St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1902-07-19

families, or even any families ct all.
How often the newly-wedded pair, with
set purpose born Of hell, deliberately
determine that no baby voice shall
make music in their home, nor baby
hand rest softly on the mothers
breast! Selfshness and scientific non
sense of the day can dictate longer
list of reasons why the children are
not wanted than we have space to emu
merate here. But against every reason
which the selfish heart can conJure up,
these words of Jesus stand out like
letters of fire: "Take heed, that We
despise not one of these little ones!
The presence of children in the jew
ish home was a manifest evidence OF
the blessing of God, and the cry OF the
chililess wife was, give me children or
I die. Hannah, in the temple, so over
come by the anguish of her loneliness
as to appear to Eli, the high priest
to be in maudlin. condition from too
much wine, made one request OF the
Lord, that she might have Children
and God gave her the desire OF her
heart. David sings: 'Lo! children
are an heritage of the Lord: and the
fruit of the womb is His reward. Hap
DIV is the man that hath his culver
full of them; they shall not De
ashamed, but they shall speak with
the enemies in the gate" That the
coming of children into the home can
be made the occasion of the coarse
Joke, that the bride should dread with
dread unspeakable the possibility OF
the coming of baby the first year OF
the welded life, only shows how far
we have gotten away from God, and
how little we understand the crown
ing glory of parenthood.
Responsibility Of Parenthood.-
Through the open window comes the
pleading, persistent notes of a moth
er sparrow as she seeks by the tempt
ing morsel in her beak to draw her
little one away from the nest and get
him to try his wings and obtain
strength and skill to sail the blue
heavens and successfully win a live
lihood for himself. 1 notice she does
not commit this important task tc
some one else, nor does she leave the
little one for club appointment, or
social function, or even the sewing
circle, until her task is accomplished
and her birding can safely fly alone
| The heartbreaking cry of the moth
er, "Where is my wandering boy to-
night" would not SO often be wrung
from the quivering lips if, when the
boy was first learning to try his
strength and was forming habits, his
mother had been at his side to guide
his feet and take the sting from the
poisoned darts of the enemy of her
boys soul. The foul word, the un'
clean thought, the lustful habit, the
lying tongue, the evil associate would
not have usurped her place in his
heart if her watchful eye had beer
faithful to detect the sowing OF the
first seed, and in one of mothers
quiet little talks she had disarmeti
the power Of the enemy and made
her boy strong against temptation
'Take heed that we despise not one
of these little ones" To turn your
child upon the street, to neglect hin
for responsibilities in society, in char
! table work, in church activities, ii
to despise these little ones, and per
haps forever turn their feet away
from the Lord. I do not know how
it is in your community, your city
but in the locality where l live many
children live upon the street and sc
home to eat and, when the hou1
grows late, to sleep. And oh tht
crime and nastiness which these lit
tie ones learn between the hours OF
dusk and bedtime. From one end o1
this land to the other we need tn:
ringing of the curfew bell, but mos
of all we need an awakened parent
hood which will not so despise these
little ones as to feel that they are
nuisance when they are around ans
be glad when they are away out o.
sight. Oh, the possibility which lies
in that little life which God has com
mitted to your hands and which it ii
your solemn duty to patiently ant
. lovingly develop. "Take heed that "
despise not one of these little ones.'
Angels as Ministering Spirits.-lt il
beautiful thought, and one full.
warranted by the words of our text
to know that Gods angels have spe
cial care for the little ones, for
say unto you that in Heaven thei
, angels do always behold the face o
, nv Father which is in Heaven"
is as natural for the little one t.
unfold it's mind to the thoughts OF
, loving Saviour and Heavenly Fathe
as it is for the bright-faced fowe
. to turn towards the warming rays o
!, the sun or the lark to mount up int
} the heavens with his CHEEKY song
I What sweet and wonderful secret
! the angels of God can whisper in tn
T tender little hearts, if only the world
! illness and unbelief of the parents ar
r not allowed to first plant their blight
}. ing seeds of death there. The ittl
p lost lambkin out on the mountai
J side is of more concern than tn
] ninety-and-nine sheep safe in tn
fold. Even SO it is not the will q
= YOUR Father which is in Heave
t that one of these little ones shout
y perish" When the tiny bit of h,
! manity comes into the world an angt
o hoyers over the little life and watche
- it develop. Heaven is very near an
e the forces of the unseen world ar
/. ready to cooperate with the parent
$ in drawing that little one toward
h God. But if the atmosphere of tn
e home is laden with the things of tn
$ world and the Lord has no plae
s there how can the little ones spi
n itual side grow towards God? 1t
e blighted like the tender plant whic
( is put in the cold, damp, dark celia
a GA doos ali He can to draw til