The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-06-18
FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN
REV. w. A. QUAYLE'S SERMON Al
MERIDIAN-STREET CHURCH.
Delivered i'm Interest of National Chill
dren's Home Society-Services
at Other Churches.


Church last night with an eloquence of
pathos that more than once brought tears
TO his hearers eyes. The service was de-
voted to the interests of the National Chill
drens Home Society, which will hold its
annual meeting here Wednesday and
Thursday of this week. In the pulpit with
Dr. Quayle was the Rev. F. NJ. Elliott, SUI
perintendent of the Indiana Children's
Home Society. branch of the national or
ganization.
AS preface to the minister's appeal for
support for the society Mr.. Elliott briefly
outlined the objects and purposes for
which it was formed He said that the
Indiana branch has only been in existence
seven years, yet in that time has succeeded
in providing 5s4 children with suitable
homes. The receiving home is at West
field. where the little folks are kept until
homes are obtained for them. 1t is the de-
sire of the society to build a home of its
own, to cost $1,000, and subscriptions are
solicited for this object. Four thousand
dollars of the sum required has already
been raised.
DR.. Quayle's text was the twenty-second
verse of the forty-second chapter of Gen.
esis: do not sin against the child" Some
of his striking and forcible utterances
were:
1--WE are to do no harm to a child,
whosever's child it is; whether we are any
relation to it or not. See to it. BY no posi-
tive act of positive assertion; by no means
Of any order is anybody to do any evil to
child"
THE SOCIETYS OBJECT.
''This society, under whose auspices we
meet tonight, proposes to put children
into homes, and it proposes to provide
homes with children-two things. and two
very necessary things. indeed"
1--WE ought never to refer to a human be-
ing as it, because 1t is somehow very easy
to forget that there are capabilities for
good and evil in every human soul. There
is neither neuter nor neutrality in the soul
You can't compute what a soul will do.
You can't count stock in human nature
You can breed cattle and horses, but you
can't breed manhood. You can't make a
genealogical tree which will certify to char
acter. There isn't anybSdy doomed from
his birth to either goodness or badness.
You are not wholly responsible for your
ancestors doings, and God gives us-I be-
lieve and shall maintain until new light is
brought to my mind L will maintain that
before every human beings feet, If that
human being be not an imbecile, there is
a road which leads out to manhood and
womanhood. and surely out to usefulness
and good"
Every bad life has hope in it. For
every life coming into the world God has
made some possible projection and per-
spective Of nobility and worth. You must
not suppose that because child is taken
from the slums 1t is hopeless child. You
must not suppose that because child is a
drunkards child it is a hopeless child: You
must not suppose that because a child is a
murderers child lit must necessarily be d
murderous child. You must not suppose
that because a child has come from an an
cestry OF all venom and violence-you must
not therefore suppose that that child Is
doomed to die a vicious death don't DENY
that some people have better chances than
others and some people have better blood
than others, but / do deny that there is
no hope for anybody and do deny that a
bad persons blood is so poisoned that he
can't, by the grace of God and by his own
strength and by the help of influences that
can be brought to bear upon him, lead e
wholesome and healthy life"
MUCH IN ENVIRONMENT.
''There is a good deal more in environ
nient than there is in heredity. God wants
to give the best environment He can and
God wants to give the best heredity He
| can. If He had His way He would give
| first-class heredity to everybody. He doesn't
| formation of character.
did any of you ever undertake to make
a genealogical tree Of good family? Don't
| talking any humor now. am talking God s
| truth. Bad children come out of good fami-
lies well out Of bad families and a
| genealogical tree won't turn out very well
| The fewer genealogical trees you keer
| around your family. the better off you are
| Don't inquire too closely in to the genealo
| gical trees Of good families.
You can't construct goodness. Souls are
| not mechanical. but dynamical. You can't
| prohesy bad character, and you can't frame
| character. You can frame clay into models
| and you can shape marble by delicate
| touches into the most gracious figures that
skilled hand, but you can't shape charac-
| ter. But this thing you can do: You car
give character the best conditions under
| which to grow into perfect FORM"
| This society proposes to take children
| out of the yellow fever districts of the
| soul and to put them on the highlands Of
| the soul where the best air blows"
| "a good environment is the creates
blessing that ever came from the oper
| hand of God"
| 81 never like to speak of governing chill
| dren, for / fear some members of the con
gregation may have visited my home"
| 1T Is a good thing to give a child tn,
best chance to grow into symmetry anC
beauty like the beauty Of the pine. w,
| influences in childhood especially in Thu
| matter of environment"
| Il am of opinion that the time will com,
| when children will be taken from bad par
| ents, whether they will or not, and be pu
| into good housings and into good circum
| stances of virtue and morality. I am o
the opinion that systematic criminals ough
rot to be allowed to keep their children
/ am OF the opinion that a murderess
| whether in prison or out, ought not to b.
| allowed to nurse her own babe"
IN AN INSANE WAY
IL have seen some good people who wer
doing Gods work in an insane way. I DON
pray for them. I pray for people VIII,
know what they are doing. think the les
insanity there is the cheaper it will be 70
the State to keep the insane. don't you?
would please to do their goodness in san
way"
"A child will thaw you out, howeve
mean your nature is. They will make you
barren ground blossom with tenderness
IF you can come along the street and
little tot of a child can come up and ham
you with dirty fist a piece of paper Of
which is a smirched Scrawl or an oil
bouquet in which there is a flower or two
and kiss his dirty face, there is somethin
radically mean and wrong in your heart
Some people need more TO kiss somebody
dirty babe than they need 10 go to a presi
dents reception"
1T is wonderful what a sweet face ca
hide under the shade of a sunbonnet"
| "A child's helplessness, a child's impor
| tuning QueStionings, chld'S querulous
ness educate the best qualities OF the sou
| ~ vor want 10 learn n q unSal6Gb hav