Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1904-05-05

normal society the protection and pro.
vision of home. This is the necessity and
sanctity of the home; not only that it is
Christian. law, not only that it is moral
law, but simply that it is natura law.
There are inside sources of strength.
Neither God nor nature sDoils the child.
BY Q O'Clock nature withdraws her morning
dews leaving The growing things to find
new sources of strength in which to stand
unmoved in the sultry or tn: stormy noon.
Not now the outside dew. but the inside
sap. Nature giving the sprouting grain an
outside supply for its first few days now
leaves it to send its own roots into the
earth. its green leaves into the air, and by
its own inward activities transmute them
INTO life and growth. The first green leaf
exhausted the caterpillar must now move
off to find a new leaf for itself, From the
children of men. too, God wthdraws the
early baptism. The youth must one day
leave home and its protection and pro-
vision and by the exercise OF his own pow
ers wiring living for himself. If now he
is to meet these things and not he unduly
moved il he is to meet them Ike a true
man with courage and strength AMI tri..
umph he must develop the sources OF
strength within himself.
Here exactly is the weakness of this pres.
snt day. Every age has its own strength
tHu DTe-emlUeUce. Ue SllcublH VI Ou' way
has been the discovery and application OF
the forces of nature, by art and science. to
our daily living in all its branches. We
have turned the bullock cart into the auto
mobile the tardy sickle into the steam
harvester. the postman gong three mics
IN hour with letters into the telegraph and
the telephone. Yet it is always true that
from the greatest strength falls shadow
ing weakness. Our fathers had but few
outside forces on which to rely. Not long
were they allowed to lie in the cradle, not
long to play in the nursery. Nature was
rugged and rough with them. The cd
farm house stood far from its nc,shhor,
drifts of snow or swollen streams often lay
between. When the wintrv night closed
in there was no public p lace OF amusement,
no stirring procession Of multitudes under
the electric lights of the streets, but moon
light and shadows on the lonely country
road. If the family would pass genial
evening they must develop the inside
sources of the home, OF the hearthstonc m
the log cabin. and find the comedies and
tragedies of life on the stage OF their own
minds and hearts. No newspaper or mag
azinc almred them out of themselves.
There. in their own little world, at thr't
own hresdc, they thought out their pom
ties. their literature and their theology. IN
education the schools were poorly, iur'
nished, the teacher but poorly trained, the
text books but few and serving the sue
cessive members of the family III turn:
II they were to be educated they must ma
their education by the painful Development
of their own powers OF memory and renee
ton. You have seen pictures OF the poor
school house in which Daniel Wcstcr OF
Henry CLAY was trained or, going gen
Grafton further back, we may think OF the
simple school in which George Washington
or Patrick Henry was educated; yet out
of such school houses came leaders VINO
founded States, wrote constitutions, pnlIt
a republic. grapp'ed with the diplomacy OF
Europe; out OF them came orators whose
cloquencc, though dead on the printed
page. still thrill the reading soul. Gather
them ont of this primitive school house.
closet them in the Colonial congress III
Philadelphia to fashion ont OF their own
minds. their own destinieI and that OF
their own nation and what was the re
suit?
In religion the churches OF yesterday
were bare and cold no trcsco on the wall.
no inward vision OF spiritual Things; II"
organ rolled ITS music to lead their praise:
no gifted voices IN selected choir llttrn
them out OF themselves on the waXen
wings OF lcarus; no grace OF rhetoric, made
theology easy. They were lett to the DE,
velopment OF their own inward sources OF
praise, OF PRAYER and OF thought. ANA
what lIomcrlc characters they were. iona
than Edwards in barren Stockbridge made
himself the first philosopher OF his age,
|, may well be feared that the church OF
to day Is doing for the young people JUST
what the schools are dong tor them, sur
rounding them with ever increasing OUTSIDE
religious props and stays-socletleS, clubs,
hrothcrhoods, guilds. and now; to add I"
tins comes the Threatening addition OF
scientific pedagogy for the simplicity OF
the sunday school some OF You were
brought M III a Sunday.sChool where there
were lust two outside sources to help, the
Bible and a question book without an
swrrs You learned to know your Blb.t,
YOU came out OF that school INTO the
church and into a Christian service mat
has filled the word with Christian phial'
thropy The Sunday.sChoois OF our chl'.
drcu are furnished with Nallombrosa of
lesson leaveS-prmary. intermediate, quar-.
terry, and the teachers with variety ot
helps. ready made expositlon>. to he lamiI,
larizcd in the hour between breakfast ana
SUNDAY school Ask the average scholar -
turn to the second chapter OF Iephanah
or OF Titus, and see the VAIN turning over
ot unfamiliar pages, What can YOU eN
pectr How should they cultivate the ln'
ward sources OF memory and reflection
when YOU have excused them by supplying
them with all conceivable outside SUI ports
that make memory and reflection super
huous Do You remember that solemn
parable ot the seed falling on stony ground,
uuckly growing on the swallow soil and as
quickly witherIng before the heat and the
drought OF the growing day? because hay
ing exhausted the supply OF the outside
source 1T had no root IN itself. As
{ Christian men let us lean les! and less on
these temporary and childish OUTSIDE sup.
ports and develop these nratd sources
OF thought. OF reflection. OF conscience, OF
high duty with which God has endowed u.s.
that amid all these things" of tasl, and OF
trial we may rise as the sea gull rises
against drowning wave, binding spray,
battling wind. rises into the calm OF the
upper air by means of its own well discl.
plined wings.