Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1899-03-09

Oh, make Your home the brightest
p'arN On earth II vow would chain YOU:
children 10 the high path Of virtue and
rec;iiuGe aud religion! Do uot always
turn the blinds the wrong way, Let
the light. which puts goid on the gen-
tan and spots the pansy, pour intoyour
dwellings,. DO not expect the little
feet to keep step to dead march. Do
not cover up your walls with such pic
lures as Vests Death on Pale Horse
or Tintoretto's Massacre of the In
uocerts." Rather cover them If you
have pictures with The Hawking Par
IT," and The MIL by the Mountain
Stream" and The Fox Hunt" and the
"ChiliGren Amid Flowers" and the
Harvest Scene" and The Saturday
Night Marketing." Get you no hint of
checrfulucss from grasshoNpers leap
aud lambs frisk and quaiNs whistle
aud garrulous streamlet, which from
the rock al the mountain top clear
down to the meadow ferns under the
shadow OF the steep comes looking to
see where it can find the stecpest place
to leap oN At and talking just TO hear it
self talk? II all the skies hurtled with
tempest and everlasting storm, wan
dered over the sea, and every mountain
stream were raving mad, trothing at
the mouth with mud foam, and there
vps nothing but simoomS blowing
among the hills and there were neither
larl's carol nor humming birds trill,
~ ~ htND =
bark and panther's scream aud VOLTS
howl, then you might well gather into
your homes only the shadows. But
when God has strewn the earth ard the
heavens with beauty and with gladness,
let us take into our home circles all in
nocent hilarity, all brightness and all
good cheer. \ dark home makes bad
boys and bad girls in preparation Tor
bad mcu and bad women.
Above all my friends. take into your
homes Christian principle, Can II be
that in any of the comfortable homes
whose inmates confront the voice OF
prayer is never lifted? What! No sup
p,cation at night for protection"
What! No thanks giving in the morn
ing for care? How, my brother, my
sister, will you answer God in the day
of Judgment with reference to your
children? II Is a plain question, and
therefore ask il, In the tenth chapter
of Jeremiah God says He will pour out
His fury upon the families that call
not upon His name. Oh, parents, when
ycu are dead and gone, and the moss
is covering the inscription of the tomb
stone, will your children look back and
think Of father and mother nj family
PRAYER? win they take the old family
Bible and open it and see the mark of
tears Of sontrtion and tears of consol-
ing promise wCpt 10y eyes long before
gone out into darkness" Oh, It you
do not iuculcate Christian principle IN
the hearts Of your children, and YOU do
not warn them against evil, and Won do
not invite them to holiness and TO God.
and they wander off into dissipation
and into infdclity and at last make
shipwreck of their immoral soul, on
their deathbed and in the day of judg,
ment they will curse you
Seated by the register or the stove,
what if, on the wall, should come out
the history of your children? What a
historv-thc mortal md immortal life
of your loved ones! Every parent Is
writing the history of his child. lie Is
writing it, composing ii into song. OF
pointing It with groan
MY mind runs back to one of the best
Of early homes. Prayer like "A roof over
it, Peace like an atmosphere in II.
Parents personifications of faith in trial
and comfort in darkness. The two
pillars Of that earthly home long crum-
bled to dust. But shall ever forget
that early home? Yes, when the flower
forgets the sun that warmed it, Yes,
when the mariner forgets the star that
guided him. Yes, when love has gone
out on the hearts altar, and memory
has emptied It's urn into forgetfu'ness,
Then. the home of my childhood, ] will
forget thee! The family altar Of a ia
Tiers importantly and mothers ten
derncss. the voices of affection, the
funeral of our dead, the father and
mother with interIocked arms like in.
tertwining branches Of trees making
perpetual arbor of love and peace and
kindnCss-then ] will forget thee
then. and only then! You know, my
brother that hundred times YOU have
been kept out of sin by the memory
Of such scene as have been dcscrib,
ing. You have often had raging tempta
tons, but you know what has held you
with supernatural grasp, tell you
man who has had such n good home rs
that never gets over it, and man who
has had bad early home never gets
over IT,
Again, home is type OF Heaven. AT
our best estate we are only pilgrimsand
strangers here. Heaven is our home
Death will never knock at the door Of
that mansion, and in all that country
there is not single grave. How glad
parents are in the holidays to gather
their children home again! But have
noticed there Is almost always a son or
a daughter abse nt--a bsent from home.
perhaps absent from the country. per.
hans absent from the world, oh how