The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1900-03-28

and diamonded, lifted that cup of domes-
tic bliss until the sunlight struck it and
all the rainbow played around the rim
and then dashed it into desolation and
woe, until the harpies of darkness clap
ped their hands and all the voices Of the
pit uttered loud 'Ha, ha"
The statistic has never been made up In
these great cities Of how many have been
destroyed and how many beautiful homes
have been overthrown. If the statistic
could be presented it would freeze your
blood in a solid cake at your heart. Our
great cities are full Of temptations, and
to vast multitudes Of parents these temp
tations become matter of great solcl-
tude.
But now for the alleyiatiOns. First of
ALL YOU save yourself a great deal of
trouble, O parent, if you can early watch
the children and educate them for God
and heaven 'The first five years Of my
life made me an infdel," said Tom Paine.
A vessel puts out to sea, and after it has
been FIVE days out there comes a cyclone.
The vessel springs leak. The helm will
not work. What is the matter? 1t is not
seaworthy. 1t never was seaworthy.
Can you mend it now? 1t is too late.
a watery grave. What was the time to
fix that vessel? What was the time to-
prepare it for the storm? In the drydock.
All. my friends, do not wait until your
children get out into the world, beyond
the Narrows and out on the great voyage
OF life. 1t is too late then to mend their
morals and their manners. The drydock
OF the Christian home is the place. Cor
rect the sin now, correct the evil now.
A Mothers Responsibility.
People hurl their scorn at the life of
Lord Byron. Lord Byron was not half
SO much to blame as his mother. The
historian tells us that when her child was
limping across the floor with his unsound
foot, instead Of acting like any other
mother she said, Get out of my way,
you lame brat!'' Do not denounce Lord
Byron half as much as you denounce his
mother. All the scenes in Venice, all the
scenes in Greece, all the scenes of out
rage wherever he went an echo Of that
bad mothers heart and that bad moth
er's life.
Two young men came to 4 door Of
wickedness. The one entered the other
turned back. Why? Difference of reso-
luton, you say No. The one had
Christian influence, the other had no
pious training. The one man went on his
evil way. He entered and went on. No
early voice accosted him, but the other
heard a voice whose tones may have died
from the ear twenty years before, saying,
Don't go there; don't go therev' i think
it was. almost the first time l ever made
religious address. 1t was in DIR. Bethune's
church, Brooklyn. 1t was an anniversary
of the Young Mems Christian Assoca-
ton. | came in from my village home,
and remember nothing of that ,anniver-
sary except that one Of the speakers that
night said: MANY years ago two young
men stood at the door Of the Park The
alter, New York. They were discussing
whether they had better go in Or not.
There was an immoral play to be enact
cd that night. One of them said, L will
not go in The other said: Don't be
afraid. Let us go in. Who cares? The
one who entered went On from sin to
sin, the terminus of his life delirium
tremens, with which he died in hospital.
The other man turned back, came to
Christ as his Savior, entered the gospel
ministry, and he stands before you to-
night. What was it that stopped me
1T the door of the Park Theater, New
York. so many years ago? 1t was a pres
sure of a hand on my shouider--the pres
sure of my mothers hand
Necessity of Early Training.
Begin early with your children. You
stand on the banks of a river and you try
to change its course. 1t has been rolling
now for 100 miles. You cannot change
IN 90 m ha Of Nv
| er, go to where the water just drips down
on the rock. Then with your knife make
channel this way and a channel that
way, and it will take it. Come out and
stand on the banks Of your child's life
when it was 30 or 40 years Of age, or
even 20, and try to change the course of
that life. 1t is too late! 1t is too late!
Go farther up at the source Of life and
| nearest to the mothers heart, where the
character starts, and try to take it in the
right direction. But, oh, my friend, be
careful to make a line, distinct line, be-
tween innocent hilarity on the one hand
and vicious procivity on the other. Do
not think your children are going to ruin
because they make a racket. All healthy
children make q racket. But do not laugh
| at your child's sin because it is smart. If
you do, you will cry after awhile because
it is malicious. Remember it is what you
do more than what you say that is going
30 affect your children. Do you suppose
Noah would have got his family to go
into the ark If he staid cut? No. His
sons would have said: Il am not going
into the boat. There's something wrong.
Father won't go in If father stays out,
III stay out" An officer may stand in a
castle and look off upon an army fighting,
but he cannot be much of an officer, he
cannot excite much enthusiasm on the
part of his troops standing in a castle or
on a hilltop looking off upon the fight. 1t
is a Garibaldi Of Napoleon |. who leaps
into the stirrups and dashes ahead. And
You stand outside tile Christian life and
tell your children to so in. They will not
go. But you dash OH ahead, you enter
the kingdom OF God, and they themselves
will become good soldiers Of Jesus Christ.
| Lead if you would have them follow.
! Have a family altar. Do not with long
| prayers wear out your children's knees.
| Do not have the prayer a repulsion. If
| you have piano or an organ or a meIo-