Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1896-08-28

Il
always die. Samuel the pious boy be-
came Samuel the great prophet Chris
tian Timothy became a minister at
Ephesus. Young Daniel, consecrated to
God, became prime minister Of all the
realm, and there are in hundreds OF the
schools and families Of this country to-
day children who love God and keep
his commandments, and who are to be
foremost among the Christians and the
philanthropists and the reformers Of the
next century. The grace Of God never
kills any one. A child will be more apt
to grow up with religion than it will
be apt to grow up withoutit Length Of
days is promised to the righteous. The
religion of Christ does not cramp the
chest, or curve the spine, or weaken the
nerves. There are no malarias floating
up from the river of life. The religion
of Christ throws over the heart and life
Of n child supernal beauty. Her
ways are ways of pleasantness, and all
her paths are peace. "
MoIding Of Childhood.
pass on to consider the susceptibility
of childhood. Men pride themselves on
their unchangeability. They will make
an elaborate argument to prove that
they think now just as they did 20
years ago. It is charged to frailty or
fraud when a man changes his senti-
ments in politics or in religion, and it
is this determination Of soul that so Of
ten drives back the gospel from mans
heart-it is so hard to make avarice
charitable and fraud honest and pride
humble and skepticism Christian. The
sword of Gods truth seems to glance of
from those mailed warriors. and the
helmet seems battle proof against Gods
battleax. But childhood-how suscep-
tible to example and to instruction.
You are not surprised at the record,
Abraham begat Isaac, and Isaac begat
Jacob. for when religion starts in
family it is apt to go all through. Jeze-
bel murderess, you are not surprised
to find her son Jehoram attempting as
sassination. Oh, what responsibility
upon the parent and the teacher! The
musician touches the keys, and the re-
sponse Of those keys is away off amid
the pipes and the chords, and you won
der at the distance between the key and
the chord. And so it is in life. If you
touch child, the results will come
back from manhood or old age, telling
Just the tune played, whether the dirge
of a great SORROW or the anthem Of a
great joy The word that the Sabbath
school teacher will this afternoon whis-
Der in the ear Of the class will be echoed
back from everlasting ages Of light or
darkness. The home and the school de-
eide the republic or the despotism, the
barbarism or the civilization, the up
building Of an empire or the overthrow
ing Of it. Higher then parliament or
congress are the school and the family,
and the sound Of child's s foot may
mean more than the tramp Of host.
What, then, are you doing for the pur-
pose Of bringing your children into the
kingdom of God? II they are 80 suscep-
tible, and if this is the very best time 70
act upon their eternal interests, what
are you doing by way Of right impul-
sion?
There were some harvesters in the
fields of Scotland one hot day, and Han
nah Lemond was helping them gather
the hay. She laid her babe under tree.
While she was busy in the field there
was hutter Of wings in the air, and
golden eagle clutched the swaddling
band of the babe and few away with 1t
to the mountain eyrie. All the harvest
ers and Hannah Lemond started for the
cliffs. 1t was two miles before they
came to the foot Of the cliffs. Getting
there. who dared to mount the cliff? No
hnman foot had ever trod it. There
were sailors there who had gone up tie
mast in the day Of terrible tempest.
They did not dare risk il. Hannah Le-
mond sat there for awhile and looked
ND and saw the eagle in the eyrie, and
then she leaped to her feet, and she
started up where no human foot had
ever trod, crag above crag, catching
hold Of this root or that root, until she
reached the eyrie and caught her babe,
the eagle swooping in ferceness all
around about her. Fastening the child
to her back. she started for her friend
and for home. Oh, what a dizzy de
scent, sliding from this crag to tina
craR, catching by that vine and by tina
root, coming down farther and farth6
to the most dangerous pass, where sh'
found a goat and some kids. She said
"Now I'll follow the goat; tho goa
will know just which is the safest way
down" And she was led by the animal
down to the plain. When she got there,
all the people cried, "Thank God, thank
Godr' her strength not giving way un'
Ill the rescue was effected. And they
cried: STAND back now. Give her
airp' Oh, if a woman will do that for
the physical life Of her child, what will
you do for the eternal life Of your boy
and your girl. Let it not be told IN the
great day of eternity that Hannah Le-
mond put forth more exertion for the
saving of the physical life OF her child
than you, . parent, have ever put forth
for the eternal life Of your little one
God help you'll
Power of Childhood.
pass on to consider the power which
a child wields over the parental heart
We often talk about the influence OF
parents upon children. | never hear
anything said about the influence OF
children upon their parents You go to
school to them. You no more educate
them than they educate you With their
little hands they have caught hold Of
your entire nature, and you cannot
wrench yourself away from their grasp
You are different men and women from
what you were before they gave you
the first lesson They have revolution.
lied your soul There are fountains OF
ioy in your heart which never would
have been discovered had they not dis
covered them. Life is to you more
stupendous thing than it was before
those little feet started on the pathway
to eternity. Oh. how many hopes. how
many Joys, how many solicitudes that
little one has created in your soull You
20 to school every day, school OF self
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