Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1899-06-22
Putting Away Childish Things.


Good Christians are admonished by
a high authority to put away child
ish things"
The grave mistake which a great
many young people commit is that of
supposing they have given up toys,
when really the only thing they have
done has been to exchange toys. They
have put away one sort of childish
things, but they have done so only to
take up with another set. What we
want is to have the imagination set on
fire by the torch of the Spirit; to have
the affections enamored of the very
best things there are; to get out of
that state of being in which the heart
is wholly absorbed in possessions
which can be seen and touched and
to get into that state of being in whIc
to be helpful to others, to be true and
just in word and deed, patient and
fearless, hopeful, sympathetic and gen
erous, is seen to be an end far better
worth praying for than that the null
titude of our playthings should be in
creased.
/ am not emptily decIaiming against
either the making of money or the
pleasures of society. The responsible
ity of amassing wealth was laid on
man when God told him to subdue the
earth, the divine sanction was given
to society when the family was ordain-
ed. No, | am neither defaming wealth
nor decrylng am"sements; | am simply
seeking to hold you to the law of pro-
portion; endeavoring to help you in
the settlement of comparative values;
showing you how really childish are
some of these things which many who
fancy they have over-passed child
hoods limits, set great store and are
practically enslaved. Give unto us.
Lord, the increase Of faith, hope and
charity. That is the prayer young ar
dent souls ought to be praying with
all their might, now while life IS open
ing itself to their approach; but ap-
parently how few there are to pray it.
I say apparently" Perhaps there are
many more than we think. Possibly
at this very moment there are hearts
within these walls from which the crv
goes up, the cry inaudible to all save
God: Free me, Eternal Father. free
me from this bondage to things seen
and temporal; make me to desire that
which thou dost promise. and TO love
that which thou dost command.
Thus to pray, depend upon it. is to
take the first step toward things really
putting away childish things.
The Christian life makes no heavier
demand on us, in this regard, than the
military life. What is it that really
counts in the army? Nothing counts
there unless it is of such sort that it
can be expressed in terms of the Spirit.
Courage counts; honor counts; genius
counts: invisible possessions every one
of them. The general is rated accord
ing to his power to fight battles and
win them, and not by the brilliancy
of his uniform or the splendor of his
camp equippage In times of peace
to be sure, these tri1es, these toys
come to possess a certain accidental
windy Jul vi
to their real value, but the moment
war is declared the army puts away
childish things and takes its stand on
manhood pure and simple. There is
a great deal about military life that
is antagonistic to and destructive of
religion, but this much good soldiers
and true Christians have in common:
A fine scorn for what is sordid, mean
and base, and a rooted reluctance to
see the things that dignity a man over
whelmed and smothered by the things
that merely ornament him. The fact
that now and then it does rouse a pam
pered and luxurious people out of its
bondage to mere animal enjoyments,
and for the moment relegates childish
things to the second place, is the sole
consideration that tells in favor of
war. In no other light can we think
of God Of battles as adorable.
But if childish things are to be really
put away. what would God have us
bring into our lives to take their place?
Do not imagine for moment that you
are to be the less a man because you
determine to dismiss playthings to the
rear and to summon character to the
front. No type of life grows more
virile root than does the spiritual life;
no manhood rings truer than the man
hood which bears the mint-mark OF
the cross of Jesus Christ.