The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1901-10-10
MRS. KENNfDvs TALK.
he spoke as follows:

MRS. KENNtDvS TALK.
She spoke as follows:
attended convention in Johnstown
| after the Johnstown food. ] got wom-
| an To tell me all about the Hood. She told
about the children and the mothers weep
ing and would not be comforted because
| they were not.
Suppose the child OF whom the last
speaker spoke had been your child Would
| you have tried to save her? suppose II
had been your neighbors child would you
have tried 10 save her? And yet. In our
| Sunday schools there are scores, nun
| dreds thousands OF children OF whom We
! could not say. they are saved slr
| Henry Havelock when he took his neigh
landers into Lucknow exclaimed, Ihank
| God we have time TO save the children
But then We must be at IL. believe IN
the conversion Of children. l believe Coo
/ meant his church 10 be a Workshop ana
| not a hospital. believe that when chlld
is converted IL means perhaps So' 10 %
| 50, II may be 20 years OF usefulness. DO
! YOU believe IL? I believe that every child
should he taught TO become Christian.
\ recognizing himself as a Christian. They
themselves believe IL. 7 put the question
| on the blackboard before some little chill
i~.ren: May girl or boy or your age De-
come a Christian" And the answer
| came from one after another all over
/ =
| from every one alike that they may De
| Christians.
/ i asked. have ] written the question
! exactly as IL ought 10 be. A little gIrf
| rubbed out the word may and put ought;
/ Ought girl or boy Of your age become
a Christian? Every one In that room sald
I they ought 10 be n Christian. They knew
| IL. I have made the confession again and
again in small meetings and large, that
| IL a boy or girl is not a confessed Chris-
| tian (by confessed Christian don't mean
| necessarily church member, that Is
J different question entirely but confess
| ing 10 themselves in their. homes. in their
| schools. that they are Christians holding
| up the banner. IL they are not confessed
I Christians before they are Ia the large
| chances are that g. e. years Will pass
In which they are becoming more ana
more careless. Pastor after pastor has
| told me that was the case.
An old man clasped my hand and said,
why did not somebody tell me that when
4 nv child was that age? He said. you
/ know her She IL about % or 30. YOU
! know ] hardly dare believe she will ever
| be A confessed Christian" The tears roll
! ed down as he said. why didn't YOU
! come along and tell me at that time
am looking into your faces today and l
make that assertion. and 80 You needn't
! ever say to me; why didn't you come
along and tell me?'
WHAT A TEACHER SHOULD DO.
Now the question Is: "How shall we
| go 10 work 10 attain such results Snail
| We call I'm a children's evangelist? NO.
| No, No, With all the emphasis L can
command. No! that is the wrong way
| | know a number Of childrens evange-
| lists. but should not like to have child
of mine attend their meetings. II is
| neithtr the time nor the place for me 10
tell you Just why and give you instances
| one reason is that 1t is not the work OF
! AIN outsider--a stranger-to save your
| child IL is your place 10 go to work.
| am not talking so much of the parents ;
| side Of the question as Of the teachers,
| will dwell more on what a teacher
| should do: First, regular. prayerful.
| faithful teaching OF the regular Inter-
national sunday school lessons ever sun
dsv. What, The old Testament les
! sons and all? Certainly. Certainly II
| is Gods book from the first verse OF Cen
esis to the last verse OF Revelation. What
| do YOU want stronger 10 lead the children
| 10 Christ than the Old Testament lessons
which we are studying now? What DO
YOU want better than the July lesson on
Sin and Redemption?
! I gave in the Junior Endeavor meeting
n talk on the whole character Of Abra-
| han, calling him the Whatsoever Chris
up TO me. both to say: How do YOU
do" and "Good-by' | said TO them
What are YOU going 10 do this sum
I rner7"< A flush came into their faces.
and both together. "a II they had been
talking IL over, said Why. we are
Whatsoever Christians YOU know"
What do YOU want better than these
lessons? So 7 say again; true, regular.
prayerful, faithful teaching OF the regular
lesson.
Next. Junior Grade meetings. I en-
! phasize the word Junior here because
| | believe I'm graded work here just as
thoroughly as IN the Sunday school
believe that the boys and girls should he
gathered into these meetings. When
they are turned loose into the regular
Christian Endesvor or Epworth League
meeting one ~ two thugs happens. They
are either chilled because they are looked
upon as being too small. or they are
brought forward too rapidly and made
into little Pharisses. and that is very
easily done Because they are so easily
twisted wrong start In the Christian
life IN very easily given. Beware OF
forcing these young Christians. Beware
of forcing them forward and into public
life. ~ YOU force these young Christians
too rapidly their freedom and sweetness
very quickly wilt. You want 10 kccp
them very free and sweet and young.
There u such close work necessary
We need face 90 face and heart 20 heart
talks 10 get the experience OF youns
children Many times we do not ash
them 10 he Christians Supposing n the
corn when cut was left outside-what
would become Of a.? We put out oui
wheat put In our sickle. and then don't
reap after all. II is our own fault en-.
tirely.
How Young may a child become Chris
/ tian7 That Is not for me To say.
have been asked that question so often
| and I have turned over the pages of m,
| Bible. and I cannot hnd any age limit u