The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1899-07-20


stout, SO unbending, SO inexorable for
some denomination that it is a positive
necessity they have the advantage Of
that one. What they were intended to =
be in ecclesiasticism was written in the
sides of their cradle, if the father and 4
mother had eyes keen enough to see it.
They would not stop crying until they
had put in their hands as plaything 4
a Westminster catechism of the Thirty
nine Articles. The whole current of
their temperament and thought and
character runs into one sect of reli-
gionists as naturally as the James river
into the Chesapeake. 1t would be 4
torture to such persons to be anywhere
outside of that one church.
Now, let the wife or husband who Is
not SO constructed sacrifice the milder
preference for the one more inf1exible
and rigorous. Let the grapevine follow
the rugosities and sinuosities of the oak
or hickory. Abram, the richer in flocks
of Christian grace, should say to Lot, 8
who is built on smaller scale: "Let
there be no strife, pray thee. between
me and thee, and between my herdmen
and thy herdmen. Is not the whole land
before thee? As you can be edited
and happy anywhere, go with your COM
panion to the church to which he or she
must go or be miserable.
Remark the third: If both the mar
ried couple are very strong in their sec
tarianism, let them attend the different
churches preferred. 1t is not necessary
that you attend the same church. Re-
igion is between your conscience and
your God. Like Abram and Lot, agree
to suffer. When on Sabbath morning
you come out of your home together
and one goes one way and the other the
other, heartily wish each other good
sermon and time of profitable devo-
ton, and when you meet again at the
MONDAY repast let it be evident, each to
each and to your children and to the
hired help, that you have both been on
the Mount of TRANSPORTATION, although
you went up by different paths, and
that you have both been fed by tho
bread of life, though kneaded by diff
ferent hands in different trays and
baked in different ovens. "But how
about the children?'' am often asked
by scores of parents. Let them also
make their own choice. They viii
grow up with reverence for both the de-
nominations represented by father and
mother if you by holy lives commend
those denominations. # the father lives
the better life, they win have the more
favorable opinion Of his denomination.
And some day both the parents will.
for at least one service, go to the Same
church. The neighbors willsay: "Iwon-
der what's going on to-day, for saw our
neighbor and his wife, who always 60
to different churches, going arm in arm
to the same sanctuary" Well, ! will
tell you what has brought them arm in
arm to the same altar. Something very
important has happened. Their son II
standing in the aisle, taking the vows Of
Christian. He has been somewhat
wayward and gave father aud mother
good deal Of anxiety, but their prayers
have been answered in his conversion,
and as he stands in the aisle and the
minister Of religion says: Do ycu
consecrate yourself to the God who
made and redeemed you, and do you
promise to serve Him all your days ~
| and with manly voice he answers: II
do," there is an April shower In the
pew where father and mother sit and
rainbow of joy which arches both their
souls that makes all the difference Of
creed infnitesimal. And the daughter,
who has been very worldly and guy and
| thoughtless, puts her life on the altar
| of conservation, and as the sunli9ht of
that Sabbath streams through tho
church window and falls upon her brow
and cheek she looks like their other
daughter, whose face was illuminated
with the brightness of another world
on the day when the Lord took her into
His heavenly keeping years ago.
/ / should not wonder il, after IN,
these parents pass the evening Of their
life in the same church, all differences
Of church preference overcome by the
| JOY of being in the house Of God where
their children were prepared Tor usc-
fulness and Heaven. But can give
YOU recipe for running your children.
Angrily contend in the household that
your church is right and the church q
your companion is wrong. Bring sneex
and caricature to emphasize your opiu-
| ions, and your children will make Up
4 their minds that religion Is sham,
and they will have none Of Il. In the
northeast storm of domestic contro.
versy the rose of Sharon and the lily
Of the valley will not grow. Fight
about apostolic succession, fight about
election and free agency, fight about
baptism, fight about the bishoprie, fight
} about gown and .surplice, and the re.
ligious prospect of your children vii
be left dead on the field. You will ~
as unfortunate as Charles, dukeof Bur
, gu,idy, who in battle lost diamond
the value of kingdom, for in your dgh1
YOU will lose the jewel OF salvation fol
! your entire household. This Is moth
, ing against the advocacy Of your oss1
/ religious theories. Use all forcible sr