Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1900-05-04
Of parents these temptations become
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OF all, you save yourself a great deal Of
trouble, o parent, ii you can early
watch the children and educate them
for God and Heaven. "The first five
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 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 $50 pas
sengers into a 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 CT 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 river and
you try to change its course. 1t 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 n channel that way, and
it will take it. Come out and stand
on the banks Of your child's life when
it was 80 or 40 years of age, or even
20, 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 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, n 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 it is
smart. If 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 10 go into
the ark if he staid out? No. His sons
would have said; 81 am not going
into the boat. There's something
wrong. Father won't go in. If ia
Their stays out, I'll stay out" An Off
Ger may stand in castle and look of
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 a castle OF
on hilltop looking off upon the fight
1t is a Guribaldi or Napoleon ]. who
leaps into the stirrups and dashes
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 a family altar. Do not with
long prayers wear out your children's
knees. Do not have the prayer re-
pulsion. If You have piano or ar
organ or a melodeon in the house
have it open while you are having
prayers. If you say: 81 cannot con
struct prayer; ] am slow of speech
and never could construct n prayer,
then take Matthew Henry's prayers
or take the Episcopal church prayer
book There is nothing better thar
that. Put it down on the chair
gather your children about you ant
commend them to God You say i
will not amount to anything. 1t will
long after you are under the soil
That son will remember father anC
mother at morning and evening
prayers, and it will be mighty hell
to him. And above all, in privat,
commend your children to God. Say
Here, Lord, | ANAL my imperfec
tions of discipline and government
here are these immortals-maket then
thine forever. The angel that re
deemeth us from all evil, bless tn,
lads"
Are your children safe? | know i
is a stupendous question to ask, bu
must ask it, Are all your childrel
safe? A mother when the house wa
on fire got out the household goods
many articles of beautiful furniture
but forgot to ask until too late: "Ar
the children safe?" When the Gle
ments are melting with ferycnt hea
and God shall burn the world up an,
the cry of Fire, fire." shall resount
amid the mountains and the valleys
will your children be safe?
/ wonder if the subject strikes
chord in the heart of any man VIII
had Christian parentage. but has no
lived as he ought? God brought yol
here this morning to have your mem
DRY revived. Did you have Christian
ancestry? "Oh, yes" says one mar
|
mother was good" How she watche
you when you were sick! Other
wearied. If she got weary, she never
theless was wakeful, and the med
cine was given at the right time, an
when the pillow was hot she turne
it. And, oh. then when you began t
go astray what a grief it was to he
heart!
All the scene comes baclA You re
member the chairs, you remember tn
table, you remember the doorsi
where you played, you remember tn
tones OF her voice She seems calm
you now, not by the formal title wit
which we address you, saying: "Mr.
this or "AIr." that or Honorable
, this or Honorable" that. 1t is jus
the first name, your first name, sh
calls you by this morning. She bid