The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1902-06-13

unwelcome guests in the home. II
is no longer fashionable to rear large
families, or even any families at 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
breastl Selfishness 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
l 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 a 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: "Loi children
are an heritage of the Lord: and the
fruit of the womb is His reward. Hap
Ply is the man that hath his culver
full of them; they shall not be
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
a dread unspeakable the possibility of
the coming of a 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 live
Hhood for himself. l notice she does
not commit this important task to
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 disarmed
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 him
for responsibilities in society, in char
liable work, in church activities, is
to despise these little ones, and per-
haps forever turn their feet away
from the Lord. 1 do not know how
it is in your community, your city,
but in the locality where 1 live many
children live upon the street and so
home to eat and, when the hour
grows late, to sleep. And oh the
crime and nastiness which these lit
tie ones learn between the hours of
dusk and bedtime. From one end of
this land to the other we need the
ringing of the curfew bell, but most
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 and
be glad when they are away out of
sight. Oh, the possibility which lies
in that little life which God has COM
lnitted to your hands and which it is
your solemn duty to patiently and
lovingly develop. Take heed that yc
despise not one of these little ones"
Angels as Ministering Spirits.-It is
n beautiful thought, and one fully
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 their
angels do always behold the face of
my Father which is in Heaven" 1t
is as natural for the little one to
unfold it's mind to the thoughts of a
loving Saviour and Heavenly Father
as it is for the bright-faced flower
to turn towards the warming rays of
the sun or the lark to mount up into !
the heavens with his CHEEKY song. |
What sweet and wonderful secrets |
the angels of God can whisper in the |
tender little hearts, if only the world |
Illness and unbelief of the parents are |
not allowed to first plant their blight
ing seeds of death there. The little |
lost lambkin out on the mountain |
side is of more concern than the |
sheep safe in the |
fold Even so it is not the will of |
your Father which is in Heaven |
that one of these little ones should |
perish When the tiny bit of hui
comes into the world an angel |
hovers over the little life and watches |
it develop. Heaven is very near and |
the forces of the unseen world are |
ready to cooperate with the parents |
in drawing that little one towards |
God. But if the atmosphere of the |
home is laden with the things of this |
world and the Lord has no place |
there how can the little ones spir- |
itual side grow towards God? 1t is |
blighted like the tender plant which |
is put in the cold, damp, dark cellar.
God does all He can to draw the |
hearts of mon towards Him He