Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1903-07-09
SHINING AGAINST CHILDREN.
by Rev. Theodore L. cuyIer.

SHINING AGAINST CHILDREN,
BY Rev. Theodore l.. CuyIcr, DID,.
One of the most needed and one Of
the most useful of modern benevolent
organizations is the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Its
| object Is to protect the victims Of par
entail brutallties or Of cruel neglect
Its sphere Of action is chiefly among
the degraded classes. But there Is
many a well-fed child in well-fur-
nished home that is suffering badly
from bad management or parental ig-
norance or false views of parental
duty, An immense number of fathers
and mothers need to have the solemn
caution which Reuben gave TO his
churlish brothers: DO not sin against
the child" There is no trust in this
world more tremendous than the trust
of parentage, and none which many
persons seem to treat more lightly.
Food, clothing, shelter and schooling
they provide, but they utterly ignore
the fact that the Creator has intrusted
to them the most susceptible and re-
ceptive creature on earth when he COM
mits to their charge a young immor-
tai. parent stamps character, and
shapes destiny for this world-often
for the next. In geological museums
you may see some slabs which show
the prints Of birds feet or Of leaves
which were made in the stone when 1t
was once only liquid pumice. In
like manner we can detect the finger
marks and footprints of parental in
fuence upon the character Of children
when grown to manhood and woman
hood, And they are not very OrnS-
mental, either.
Children are initiative creatures, and
we all know how tendencies to good
or evil character spring from parental
influence, and the chief element in
modern heredity is the force of exam
pie. There is monotonous uniform
ity in the history of certain Jewish
kings. Each one OF them walked in
the ways of his father who caused
Israel to sim" That word ways" Is
very significant. The father made the
path and the son walked in it. Just
as true is this now as in those olden
times. The most difficult cases to re-
form in inebriate asylums are the VIC
tins Of hereditary drunkenness. Often
when l see young man bringing dis
grace on himself think chat youth
was as much sinned against as sin
ming" He Is walking in the path in
which his parents placed him. Thorn
bushes never yield grapes and figs do
| OF Nhn
''iniquity' signifies something twisted,
and the ugly twist is too often given
by fathers or a mothers hand. The
wrong which the child does is the natl
ural sequence of the wrong done to
him by her, by an evil example By
and by comes the retributton when tho
child once sinned against wrings the
parental heart with agony. When you
sin against your child you may be pref
ty sure that your sin will find you
out"
What a piece of open soil to SOW
teachings in is a young mind! Words
uttered by parents sprout. sneer
against the Bible spoFen at the table
or by the freside lodges in a boys
memory and helps to make him a scepi
tic. A great deal of the foolish and
cavilling criticism Of sermons, in which
parents w1llfully or carelessly indulge
when they come home from church.
kills the influence of Gods message.
This may amount to a sin against tho
Holy Spirit, who inspired the message,
and who may be silently working on
the mind of some child in that family.
The question Of how much actual good
the best sermon may do is commonly
settled on the day of its delivery. Par1
ents often help to settle 1t. In most
cases religious errors are hereditary.
Dishonest practices also descend from
father to son. Bad books in parents
|, hands are very apt to be read by tha
younger members Of the family. And
when a father takes his son and daugh!
ter to the average theater, the lad is IN
: danger of having passion infiamed by
; the indecencies of the stage, and thd
, daughters purity is soiled by the lewd
display or the immoral innuendoes. n
is bad enough to smutch your own
) soul, l entreat you, don't sin against
: your child!
) Many father studies his account
books and many a mother studies her
J magazines or receipt books or her WIS.,
iting lists more than either study the
(: peculiarities Of her own children. That
boy is scolded into sullenness; that
other one Is ridiculed until he gets dos.
: perate; harsh treatment often hardens
, the heart, and then Pharisaism prays
= that God will soften It'll There is a
t steady decline in the percentage of con.
versions reported in the annual Stats.
ties Of several denominations. How
t much Of this is to be attributed 70 q
decline in home religion God only
i knoweth The family underlies both
=, commonwealth and church. All the
preaching power Of the pulpit will
avail but little as long as parents are
! SHINING against their own children.
t Mission In Life.-The mission of the