Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1902-05-14

bB KEY 9TIUot j. Savage, ~. ~
Train up child in the way he should
go and when he is old ne Will not depart
from it.-Proy. xii, d.
| believe that every child ought to be
trained to think, and to feel and to be-
come conscious of the fact, that he is
vitality related to God This world is
thrilling. pulsing. throbbing with divine
life, divine power. divine meaning; and
as we grow older and think more deeply,
more and more do we see God every
where
l look upon the stars shining. but l can
not stop with the star. 1t is the life, the
power. the mystery the wonder of God,
that looks down at me from the night
sky. | look upon the majesty of the
ocean. 1t is not merely the movement Of
certain drops of water, or collections Of
drops, that | see This rhythmical mo-
ton this majesty, this mystery. this
moaning, laughing sea, is just one out
shining OF the intipitc and eternal life
of God. | look into human history. |
do not regard it any longer simply as an
aimless struggle and conflict of political
forces ambitions, hopes and fears of
these or those men or this or that ruler.
1t is the power, the life the breath Of
God, that | see and feel everywhere
humanity uplfted and led on by the in
spiration of this power. So when look
into a human face-the face of a friend
or loved one-I do not stop with the
eyes, the brain, the soul of thai friend.
All this friendship. tenderness, beauty,
love, are simply uterances, words, out
shinings of the divine.
And So I VroubIJ bava chill
taught first, to believe that he stands
ever, in the light or in the dark, in pleas
ure or in pain, in hope or in fear, in
struggle with right and wrong, in the i'm
mediate presence of God-that he is deal
ing first hand with God. There is no
explaining any phrase or form of this uni
versal life if he be left out.
Then | would have the child's con-
science trained in the light of this one
great, overmastering conviction-that in
the law of this God is the law of his life:
that he is not free in the sense of being
at liberty to do according as he wills;
that he is free only to know and to obey.
Then | would have the heart touched.
1t is one of the most important things
in the world that the child's sensitive ma
ture should be reused so as to respond in
love and tenderness and worship; that ne
should feel the motive force of love and
of life, so that he should not only see
what ought to be done, but be moved, i'm
PEELED, to do it; and to feel that in this
movement, these impulses, he is being
played upon by the very hand of God
himself. And | would have this sense IF
worship trained so that as he looks upon
the mystery. the wonder, the glory the
beauty. of the world. his thoughts. his
heart, his feeling will kneel, as it were,
at the very foot of the throne which is
the spring and source of all this that calls
out the admiration of his soul.
This is what l mean by religious edu-
cation, religious training. 1t is some
thing else than teaching the head mere
ly; it is bringing into life, into active
movement, the real religious nature 50
that it shall be the handspring and mo-
tive power of noble thought and feeling
and living. This is first Under what
ever religious name. under the inspira-
ton of whatever sacred literature. un-
der the guidance of whatever religious
teacher. under whatever theology in
whatever church. or in no church if the
religious nature be alive and the man
live in close relation to God, this is the
first great thing to be attained.
Now let me say a few personal words
concerning the theater of this kind of
religious training. Where does the child
get it as a matter of fact? We organ
ize a Sunday school, but what can we
hope to do with our children one hour
, week, if all the influences during the
rest of the week are either indifferent or
adverse? The larger part of the relig-
ious education of every child is that
which he receives unconsciously and
which is perhaps bestowed unconscious
". How is it about our homes, and the
religious influences there? The home at
mosphere must be favorable to the devel-
opment of the religious nature in a child.
1t is of more Importance than any direct
influence that we can bring to bea. On his
nature. Suppose, If a caller comes in
that the way she happens to be dressed.
the kind of house she has. how much
money she may possess, are made the
prominent things in discussing her after
ward. This cannot fail to give the child
the impression that external matters are
really the great things of this world
The character. the culture. the tender
ness of the caller. her benevolence, her
willingness to help-these things. if the
parents We're asked, they would say wer.
greater: but the impression thoughtless-
" made is that they are not of chief
importance.
Then he books the children read. the
companions with whom they associate.
things that touch the child morning. noon
and night. every day in the year. color.
shape. control, his life. These are the
things that are making or marring his re-
ligious development more than the direct
efforts to counterfeit them that can be
made by the Sunday school teacher or
than can be made by the parents them
selves. For. curious as the contradiction
is. there are large numbers of parents
who instruct their children. so far as
words 20, in one way. and impress them,
so far as their influence and life go, an
other way. Their precepts are right; the
atmosphere with which they surround the
child is wrong.
Turn for moment - the matter Of
church attendance. / am always glad
when | see children at church Suppose
they do go to sleep. | believe that the in
fuence of this habit of being in church
of feeling nat they are part of il, shat
II is expected they win come-is more
important thin anything else you can
give in the way Of religious training. II
could have my way and it became
matter of choice between the Sunday
school and the church. | would abolish
the Sunday school Put that is not prae-
teal. The children expect the Sunday
school. they wish for it. But | do think
It is a calamity when child -en are taught
Il u.