Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1900-03-29
HOME LIFE LESSONS.
Or. TALMAGE ON THE DUTIES OF
PARENTS TO CHILDREN.
The Dangers md Temptations which
surround the Young-Ncccssity of
wise Training and Proper Disci-
pIiuc-R OF Mothers

WAsHINGToS, March 25.-This dis
course Of DR. Tnmagc will interest
young men. while it is full Of advice and
encouragement to parents who are trying
90 bring up their children Alright: text,
Proverbs 10. l. "a wise son maketh glad
father but a foolish son is the hcayiness
of his mother"
In this graphic way Solomon sets forth
the idea that the good or evil behavior Of
children blcsses or blights the parental
heart | know there are persons who
seem to have no especial interest in the
welfare of their children. The father
says: MY boy must take the risks | took
in life If he turns out well, all right; il
he turns out ill., he will have TO bear the
consequences. He has the same chance
that | had. He must take care of HIM
self" a shepherd might just as well
thrust a lamb into den Of lions and
say. Little lamb, take care of yourself
Nearly all the brute creation are kind
enough to look after their young. was
yoing through a woods. and | heard "A
thrill cry in a nest. | climbed up to the
birds nest. and found that the old bird
had left the brood to starve. But that is
a very rare occurrence. Generally n bird
will pick your eyes out rather than sur
touch a lion will rend you il you come
too near the whelps; even the harnyard
fowl, with lis clumsy foot and heavy
wing. will come at you il 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 today. 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 ] read
of ship that foundercd. A lifeboat was
launched. Many of the passengers were
in the water. \ mother with one hand
heating the waves and the other hand
holding her little child out toward the
ifchoat cried out, Save my child" And
that imprisoned cry is the one that finds
IN echo in every parental heart in this
land today. Save my child That
man out there says: Il have fought my
own way through life | have got along
tolerably well. The world has bulfeted
me and | have had many a hard strug-
gle. 1t doesn't make much difference what
happens to me, but save my child" You
see. | have a subject of stupendous i'm
port, and l am going as God may help
NE, TO show the cause of parental solicit
>olctude
The first cause Of parental solctude. I
!hink, arises from the imperfection OF
parents on their own part We all some
sow want our children to avoid our
.auts. We hope that if we have any cX-
celcnces they will copy them, but the
probability is they will copy our faults
snd omit our excellences. Children are
very apt to be echoes of the parental life.
Some one meets a lad in the back street,
inds him smoking and says: "Why, | am
astOunded at you. What would Your ia
Their say if he knew this? Where did you
get that cigar oh picked it 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 today who would like to have our
children copy all our example. And that
j. the cause Of solicitude on the part of
all Of u.s. 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 Matter of Discipline.
Then solicitude arises from our con
scious insuflicicncy and unwisdom Of dis
cipline. Out of 20 parents there may he
oughly and skillfuly to discipline; per
haps not more than one out of 20 We,
nearly all of lis, err on one side or on the
other Here is n father who says II am
going to bring mp my children right Ny
IONS shall know nothing but religion.
shall see nothing but religion and hear
nothing but religion" They are routed
out nj 6 o'clock in the morning to recite
the Ten Commandments. They are wax
oned mp from the sofa on Sunday night
10 rccite the Westminster catechism
Their bedroom walls are covered with re-
llcious pictures and quotations of Scrip
lure, and when the boy looks for the day
Of the mouth he looks for it in a re-
ligious almanac. If a 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
II is 9 o'clock, it is 10 o'clock. it is II
O'Clock, ii is T. o'clock, it is half past II
a clock. Then they hear rafting of the
hight key, and George comes in and has
tens up stairs lest he be accosted. His
father says, George, whore have You
bccn?" lie says, Il have been out" Yes,
hc has been out. and he has been down,
ruin for this life and ruin for the life to
come, and the father says to his wife:
Mother the Ten Commandments are a
failure. No use Of Westminster cato
chism. | have done my very best for that
boy. last 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 midlfe said to me: II
haven't much desire for religion. My
father was as good a man as ever lived.
but he damned religion down my throat
when ] was boy until / got di>gusted
with it, md ! haven't wanted any Of it
tince.' 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 | ever found you guilty Of
ialsehood again | would chastise you, aud
am going to keep my promise" The
blphtheria relieved in twenty minutes
Almost Ilt- 1, q