Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-12-05

have done. You know. doctor, that
your boy Dick Is one OF the worst boys
I'm all Princeton college. He Is as wild
as wild can be-" "Oh." answered the
good old doctor. you did not hear my
text Alright. Ny text was. Train up
child In the way be should go, and
when he Is old Dick is not old yet
Just wait awhile. and the boy VIII come
out all right" DIR. Alexander spoke
the truth. Dick did come out ell right
In few years be not only gave his
heart to God. but be went to New York
city and entered business as Chris
tan layman. and long after his hon.
ored father had pillowed his head In
the dust Richard Alexander, the Wild
Princeton student. welded mighty
influence for God and for heaven. So.
my friends, today. as Christian men
and women, we must realize that the
whole future destinieS Of our children
are largely dependent upon us. II we
live consecrated. cody lives and train
up our children In the way they shouts
60 they Will also become consecrate
Christian men and women, and il we
are hypocrites and do not train them
as they ought TO be trained then our
children will also turn out wrong. Bad
parents have bad sons and daughters.
good parents produce good children.
There is hardly an exception TO the
rule.
The Effect OF Example.
Parental examples and training In
variably reproduce themselves In the
lives OF children. There is a beauti-
full story told OF a noted king in the
far east who was about TO take
Journey into remote part OF bis king
DOM He therefore sent ahead of him
trusted minister TO build for his royal
mastera suitable palace where the king
could lodge in the far country. When
the royal courier reached the remote
part OF the kingdom, he found plague
raging there and people were dying
by thousands and tens of thousands,
SO. instead of taking the money from
the royal treasury and spending 1t for
bricks and stones and mortar, the royal
messenger spent II for bread and medi-
cine. With 1t he dug graves and
buried the dead. With ii he bought
clothing to protect the living. And
when the king came and found what
his messenger had done, instead Of
furnishing bis minister. he commended
aim. BE said: eOh, faithful servant,
you have builded for me q palace. You
builded Ii In the hearts of my people.
You have builded its white walls out
OF the tombstopes which you have
erected over the graves of the dead.
You have jeweled 1t with the tears
you have wiped away. You have made
my palace echo with the sweetest of
songs; for those songs are the echoing
sobs which you have stilled" So, like
the king of old, who sent his messen-
ger into the far country, God sends us
forth as parents ON most important
mission. BY our examples and self
sacrificing love, we are to build the
palace OF purity In the hearts of our
children. What we do invariably de-
cides how our children shall live and
die; II decides their eternal welfare.
The influence OF noble Christian par
ents upon the lives OF their children
cannot be described better by me in
closing than by telling the history of
my old home. the home of my boyhoodI
My father and mother had n large
brood-we were seven. 1 never knew
any one OF those seven children to have
more indulgence than the others. Each
had the full measure OF n parents love.
When troubles came to that home. and
many troubles did come, we always
found that father and mother had a
divine strength given TO them to bear
those troubles. Way back I'm the dim
past, long before was born. they had
set up the family altar. ! was carried
to that sacred altar when so young
that i sometimes used TO fall asleep
during the prayers. My father and
mother were not bound together so
much by ties of law as by unbreakab BILE
tics OF love. The first question father
always asked when he entered the
home was. Where Is your motherY'
The first question mother asked when
she came home was, Where Is your
fatherT They were side by side at
the marriage altar. They were side by
side In the Christian training OF their
children. Hand In hand as partners
they spread two tables for their chill
dren. The one was for the sacred com
munion Of family worship: the other
was the dining table, where we chill
dren were taught 10 love one another.
Christ was asked TO sit at both tables.
That parental influence in the home
OF my childhood was a blessed one. In
my college days l used TO cherish the
hope that that influence might be con-
tinued In my own home by the earthly
presence OF my father and mother.
who 1 hoped would pass the twilight
or their lives by my own Preside. But
God willed it otherwise. On Aug. 8,
1896. tho death angel came to summon
one or that living twain. On April IL,
lSO2, the same messenger came and
called the other. They have passed
into the glorious presence where duty
well done receives Its reward. To me
Is left only the hallowed memory OF
their wise and tender training, which
Will remain with me an influence and
an example TO the end OF my life. BY
my own experience / commend TO you.
parental care and solicitude. May God |
help you to perform 1t so efficiently |
that when you pass from earth into |
the glories OF heaven your children |
may rise up to call you blessed. May |
God answer this prayer Of an anxious |
father to keep US one and all from |
committing the parental sins which |
everywhere beset us and which so |
easily may destroy us and jeopardIze
the eternal welfare OF our loving, trust. |
full children.
Dh -
gaved Hts nann~SH