The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-03-16

piled in the child's life let me give thi
| illustration 1 had told the story o
Elijah and GehaZi to the children on
Sunday evening, dwelling as forcefull!
as / could upon the sin of lying, hrs
pointing out it's futility, next Its conse
quent repetition, and lastly its far
reaching evil results. Two or three
weeks later a friend was reading 6
story to the children and in it mentor
was made of lie and it's unhappy con
sequence. My small boy, aged 6, broke
out vehemently, 'Yes, that's always the
way" Then he proceeded to tell in mos
animated and picturesque language the
story of Elijah and GehaZi, and finished
up by saying. ''Of course he was found
out. If you tell a lie you'll be found
out, and then if you tell one lie you'll
have to tell another; then you get in
terrible pilikia. You see, too, the man
wasn't the only one who was punished
but all his family and his children 6
children and their children till every
body was dead"
Most children love to dramatic the
Bible stories, and often draw their own
lessons from them, which will be more
impressive than any which you might
desire to give. 1t is futile to attempt to
drive home more than one thought in a
story Make the name of Abraham
stand for the highest type of obedience,
the name of Ruth the type of filial love
and the name of Daniel the type of
courage.
One can, before the children have
reached the age of seven or eight years,
after a course of stories in the Old Tes-
lament, teach simply but impressively
the truth that all the beautiful and no.
BILE traits of character found separately
in the men and women of the Old Tesla
ment are combined in the character Of
the perfect man, Christ Jesus.
The Importance of giving children a
good knowledge of the Bible and its
teachings cannot be overestimated. The
greatest fault lies with the home in
struction if children in supposedly
Christian homes grow up in ignorance
of Biblical&characters and history. 1t is
lamentable fact that the deplorable
ignorance of the Bible so manifest
among our high school and college
young people must be laid at the door
of the home. Certainly no stories are
more fascinating to growing children
than Bible stories, and If it be true
that what one learns in childhood is
most abiding, where else can the fault
lie than in the home. Allow me to en-
phasize this point upon the mothers this
afternoon: Doanot cheat your child out
of the keen, enjoyment and everlasting
good of what can be found in the Bible
religion are to be found in stories out
side of the Bible Not in the goodie-
goodie stories of the old-fashioned Sun
day school library books and such sto-
ries as the Elsie Dinsmore series. etc
but in such stories as "Sir Gibbie'' and
The Golden Key" by George Macdon-
aid; THE Birds Christmas Carol" and
Patsy" by Kate Douglass Wiggin, and
the old but ever new Pilgrims Prog
ress,' which latter can be made most
interesting to young children. What
stronger story of the follies of disobe-
d1ence and self-will can you find thai
Will interest and impress children more
than "A Double Story by George Mac.
donald. Blessed are the mercifuI is
forcefully taught in BLACK Beauty, >
while the stories of Elizabeth Harrison
Laura e. Richards, Miss Mulock an6
Louisa Alcott are filed with beautiful
ana enobling thoughts for little people
Dung children early learn to appreciat Il
me sentiments in narrative poems. Ny
children thoroughly enjoyed Longfei.
lows King Robert of Sicily, and Ten.
nysons 'Enoch Arden.' Surely sucf
stories as these will lead them to think
higher thoughts and do nobler deeds.
Short biographies of great and good
men and women told In the form of
story are of immense value in heading g
child along the pathway of virtue ant
character building.
Before closing let me mention one
more important point. In your endeav
ors to impress the teaching of religion:
truths through story do not be afraid Of
repetition Never show the least Weari