The age-herald., 1900-11-19
FORMING A CHILD'S TASTE AND MORALS An Able Sermon Yesterday by
 Rev. l. D. Steele MANNERS MADE AT HOME The Important Question to the Family is Not Money Pleasure or Fame,
 But the We'll Being of
 the Children.
MANNERS MADE AT HOME

Rev. I. D. Steele, pastor of the Cumber- land Presbyterian church. last night preached a special sermon to young people. He took his text from Deut vi. T. "Thou shalt diligently teach them unto thy child rem" Dr. Steel spoke, in part, as follews: Beyond doubt the most important ques- tion before any family is not money, riches, pleasure or fame but the well being of the children of a people. They are pro- phetic of the men, women and homes of the future. And more than this they fore shadow the happiness, joy, pleasure and success of domestic and religious life. Or they are prophetic of sorrow, sins and shame to come to a civil community They are to fill the professions, the offices, places of business, schools and churches of our land, or they are to fill the aims houses jails and penitentaries.
 Shall they be criminals and breeders of crime, or righteous and dispensers of mercy and virture. I have availed myself of the best helps on this subject and from them I freely dray.'' Dr. Steel here named some fine writers on home life.
 Teaching and training are two different things. Teaching is giving facts and fill ing the mind. Training helps to devlop, shape and control self and the powers of self-training causes to do and to be. It forms habits, character and shapes destiny Training begins before any articulate words are uttered in child life. It affects sleeping, walking, eating, crying, laughing study and play. No greater question comes to home life than this. The taste, manners, habits and morals of your children are made here.
 "A child cannot be taught or trained unless you know 1t well. You must find out it's strength, weaknesses, faults and virtues, moods and inclinations by nature The evil you wish to eliminate, and de- velop the good. This Is all important. You are an interested judge in your own house. hold and it is difficult to come unerringly to the truth of the situation.
 ''When you deal with a child, you deal with an Individuality and will power The measure of will power is the measure of personal force. Some parents set out to break the wills of their children. They seek to destroy God-given right. A broken will Is as bad as a broken foot or broken back. To break a will is force exerted against personal choice of another mind. God does not break wills he seeks to train and control them. He gives choice of obed- fence or punishment The Book tells us train up a child in the way he should go and when he Is old he will not depart from it. There are no exceptions to this rule. The failures are in training and teach ing. The worlds transformation must take place here Many good people bring up wicked children. They are not trained up, they grow up. Time patience much prayer and hickory play a great part in all this.
 Obedience and subordination are ab- solutely necessary for happiness. The child that has not learned subordination to au- thority has parents guilty of neglect. It should be trained to it from the begin ming. There Is no such thing as absolute freedom. We are under restraint of laws of God, laws of nature, and laws of men. All men must learn this lesson, either by loving obedience or bitter and unsuccess- full opposition. All men will be happy when they walk in obedience to God, for all then flow in the same direction; there is no op- position or friction in the current.
 ''The child that is so unfortunate not to learn obedience to home restraint will probably strike the police in coming day; the doors of the jail and penitentiary will swing open at his nod and shut behind him. Duty and inclination must and do many times part company. Inclination must not be followed unless it is In harmony with right. Luxury is pleasing and comfortable thing, but it is many times a cursed thing.
 '"The poor child, the average country child, Is born and trained under the mas ter teachers of self denial, restraint, self exertion, application and virtues of per- sonal righteousness. Rich children are usu- ally deprived of these great teachers.
 '"rhe religious life of the home is the most important of all. It must be pure, simple, unadulterated truth and Godli- ness"
 Dr. Steele commented at length on the last point. His whole sermon was heard with great interest and close attention.