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

S OL duFlce anu encouragement W
parents who are trying to bring up their
children Alright; text, Proverbs 10, l., "A
wise son maketh a glad father; but a
foolish son is the heaviness of his moth
er."
In this graphic way Solomon sets forth
the idea that the good or evil behavior
of children blesses or blights the par
entail heart I know there are persons
who seem to have no especial interest IN
the welfare of their children. The faith
or says: MY boy must take the risks L
took in life. If he turns out well, all
right; if he turns out i'll, he will have to
bear the consequences. He has the same
chance that / had. He must take care
of himself" A shepherd might just as
well thrust lamb into a 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 Il woods, and | heard
shrill cry in nest. / climbed up to the
birds nest, and / found that the old bird
had left the brood to starye. But that is
a very rare occurrence. Generally bird
will pick your eyes out rather than sur
render her young to your keeping or your
touch. A 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 if you approach its
young too nearly, and God certainly in
tended to have fathers and mothers as
kind as the brutes.
Christ comes through all our house
holds to-day, 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 souls 2" l read
of ship that foundered. A lifeboat was
launched Many OF the passengers were
in the water. A mother with one hand
beating the waves and the other hand
holding her little. child out toward the
.lifeboat cried out, Save my child.' And
that imprisoned cry is the enc that finds
an echo III every parental heart in this
land to-day. Save my child!' 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 hard strug-
gle. 1t doesn't make much difference
what happens to me. but save my child
You see, | have subject of stupendous
import, and ] am going, as God may help
me, to show the cause of parental sOhcl-
tude and then the alleviations of that
solicitude.
The first cause Of parental sOlicltude, L
think, arises from the imperfection Of
parents on their own part. We all some
how want our children to avoid our
faults. We hope that if we have any ex-
cellences they will copy them, but the
ohah i1itv ic tbny will coOy OJIr fo I;ltc
and omit our excellences. Children are
very apt to be echoes of the parental life.
Some one meets lad in the back street,
finds him smoking and says: why, am
astounded at you. What would your
father say if he know this? Where did
you get that cigar?" "Oh, | picked it
up ON the street." 'What would your
father say and your mother say if they
knew this?" oh" he replies, that's
nothing. My father smokes There is
not one Of us to-day who would like to
have our children copy all our example.
The Matter of Discipline.
Then solicitude arises from our con-
scious insufficiency and unwsdom Of dis
cipline. Out Of twenty parents there
may be one parent who understands how
thoroughly and skillfully to discipline;
perhaps not more than one out of twenty.
We, nearly all of us, err on one side or
ON the other. Here is a father who says
Il am going to bring up my children
right. Ny sons shall know nothing but
religion, shall see nothing but religion
and hear nothing but religion" They are
routed out at 6 OF clock in the morning to
recite the Ten Commandments. They are
Weakened up from the sofa On Sunday
night TO recite the Westminster cate
chism. 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 it i'll a re-
ligious almanac. If 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 morning, noon and
night.
Time passes on, and the parents are
waiting for the return of the son at night
1t is 8 o'clock, it is 10 o'clock, it is IL
o'clock, it is u o'clock, it is half past II
o'clock. Then they hear rafting OF the
night key, and George comes in and has
tens upstairs lest he be accosted. His
father says, George, where have you
been? He says, Il have been out" Yes,
he has been out, and he has been down
and he has started on the broad road to
ruin for this life and ruin for the life 10
come, and the father says to his wife:
Mother, the Ten Commandments are a
failure. No use of Westminster cate
chism. have done my very best for that
boy. Just see how he has turned out"
All! my friend, you stuffed that boy with
religion. You had no sympathy with in
nocent hilarities. You had no common
sense. A man at midlife said to me: Il
haven't much desire for religion. My
father was as good man as ever lived,
but he damned religion down my throat
when l was a boy until l got Disguised
with it, and I haven't wanted any of it
since" That father erred on one side.
Then the discipline is an entire failure
in many households because the father
pulls one way and the mother pulls the
other way. The father says, MY son,
told you if l ever found you guilty Of
falsehood again | would chastise you, and
/ am going to keep my promise" The
mother says: Don't. Let him off this
time"
A father saws. 81 have seen so many