The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-03-30
DR.. TALMAGES SERMON
SUNDAYS DISCOURSE 81 the NOTED
DIVINE.
subject; The Home Life-It Points out
the Duty OF Parents aud Admoni.hes
the Children-Dont stun the Young
People with Religion.

WASHINGTON, u. C.-Thts discourse %
Dr.. Talmsge will Interest young men, while
{ is full OF advice aud encouragement 20
barentf Who are trying 10 bring up their
'hildrea Alright; text, Proverbs 4, /, "A
wise son markeih glad father. bat TOOL
sh son l. the heayiness OF his mother'
In this graphic way solomon sets forth
he idea that the good or evil behavior OF
children blesses or blights the parental
lesrt. know there are persons who seem
% have 20 especial interest in the welfare
ot their children. The father says: NY
boy must take the risks | took in life. II
he turns out well. all right. II he turns
out il. he will have 10 bear the conse-
luences. He has the same chance that |
aad. He must take care OF himself A
shepherd might Just as well thrust a lamb
nto a den OF lions and say, Little Lamb,
AXE care OF yourself
Nearly all the brute creation are kind
enough TO look after their young. was
going through a woods, and | heard a
shrill crv ia nest. | climbed up TO the
olrd's nest and found that the old
bird had left the brood 70 starye. But that
= "A very rare occurrence. Generally bird
will pick your eyes out rather than surren-
ter her young 10 your keeping or your
touch. A lion will reud you II you come
100 near the whelps. Even the barnyard
FOWL, with its clumsy foot and heavy wing
will come at you II you approach It's young
100 nearly. aud God certainly intended TO
have fathers aud mothers as kind as the
Drutes.
Christ comes through all our households
today, and He says. You take care ot
tho bodies OF your children and the minds
OF your children. What are you doing for
heir immortal soulsG" | read OF a ship
that foundered. A lile-boat was launched
Many OF the passengers were in the waters
A mother with one hand beating the wave
and the other baud holding her little child
out toward the lifeboat, cried out, save
my child" And tina: impassioned cry Is
the one that finds an echo in every nAren.
tai heart in this land to-day. save my
childp That man out there SAYS: Il have
ought my own way through llte, have got
along tolerably well, the world has butfeted
me, and have many hard struggle.
IL don't make much difference what hap
pens TO me, but save my child" You see
have subject Of stupeudous import, aud
| am going, a. God may help me, TO show
the cause OF parental solicitude and then
the ailevlatiOns OF that sOlicitude.
The first cause OF parental solicitude. |
think, arises from the imperfectiou ot
parents on their own part. We all some
how want our children TO avoid our faults.
We hope that IL we have any excellences
they will copy them. But the probability
Is they will copy our faults and omit our
eXcellences. Children are very apt 20 be
echoes OF the parental life Some one
meets "A lad In the back street, finds Kim
smoking and says: "Why, lam astonished
at youl What would your iather say IL he
knew this2 Where did YOU get that cigar"
"Oh, picked IL up on the street" What
would your father say and your mother say
Il 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 examplo
And that is the cause OF the solicitude on
the part OF all OF us We have so many
faults we do not want them copied and
stereotyped In the lives and characters OF
those who come after us.
The solicltude arises from our conscious
insufllciency and unwisdom OF discipline.
Out OF twenty parents there may be- one
parent who understands how thoroughly
AID skillfully TO discipline; perhaps not
more than one out OF twenty. We, nearly
ali OF us err on one side or on the other.
Here is father who says, 81 am going TO
Orng up my children right; my sons shall
know nothing but religion; shall see moth
ing but religion, and bear nothing but re-
ligion." They are routed out at 6 o'clock
IN the morning ID recite the Ten Com
mandments. They are awakened up from
he sofa on Sunday night 10 recIte tho
Westminster Catechism. Their bedroom
walls are covered with religious pictures
anu OF huu Wubu tue
boy LOOKS for the day OF the month he
looks for It In "A religious almanac. II a
minister comes to the house. ho Is re-
luestei to take the boy aside aud tell hlm
what n great sinner he H.. IL Il religion
morning, noon aud night.
Time passes on, and the parents are wait
ing for the return Of the son Mt night. II
Is o'clock, IL IL 10 olock, IL f. II O'Clock,
Il IL II o'clock, IL IL half-past IL o'clock.
Then they hear a rattllng OF the night key,
and George comes In and has.ens upstairs
lest he be accosted. His father says,
George, where have you been2" lie says.
Il have been out" Yes, he has been out.
and he has been down. and he has started
on thA broaGroad TO ruin for this lie aud
ruin for the life 20 come. and the father
says 10 his wife, Mother, the Ten Com.
mandments are u failure; no use OF West
minister Catechism; | have done my veiy
best for that boy; Just see how he has
.urned out" Ah, my friend, you stuffed
hat boy with religion, you had no sym
Dathey with innocent hilarities; YOU had
no common sense. A man AT nidlife said
20 me, II haven't ush desire for religion;
my father was as good man as ever lived,
out be jammed religion down my throat
when | was "A boy until | got dsgusted
with IL. and | haven't wanted any OF it
since" That father erred on one side.
Then the discipline IL an entire failure
ia many households because the father
pulls one way and tho mother pulls the
)ther way. The father says. Ny son,
:old you II ever found you guilty Of false
hood again / would chastlse you, and / am
going 10 keep ny promise The mother
says. Don't! Let him OF thi, time"
father says. IL have seen 80 many that
make mistake by too great severity In the
rearing OF their children. Now, | will let
my boy DO IA he pleases. Hs shall have
Lob 70,
the theatre aud opera. Iiyou want 90 play
cards, DO so; II you dOnt want 20 play
cards. you need not 20 play them. 90
when you want and come back when you
want 10. Have n good time. Go it, Give
a boy plenty OF money and ask him not
what be does with lt and you pay bis way
straight 90 perditicn. But after awhile
the lad thinks he ought 20 have a still
larger supply. He has been treated, and
he must treat. He must have wine sup
pers. There are larger and larger ex-
penses.
After awhile one DAY messenger from
the bank over the way calls in and says 70
the father OF the household Oi which ! am
speaking, The officers of the bank would
Ike 20 have you step over minute. The
father steps over. aud ths bank oflcsr
says Is that your check no" ne
says; that IL not my cheek. never made
an II ia that way; never put a curl 20
the Y In that ANY. That j. not NY
writing. That IL rot my signature. Tbas
8. counterfeit. Send FOR the police"
stopl' says the bank oficer. Your son
wrote that"
Now the father AMI mother a-e whiting
for the son 20 ccme home at nigbt IL is
~ o'clock. u Il hali-pnsi ~ -iOck. "a IL !
O'Clock. The son CONES through tie hall
way. The father says Us SOD, what
does all this fnezo' / gave yOl every Op-
pOrtgnity. | gave you al. the money YOU
wanted. and here ia ny oil days 1nd tha,
you have become 4 spsndthri't. libsrtins
and n sot' The sou says NOV. father
what J. the use o' your talking tina, way,