The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-03-30

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trouble, o parent, If you can early |
watch the children and educate them
for God and Heaven. "The first i've |
years of my life made me an infidel," |
said Tom Paine. A vessel puts out to |
sea, and after it has been five days out |
there comes a cyclone. The vessel |
springs a leak. The helm will not work. |
What is the matter? Is it not sea-
worthy? Can you mend it now? 1t is
too late. Down she goes With 2j0 pas
sengers into 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. Correct
the sin now. correct the evil now.
Begin early with your children.
You stand on the banks of "A river and
you try to change its course. It has
been rolling now for 100 miles, You
cannot change it. But just go to the
source of that river, go to where the
water just drips down on the rock.
/ Then with your knife make a channel
this way and a channel that way, and
it will take it. Come out and stand
on the banks of your chid's life when
| it was 30 or 40 years of age, or even
: 90, and try to change the course of
| that life. 1t is too late! 1t is too
latel 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 between innocent
hilarity on the one hand and vicious
proclivity on the other. Do not think
your children are going TO ruin be-
cause they make racket. All healthy
children make n racket. But do not
laugh at your child's sin because il is
smart. II you do, you will cry after
awhile because il is malicious. Re
member 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 go into
the ark if he staid out? No. His sons
would have said: 81 am not going
into the boat. Therc's something
wrong. Father won't 20 in. If ia
Their stays out, I'll stay out" An Off
Ger may stand in castle and look off
upon an army fighting, but he can
not be much of an officer. he cannot
excite much enthusiasm on the part
of his troops standing in castle or
on hilltop looking off upon the fight.
II is a Garibaldi or Napoleon I. who
leaps into the strrups and dashcs
ahead. And you stand outside the
Christian life and tell your children
to go in. They will not go. But you
dash on ahead, you enter the king
dom of God, and they themselves will
become good soldiers of Jesus Christ.
Lead if you would have them follow.
Have n family altar. Do not with
long prayers wear out your children's
knees. Do not have the prayer a re-
pulsion. II you have a piano or an
organ or a melodeon In the house,
have it open while you are having
prayers. II you say: 81 cannot CON
struct prayer; | am slow of speech
and never could construct a prayer"
then take Matthew Henry's prayers,
or take the Episcopal church prayer
book There is nothing better than
that. Put it down on the chair.
gather your children about you and
commend them to God. You say it
will not amount to anything. 1t will,
long after you are under the soil.
That son will remember father and
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