Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1902-04-03
home of the Christian parents and

IL O4 LIN oAA1 PCAA In
observe their child. It's education
begins with prayer. The mother
teaches the pure lips of her child
vague thing in the child's mind as
kneeling at its mothers knee it looks
up into her kind, loving, gentle. face
while she teaches its infant lips to
lisp the first, sweet words of prayer.
Education begins in memory first,
and progresses as the understanding
develops; the first lesson, a little
prayer; second lesson, that prayer
said to God. And may God help
the parents who neglect the teaching
of these lessons to their children. The
dawn of the sun is the beginning of
the bright life of the cloudless day
the name of God dawning upon the
little child's mind through prayer is
the only fit beginning of the day of
human life-at the sunset of which
we must render an account to Him
who sees and remembers u every
act. A great writer, than whom few
are greater, has said, acknowledge
without God is a curse not a bless
ing" and he at all times attributed
his great success in the field of litera-
ture and his brilliant reputation as a
scholar to the early training he re-
ceived from his Christian parents.
This is how education begins-or
should begin. Well, next to the
place of birth is the home of books.
After the home comes the school.
First brothers and sisters by them
selves round the hearthstOne; next
the gathering together of children in
the school-room. After homes ex-
ample comes education's influence
in the school room; thence in the col
lege or university, and then in the
wide, busy world of men. And just
in proportion as u early training
has been good Or bad will the tenor
of our lives be. For as the wise man
says: "Train a child in the way he
| should go and when he gets old he
will not depart therefrom." Hence
you see how important and pecul-
iarly applicable to the season of
youth is the duty of laying a proper
! foundation and the diligent cultiva-
ton of the moral and Intellectual
powers. Youth is the time for form
ing good mental habits and acquir-
ing those liberal and rational tastes
which will prove a source of purest
pleasure to the very close of eXis-
tence. Yes, my young school friends,
now is the excepted time with you
for giving a bent to the character; as
yet you have not experienced, as we
older ones, any of those perplexing
cares which fall around life's path
way in ripper years; as yet you are
not the slaves to any of those low
and debasing habits in whose wake
follow degradation, crime and re-
morse; your minds and all their best
powers are your own, and dOcile to
your command. Your curiosity, is
ever awake, and your attention cap
able of being easily directed to and
fixed on any object or any pursuit.
Yours are the light and cheerful
spirits, the ever active interest, the
clear and unembarrassed memory;
yours the joyous hopes and eager ex-
pectations which at once dispose
your minds to seek for knowledge
and qualify you for gaining it. For
displays her thousand wonders. TC
you are opened the wide fields OF
science. To you is unrolled the ample
page of history. For your instruc-
ton and delight is recorded all that
the sage has thought and the poet
sung. To aid your progress and in
crease your knowledge innumerable
! schemes are devised and institutions
) reared which invite you into the
paths of wisdom and lavish upon
| you the opportunities of improve
t ment. These are some of the pros
| poets Of your happy period. Let nj
beg of you not to allow them to bt
) offered you in vain. Let not evils
: dom cry and understanding pu
f forth her voice. while you turn
| deaf ear to their c~ounselsand go aside
: into the paths of folly; but, rather, il
f everything good and liberal, il
| everything connected with the pro
: gress of truth and knowledge ant
t virtue and religion, endeavor t
r prove yourselves worthy of the OPP
: portunities of the age in which yo1
= live and the country to which yO1
belong-worthy Of intelligent, patri
e otto American citizens. Have yO
ever thought what a great thing it
t what a priceless privilege-Wha
It an imposing responsibilities be a
q American citizen? A line ofthough
: opens UP to me here upon which
It would / had time to dwelI-the i'm
: portance of cherishing among on
$ people appreciation of citizenship
IS love Of country; for in a free country
'e such as is ours, where the citizen
,e the sovereign, whose liberties T I'll
is menaced within or without, there
If little to keep activity alive in the oil
or to cultivate in the young the HI
l. roic qualities, or the sentiment
e patriotism; and yet, upon the int
IF ligence and patriotism of her either
e depend the life of our Republic an
IL the permanency of her free institt
1t tons. Rome, struggling for life an