Between severity
and laxativeness there is no choice.
Both ruinous and both destructive.
But there is a healthful medium which
the grace of God will show to us.
Then we need the religion of Christ
to help as in setting good exam
pie. Cowper said of the oak: ''Time
was when settled on thy leaf fly
could shake thee to the root. Time has
been when tempest could not" In 9TH
er words, your children are very i'm
pressible just now. They are alert; |
they are gathering impressions you
have no idea of. Have you not been
surprised some times, months or years |
after some conversation, which you /
supposed was too profound or intricate |
for them-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 or righteousness but
yourself. Things which you do know
| ing at the time to he wrong, they take
| to be right. They reason this way:
Father always does right. Father
did this. Therefore this is right
This is good logic, but bad premises.
! No one ever gets over having had
| bad example set him. Your conduct
more than your teaching makes impress
sion. Your laugh, your frown, your
dress, your walk, your greetings, your
good-byes. your comings, your goings,
your habits at the table. the tones
of your voice, are making an i'm
preston which will last million years
after you are dead and the sun will be
distinguished, and the mountains will
crumble, and the world will die, and
eternity will roll on to endless 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 l 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 companion with them. As far as
you can, you must walk with them,
skate with them, fly kite with them,
1 Il,
are interested in all that interests
them. Spensippus, the nephew and
successor of Plato in the acad emy, 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 understand you were boy
once yourself; that you know boys
hilarities, a boys temptations, boys
ambitiOn-yea that you are boy yet
You may deceive them and try to give
, them the idea that you are some dis
tant supernatural effulgence, and you
+ may shove them off by your rigorous
behavior, but the time viii come when
they will find out the deception, and
: they will have for you utter contempt.
r Aristotle said that boy should be-
Z gin to study at seventeen years of age;
D before that his time should be given to
G recreation. l can not adopt that
Y theory. But this suggests a truth in
t the right direction. Childhood is too
= brief and we have not enough sym
| pathv with its sportfulness. We want
: Divine grace to help us in the adjust
e ment of all these matters
Besides that, how are your children
e ever to become Christians if you your
= self are not Christian? l have no
e ticed that however worldly and sinful
/ parents may be, they want~their chill
i dren good. When young people have
s presented themselves for admission in
a to our membership, ! have said tC
/. them, ''Are your father and mother
e willing that you shall?" and they have
Y said, ''Oh! es; they are delighted tC
1t have us come; they have not been IL
e church for ten or fifteen years
s but they will be here next Sabbath K
s. see me baptized" / have noticed tina
parents, however worldly, want thei1
is children good.
e So it was demonstrated in a polio,
t, little child in her arms, sat by a tabl,
S, on which her own handouts lay, anC
II the little babe took up the handcuff
O and played with them, and had grea
q glee. She knew not the sorrow of th
e hour. And then when the mother wa
n sent to prison the mother cried out
k "Oh! God, let not this babe go into tn
M iail. Is there not some mother her
is who will take this child? 1t is goo,
t: enough for Heaven. 1t is pure. l an
w bad. / am wicked. Is there no
% someone who will take this child
re l can not have it tainted wit
the prison" Then brazen creatur
at rushed up and said: Yes, III TAX
e. the child" NO, no, said the mother
IN mot you, not you. Is there not som
in good mother here who will take thi
III child?' And then when the officer c
Ii the law in mercy and pity took th
We child to carry it away to find HON
of for il, the mother kissed it lovingl
X good by and said: Good by, my dar
i'll ing; it is better you should never sc
TX me again.
IN However worldly and sinful peopl
nd are they want their children gooC
rv How are You going TO have them good
n Buy them a few good books? Teac
re them a few excellent catechisms
lis Bring them TO church? That is a
n very well, but of little final result III
10 less you do it with the grace of God
a your heart. Do you not realize ths
Id your children are started for eternity