Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1901-04-18

son why, That tney VIII meyer ieg
brain poison have dominion over
them? When lt i time 70 60 to
school how careful ron are to get
them started bat how much less
important il arithmetic than the
solving Of the problem Of life
kept pure in the midst Of tempta-
ton and how much less useful il
the geography that bounds state
than that which locates on the
chart Of life the maelstrom Of mod
Grafton aud Niagara Of drunken
ness, while it marks out the sure,
safe yesterday" Of total sbstin-
ence! You may say, 81 can teach
them all this ct home" Happy 10
it for them if you do. bat in your
busy life it 10 doubtful il Jon have
become such &C expert in this
teaching 40 our modern methods
and facilities have enabled the
modern Juvenile temperance teacher
to be. Besides, there 10 q mutual
strength aud helpfulness, q CHEEKY
espeit de corps in the association of
children banded together with o
common aim to fight q common
enemy, such 40 no isolated training
can impart. Line upon line, pre-
cept upon precept, craven on the
brain and worked into the warp
and wool Of character in it's forma.
tive period, will build strong fouu-
dations for che "little soldiers new.
ly mustered in !" this 10 their disci
pline, their drill, aud their prep O.
ton for the battle.
You would n 1t expect them to
master the mrt:c lesson without
patient teaching and constant repe-
titiOns; why should you expect them
to master themselves and their
temptations in any other way !?
Nor is their battle alas =! o conflict
of the future. 1t surrounds them
every hour. 1t is set in array by
the boy whose seat 10 beside that
of your boy behind the desk at
school, and who takes out q bunch
of cigarettes or q plug Of sugsry to
bacco and whispers. "you shall have
some at recess" The battle comes
in the oaths and unclean words of
the playground in the invitation
to treat on cider or beer in the
disguised alcohol and tobacco
flsvors of the candy shop conven-
iently located near by in the man.
nerless habits taught to pure boys
and girls by the children Of unguard-
ed homes in the vile pictures and
literature that are as pestilence
walking at MONDAY. The school.
whether public or private, to which
you send your children, is az dang
erous q battle ground as will ever
demand of them that forewarning
and forearming which the Loyal
Legion is organized on purpose to
afford.
Some one has said, elf you aim
at nothing, you will be sure to hit
It" Alas. how many mothers,
failing to aim definite results in
the habits Of their children, have
wept bitter bat idle tears when it
vas everlasting too late. And here
come our juvenile temperance
workers, raised up by Gods good
providence to aid and ahet the
home folks in the training of the
young, and to act the part of foster
parents to thousands worse than
motherless. Will you not at least
give to these noble and unselfish
friends who offer you their time
and talents without money and
without price, the tribute of your
apprecistise confidence and that
hearty cooperation through which
alone they can succeed?
"God could not be everywhere.
so he made Mothers" 10 a golden
sentence in Ben Hur. The mean
ing is that God never comes 80 near
a tempted life as when the mother
stands on guard. Beloved, as
teacher have had, in the past two
thousand of your children under
my care. Suffer me then to come
to you with loving seriousness and
to plea for your help in our earnest
efforts to teach the children Of the
present, surrounded by the pitfalls
that result from treacherous social
customs and cowardly Laws, to
Choose when twc maths meet, the
Narrow. not the broad.
As their thoux htless little feet