The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-06-14
Preached by DIR. Lockwood Yes
terday Morning.
HONOR OF CHILDREN'S DAY
SOME OF THE THINGS A CHILD
SHOULD SEEK AFTER.
Lessons That May be Learned From
Kite Flying-Simple and Forcible
Discourse Appropriate to the oc-
casion.

-
the Methodist churches and the event
was fittingly observed. At Ilif church
DR.. Lockwood spoke to a large congre-
cation of little ones and their parents
taking for his subject the following
passage:
Set your affection on things above
not on things on the EARTH Collos-
slams. iii, .
Children, if / hold up rose before
you and loosen my hold upon it. il
falls straight to the ground. The rea-
son for this is that the law of gravita-
ton draws it, just as it does every
other object in the world. toward the
center of the earth. Now just as this
natural law tends to draw everything
down to the earth. just so there is law
of evil in our hearts that all the time
tends to draw the soul downward into
sin. 1t is not such a very serious thing
that our bodies should fall TO the
ground every time that we stumble or
/ lose our balance; but il is a sad thing
to see the soul grovelling in the dust
! like q worm instead of soaring up into
the blue sky with song and gladness
like a bird. The soul should dwell
above the dust and the din and the filth
of earth. Even in early childhood you
which are above"
Now as play is the chief occupation
of very small children. you ought TO he
careful that your play is of such a kind
as TO elevate rather than to degrade
the soul. Marble playing is sport that
is dear to the heart of every boy; but
marbles keep your knuckles rough.
grimy. and chappsd; il keeps your
mother perpetually patching the knee
of your trousers: and worse than all
it makes young gamblers of You. Al
least il was so with me. Top -SplnningS
is something that we nearly all enjoy,
but il too keeps a boys eyes fixed to
the ground nearly all the time AMI
fosters the destructive instinct in his
heart, which is always full well de-
veloped. But there * one sport that
seems to me to be as pure as it is de-
lightful-I refer to kite-fiying. of course
| do not wish to be understood as con-
demning any boyish game; but | ref,
to kite-fiying in particular as boyisn
pastime that is altogether pure and
ennobling. / propose now to show now
kite-hying benefits the spiritual life of
a bow.
In the first place. Kite flying compels
one to look up. In his daily rounds
about the streets boys eve is likely to
rest most of the .ir1e upon Shiny pools,
debris. rubbish, and the carcasses of
dead animals. Nov what We constant
ly see and smell md hear, soon comes
to have a vital effect upon our char
acter: and the usual sights ana sounds
of the street are of such a Kind as to
dull and degrade a bows sense Of
purity and beauty. Bar how difereat
when a boy goes out upon summer
morning and let's his graceful kite far
up into the shining blue, The calm
serenity of the pure skv makes its in-
press upon his s)ul: high in the air he
sees birds that wing their way toward
some distant cline. of which ne
straightway falls To dreaming: ever
and anon he sees feet of white and
downy clowds. sailing ID some far off
port in the heavens; the fragrance of
the summer morning is about him, and
the whisper of the grass and flowers
bring peace and quiet to his heart
In the second place, from kite-flying
you ought to learn that just as the |
steady tug of your kite string draws
you upward toward the sky just so the |
gracious spirit of God ever draws the |
soul toward him. So many people COM |
plain constantly of the evil influences |
that drag them down into sin, but seem /
to overlook altogether the fact that !
Gods grace is always exerted, gently :
but powerfully, endeavoring to draw |
them toward purity and truth. Too !
ing gone into her mama's blackberry
patch was found with her face all J
smeared and her dress all soiled. After
her mother had washed her face and /
hands. and had put a nice clean frock
upon her, she gave the little truant
strict orders not to go into the black
berry patch again. But in a short time
the little girl came in with her hands
and face and dress in as sorry plight
har-
very angry and scolded her well; but
he little girl seemed to be as sorry as
vas her mother, and said that she
couldn't help it, that the devil had
.empted her to go in again, and that
she could not resist the temptation.
Once more the mother dressed her UP.
cling her at the same time that if
Satan tempted her again she must say:
Get thee behind me, Satan" 1t was
,nly a few moments before the little
inner was found once more in the for
)idden precincts smeared with black
berries as usual This time the mother
vas very much grieved, but when she
severely called her naughty little
laughter to account she received the
earful excuse: We'll. mamma. when
satan tempted me to go into the black
Jerry patch again. said just what you
old me, and he got behind me and
hat this child was possessed with what
cme theclogians call total depravity;"
nd ii is quite as plain that many
-rown people when they tell Satan to
,et behind them aSe in hopes that he
will do so and pushtthem straight into
he forbidden pleasure. The fact is that
ne restraining influence of Gods love
re more potent than all evil tenden-
les. Like cord attached to our hearts
q q n drax xrS !
7ard heaven.
Once more: From kite-fying the les
on of prayer may be learned: for just
S we send pure. white messages flut-
sring up over the ktie-String to nestle
4 a few moments snugly against the
lite, so we may send our prayers up ! I
yer the line of faith to find a welcome
esting place in the bosom of God I
fish that 1 could impress upon the I
carts of every child the truth that we
an send messages to God just as easily
nd much more swiftly than boy can
end message up over his kite-string s
-od hears and answers prayer: and he :
ives to have boys and girls. pray to
i'm as well as grown folks. No child !
too small to pray; nor is any prayer .
DO simple and ignorant to attract the I
ttention of God. John B. Cough told I
he story of a London street boy VINO !
ad had both legs broken by dray !
assing over them: HE was laid away
! one of the beds of a hospital TO die. i
nd another little creature of the same q
ass was laid near by, picked uD with
imine fever. The latter was allowed to
e down by the side of the little
rushed boy. He crept up to him and
lid: Bobby. did you never hear about
esus?'
= No: 1 never heard of him.