The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1896-07-30
most part were industrious, hard work

Il NOW, while ~ congratulate all CHRIS
i tan mothers upon the wealth and thu
modern science which may afford then
all kinds of help, let me say that every
mother ought to be observant OF hel
children'ss walk, her children's behavior
her chfldren's food her children's com
Partnerships. However much hell
Hannah may have, I think she ough1
every year, at least, to make one gar
ment for Samuel. The Lord have
mercy on the man who is so unfortu.
nate as to have had a lazy mother!
Again, Hannah stands before you to,
day as an intelligent mother. From
| the way in which she talked in this
chapter, and from the way she man
aged this boy, you know she was intel
igent. There are no persons in a com.
munity who need to- be so wise and
well Informed as mothers. O, this
work of culturing children for this
world and the next. This child is
timid, and it must be reused up and
pushed out into activities. This child
is forward, and he must be held back,
and tanned down into modesty and po-
likeness. Rewards for one, punish
ments for another. That which will
make George will ruin John The rod
is necessary in one case, while a froWn
of displeasure is more than enough in
another. Whipping and a dark closet
do not exhaust all the rounds of do
nestle discipline. There have been
children who have grown up and gone
to glory without ever having had their
ears boxed.
0, how much care and intelligence is
necessary in the rearing of children!
But in this day. when there are so
many books on this subject, no parent
is excusable in being ignorant Of the
best mode of bringing up child If
parents knew more Of dietetics, there
would not be so many dyspeptic stom-
achs and weak nerves and inactive
livers among children. If parents
knew more of physiology, there would
not be so many curved spines and
cramped chests and inflamed throats
and diseased lungs as there are among
children. If parents knew more Of art,
and we're in sympathy with all that is
beautiful, there would not be so many
children coming out in the world with
boorish procliyities. If parents knew
more Of Christ, and practiced more of
His religion, there would not be so
many little feet already starting on the
wrong road, and all around us voices Of
riot and blasphemy would not come up
with such ecstacy ofsinfernal triumph.
The eaglets in the eyrie have no adj
vantage over the eaplets of a thousand
years ago; the kids have no superior
way of climbing up the rocks than the
old goats taught them hundreds Of
years ago; the Whelps know no more
now than did the whelps Of ages ago
they are taught no more by the lions
of the desert; but it is shame that in
this day, when there are so many OPP
portunities of improving ourselves in
the best manner of culturing children,
that so often there is no more advance
Iment in this respect than there has
been among the kids and the eaglets
and the whelps.
Again: Hannah stands before you
to-day as Christian mother. From
her prayers, and from the way she con-,
secrated her boy to God, I know she
was good. A mother may have the
finest culture, the most brilliant sur
roundings; but she is not fit for her
duties unless she be Christian mother.
There may be well read libraries in the
house, and exquisite music in the par
Tor; and the canvas of the best artist
adjoining the walls; and the wardrobe
be crowned with tasteful apparel; and
the children be wonderful for their at
tainments, and make the house ring
with laughter and innocent mirth; but
there is something wofully lacking in
that house if it be not also the residence
of Christian mother I bless God
that there are not many prayerless
mothers The weight Of responsibility
is SO great that they feel the need of a
divine hand to help, and divine voice
to comfort, and a divine heart to sym
pathize.
Thousands of mothers have been led
into the kingdom of God by the hands
of their little children. There are hun
dreds of mothers to-day who would not
have been Christians had it not been
for the prattle Of their little ones.
Standing some day in the nursery,
they bethought themselves, This child
God has given me to raise for eternity.
What is my influence upon it?Not be-
ing a Christian myself, how can I ever
expect him to become a Christian.
Lord, help me!' o, are there anxious
mothers, who know nothing of the in
finite help Of religion? Then I com
mend to you Hannah, the pious
mother of Samuel. Do not think it is
absolutely impossible that your chill
dren come up Ubiquitous. Out Of just
such fair brows and bright eyes and
soft hands are innocent hearts, crime
gets it's victims extirpating purity
from the heart, and rubbing out the
smoothness from the brow, and quench-
ing the luster of the eye, and shrivel-
ing up and poisoning and putrefying
and scathing and scalding and blasting
and burning with shame and woe.
b Every child is a bundle Of tremen-
dous possibilities; and whether that
child shall come forth in life, it's heart
attuned to the eternal harmonies, and
after a life of usefulness on earth, go
to a life Of joy in heaven; or, whether
across it shall jar eternal discords, and
after a life Of wrongdoing on earth, it
shall go to q home Of impenetrable
I darkness and an abyss of Unreasonable
plunge, is being decided by nursery
song and Sabbath lesson and evening
prayer, and walk and ride and look and
froWn and smile. o, how many chill
dren in glory! crowding all the battle
ments and lifting a million-yoice ho-
sanna-b brought to God through CHS
tan parentage! One hundred and
tyvnnfv