Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-03-29

have not been opened for six months or n
year. \ shadow has come down on that
domestic hearth. Il shadow thicker than
one woven of midnight and hurricane.
Tho agony of that parent makes him say.
"Oh, | wish | had buried my children
when they were small" Loss of proper
tyI No Death in the family? No.
Madness? No. Some villain, kid glovcd
and diamondcd, lifted that cup of domcs-
tie bliss until the sunlight struck it aud
all the rainbows played around the rim
and then dashed it into dcsolation and
woe, until the harpes of darkness clap
ped their bands and all the voices of the
pit uttered loud "Ia. 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 overthrow. II the statistic
could he presented. it would freeze your
blood in solid cake at your heart. Our
great cities are full of temptations, and
TO vast multitudcs of parents these temp
tationS become matter Of great solicit
tudc
But now for the alterations. First Of
all, you save yourself great deal ot
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 iliidcl, said Tom Paine.
A vessel puts out To sea, and after it has
been five days out there comes IL cyclone.
The vessel springs Il leak. The helm will
not work. What is the matter? 1t is not
Scaworthy. 1t never was scaworthy.
Can You mend it now? II is too late.
Down she goes with 80 passengers into
watcry grave. What was the time to
fix that vcssolI 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 ont 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.
Just look at the character of your chill
drcn now and get an intimatiun of what
they are going to he. You can tell by the
way that boy divides the apple what his
proclvity is and what his sin will be and
what style of discipline you ought to
bring upon him. You sec how he divides
that apple? He takes nine-tenths Of it
for himself and he gives onc-tcnth to his
sister. Well, lot that 90, and all his life
he will want the best part of everything,
and he will be grinding and grasping to
the day OF his death.
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 rs much ms 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 mothers
life.
Two young mon came 10 a 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 voice whose tones may have died
from the ear 20 years before, saying,
Don't go there; don't go there think
it was almost the first time ever made O
religious address 1t was in Dr. Bethune's
church, Brooklyn. 1t was an anniversary
u.
came in from my village home, and I
remember nothing Of that anniversary ex-
cept that one of the speakers that night
said: MANY years ago two young men
stood at the door of the Park theater,
New York. They were discussing wheth-
or they had better 20 in or not. There
was an immoral play to be enacted that
night. One of them said. i will not 20
in The other said: Don't be afraid.
Let us 20 in Who caresT The one who
entered went on from sin to sin, the ter
minus of his life dclirium tremens, with
which he died in hospital. The other
man turned back. came to Christ as his
saviour entered the gospel ministry, and
lie stands before YOU tonight. What was
II that stopped me at the door Of the
Park theater New York, so many years
ago! 1t was a pressure of hand on my
shoulder-the pressure of my mothers
hand"
Necessity of Early Training.
Begin early with your children You
stand on the banks of river and you try
TO change its course. 1t has been rolling
now for 100 miles. You cannot change
II. But just go to the source of that riv-
or, 20 to where the water Just drips down
on the rock Then with your knife MAKE
channel this way and n channel that
way, and it will take it. Come out and
stand on tho banks of your childs life
when il was 30 or 10 years of age, or even
~, 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 near
est to the mothers heart, where the char
acter starts, and try to take it in the
right direction. But, oh, my friend, be
careful 10 make n 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 racket. But do not laugh
ut your child'S sin because it is smart If
You do, you will cry after awhile because
1t is malicious. Remember it is what YOU
do more than what you say that is going
TO affect your children. Do you suppose
Noah would have got his family to 20
into the ark If he staid out? No. His
sons would have said: Il an not going
into the boat. There's something wrong.
Father won't 90 in. If father stays out,
I'll stay out" An officer may stand in
castle and look IF 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 II castle or
on hilltop looking off upon the fight 1t
Is Garibaldi or n Napoleon | who leans
INTO the strrups and dashcs ahead. And
you stand outside the Christian life and