Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1905-03-13

II | could take you back 10 your OLD
homestead thirty years 'ago, | would
find all you children sound asleep. The
mother and father-what are they talk
ing so earnestly about! Father" says
the mother. cannot you meet the mort
gage on the farm unless we cut down
our expenses? Then l will have to let
the hired girl go and l viii do my own
cooking and washing" Well" said
your father, 1--WE must not economic
at the children's expense. | must make
more money. We must raise the chill
dren right. They must be educated"
Cannot Forget Them.
Why did your mothers hair grow
white at thirty-hve years of age and
your fathers face begin to be 'crow
marked" Neither in the morning,
On nor night could they be found
shrinking from their unceasing labors
for feeding. clothing and educating
their children. Now, man, do you think
it is possible, after a quarter OF CEN
fury of the hardest kind of work has
gone for the support and development
of the children. that the parents gould
ever be Independent of them? Oh, no.
Your father practically said: IF my
children turn against me, then will my
life be failure indeed. If my boys
turn out badly and my girls do not do
what they ought to do. then will earth
ly life hold but little joy either for me
or their mother" My friends, your
fathers and mothers worked too hard
for their children for you to disappoint
| them in the results of their life's work
No matter what you do or say, you
cannot make them forget you or cease
to live for you. Even the sinful plot Of
a Hebrew prince to steal from a father
his throne could not make David do
aught but cling to Absalom while he
was alive and sorrow for the hayward
boy after he was dead
But another reason why the burden
Of a sinful child is hard for the parent
to bear-no soonerdoes a boy or a. girl
begin to go astray than a true father
and mother agOnize on account of the
stingings of a bitter self reproach.
Mark you this, hayward chiIdren-your
parents do not blame you entirely for
DldIDIuS
selves. They are looking away back
over the scenes of the past. They are
saying to their own hearts: did I do
right when | let my boy do this or that
or the other thing? Did I set my
daughter the wrong example? Did I
pray earnestly enough for my children
when they were in my own nursery?"
So6nnSSs oh
the bitter, bitter pangs Of a merciless
| self denunciation which comes to the
parents when their boys and girls turn
| out badly! ga foolish son is the heavi-
ness of his mother" Aye, heavy in
| deed is he not only on account of the
boys sins, but also on account of those
of his parents.
Let me illustrate my thought by
very common incident in life. There
comes a quick ring at the bell. The
summons calls me to go to your home
There 1 find your wife dying. l bring
to you all the gospel comfort can.
say: ''Mr. So-and-so, Gods will be
done. The Lord gave, and the Lord
taketh away; blessed be the name of
the Lord" You say nothing. You
keep your lips closely sealed. The
more I call the less I find that you are
comforted. At last, some day when
we are alone, l say, "Mr. So-and-so,
what is the matter?" "Well," you an
swer, r'I do not know what to think
You say it is Gods will that my wife
died. 1 know it is not Gods will.
know my negligence killed her. For
months and months my wife coughed
badly. She had two or three hard
| spells Of sickness. The doctors told
me she ought to go south, but some
how l could not bring myself up to the
resolve to let her go. The journey
would cost a lot Of money. Besides
that, needed her by my side. 1 could
have saved her If had sent her south
in time. Oh, why did not let her 60?
Why did not let her go?" That is the
remorse the true mother and the IA
Their have when their boys and girls
go astray. 'Oh, why did l not do diff
ferently when my children were by
my side? Why did I not pray more
and live better than I didT'
Trusted Too Much.
But, my friends, though your parents
made many mistakes in your bringing
up, tell me were not most Of their err
rors made on account of the gentleness
rather than the meanness of their
hearts? Even in their weaknesses
! would you not have had them just as
they were? Let me see; you started te
go astray first because they trusted you
too much They never thought that
you would or could do wrong. Wher
you came home from college they were
so proud to see you. They had kept
sending check after check. Ny, how
hard it was to get that money! But Il
was for their boy. And, oh, the awful
awakening they had when they found
the money they sent. that hard earned
money, was being spent for sin! Dom
you remember how their hands trem
bIed when they were placed upon your
shoulder and their lips quivered wher
- q &Iy,--n o9r av