Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1900-03-30
FOR YOUNG AND OLD.
Or. TALMAGE BREACHES A SERMON
ON HOME LIFE.

Admouishcs the Children Don't
stun the Young People with Reli-
xion, Says the Great Divine.
WASHINGTON. March 25.-This dis
course Of Or. Talmage will interest
young men. while it is fun of advice
aud encoura cement to parents who are
trying 20 bring up their children Alright;
text Proverbs X, 1. "a wise son
maketh a glad father. but foolish son
is the heaviness of his mother"
In this graphic way Solomon sets
forth the idea that the good or evil be-
hayior of children blesses or blights
the parental heart l know there arc
persons who seem to have DO especial
interest IN the welfare of their chill
dren. The father says; My boy must
t..ke the risks took in life. IL he
turns out well, all right. IL he turns
out i'll. he viii have to bear the conse-
quences. He has the same chance
that had. lie must take care of him
self" A shepherd might just as well
thrust a lamb into n den of lions and
say, Little lamb, take care of your
self"
Nearly all the brute creation are
kind enough to look after their young.
l was going through a woods, and /
heard shrill cry in nest. climbed
up TO the birds nest. and l found that
the old bird had left the brood to
stsrve. But that is n very rare occur
renee. Generally bird will pick your
eyes out rather than surrender her
young to your keeping or your touch.
4 lion will rend you If you come too
near the whelps- Even the barnyard
fowl, with it's clumsy foot and heavy
wing. will come at you IL you approach
its young too nearly, and God certainly
intended to have fathers and mothers
as kind as the brutes.
Christ comes through all our house
holds today, and he says: You take
care of the bodies of your children and
the minds OF your children. What are
you doing for their immortal soulsT'
read of a ship that foundered. 4 life
boat was launched. Many of the pas
sengers were in the waters. A mother,
with one hand beating the wave and
the other hand holding her little child
Save my child!' And that impassion-
ed cry is the one that finds an echo in
every parental heart in this land today.
Save my childr' That man out there
says: IL have fought my own way
through life, have got along tolerably
WELL the, world has buffeted me, and
have had many n hard struggle. IT
don't make much difference what hap
pens to me. but save my childr' You
see / have n subject Of stupendous i'm
port. and am going. as God may help
me. TO show the cause Of parental solic-
itude and then the alleviations OF that
solicitude-
Parental soIicitude.
The first cause OF parental solicitude,
think, arises from the imperfection OF
parents on their own part We all
somehow want our children TO avoid
our faults. We hope that IL we have
any cxcellonccs they will copy them.
But the probability is they will copy
our faults and omit our excellences.
Children are very apt 70 be echoes OF
the parental life. Some one meets n
lad in the back street. finds him smok-
ing and says: "Why. am astounded mt
you. What would your father say IL
he knew this? Where did you get that
clgarW 'Oh. l picked IL up on the
street" what would your father say
and your mother say IL they knew
thisT' "Oh." he replies, that's moth
Ing. My father smokesr' There Is
not one OF us today who would like to
have our children copy all our exam
pies. And that is the cause OF solicit
tude on the part OF all OF us. We have
so many faults we do not want them
copied aud stereotyped In the lives and
characters OF those who come after US.
Then solicitude arises from our con-
scious insuthciency and unwisdom OF
discipline. Out OF 20 parents there
may be one parent who understands
now thoroughly and skillfully TO dis
cipline; perhaps not more than one out
or ~. We. nearly all OF us, err on one
side or on the other. Here is n father
VINO says, Il am going 10 bring up my
children right; my sons shall know
nothing but religion; shall see nothing
but religion. and hear nothing but re-
Iglon.' They are routed out at G
o'clock I'm the morning TO recite the Ten
Commandments. They are awakened
up from the sofa on Sunday night to
recite the Westminster Catechism.
Their bedroom walls are covered with
religious pictures and quotations Of
Scripture, and when the boy looks for
the day OF the month he looks for IL In
religious almanac. II a minister
comes to the house. he Is requested to
take the boy aside and tell him what a
great sinner he is. 1t Is religion morn |
Ing. noon and night.
Time passes OH. and the parents are
waiting for the return OF the son at
night. IL Is 8 O'clock, II Is 10 O'Clock. II
Is II O'Clock. ii is II o'clock, ii is half !
past IL o'clock. Then they hear a rat |
Jung or the night key, and George
comes in and hastens up stairs lest he |
ne nccosted- His father says, George.
where have you been?" He says. 81
nave been out" Yes, he has been ont. |
ana he has been down, and he has /
started on the broad road to ruin for this |
NE and ruin for the life to come. and
the father says to his wife, Mother.
the Ten Commandments are n failure.
no use OF Westminster Catechism. 7 |
have done NY very best for that hoy.
just see how he has turned out" All |
my friend. You stuffed that boy with |
rehgioh; You had no sympathy with |
innocent hilarities; you had no common |
sense. \ man at midlife said to me, al |
haven't much desire for religion; my
sather was as good a man as ever iiv-
co. but he jammed religion down my
throat when | was boy until got
disgusted with it, and l haven't want |
ed any OF 1t since" That father erred
on one side.
Why Discipline Fails.
Then the discipline is an entire fall
ure In many households because the IA
Their pulls one way and the mother
pulls the other way. The father saws.
My son, told you il / ever found Won
enlllX of fnlSnh.nnd L.. 4