Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1905-03-17

Mark you this, Maynard children-your
parents do not bin; You entirely for
your sius. They are blaming Them
selves. The. are looking away back
over the scenes OF the past. They are
saying 60 their own hearts: "Did 1 do
right when l let my boy DO this or that
or the other thing? Did l set nv
daughter the wrong example? Did I
pray earnestly enough for my children
when they We're i'm my own nursery -
Oh. the sadness; oh. the sorrow; oh.
tho bitter. bitter pangs of n merciless
sell denunciation which comes to the
parents when their boys and girls turn
out badly! "a 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 a
very common incident I'm life. There
comes Il quick ring at the bell The
summons calls me to go to your home
There find your wife dying. l bring
to you all the gospel comfort 1 can. /
say; MIR. 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 1 call the less 1 find that you are
comfOrted. At last, some day when
we are alone, 1 say, "NIr. So-and-so,
what is the matter?' "Well," you an
swer. Il do not know what to think
You say ii is Gods will that my wife
died. 1 know il 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 lot of money. Besides
that, 1 needed her by my side. could
have saved her If had sent her south
in time. oh. why did not let her go?
Why did l not let her gof'' That is the
remorse the true mother and the fa-
tier have when their boys and girls
20 astray. "Oh, why did not do diff
ferently when my children were by
my side? Why did L not pray more
and live better than 1 did,"
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 We're? Let me see; you started TO
go astray first because they trusted you
too much. They never thought that
you would or could do wrong. When
you came home from college they were
SO proud to see you. They had kept
sending check after check. My, how
hard it was TO get that money! But 1t
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, Don't
you remember how their hands trcm-
bled when they We're placed upon your
shoulder and their lips quivered when
they kissed you for the first time after
that shock? Don't you remember how
their tears-not your tears, but theirs
were left upon your cheek when they
kissed you, n prodigal, returning home /?
Don't you remember how angry your
father became when your employer
first insinuated that you had embez-
Zled some OF his money? Old as he
was, his clinched fist was ready to
knock that employer down. But after
the undeniable proofs were presented
what did he do? Did he allow you to
be sent to Jail. rs you ought to have
been? 1t did no good TO pay up that
deficit or embeZZlement. Since then
you have been cheating every one else
you could. No. he did not let you go to
Jail. He took every dollar that he had
saved up to care for your mother and
himself in their old age. He turned
it all in and signed notes for n thou
sand dollars more TO save you from
your Just punishment. He ought not
TO have done it, but now in his old age
are you still going to sin and have him
lacerated by remorsc because he has
been too kind TO you?
But is It to be wondered az that mar
ents, on account OF their great love for
their children, err many times over by
being lenient? For years 1 never had
sympathy for fathers and mothers who.
as / expressed IL, We're willing to paw
their children's expenses to perdItion.
/ always said IL 1 had any boys and
they got drunk once / would forgive
them and get their clothes out OF pawn
ana get them on their feet again. IL
ihey stole once would keep them from
going to jail. But, IL they did 1t the sec
ond time, to Jail or TO the county Door
house they would go. AS my own
boys are now growing up, do / think I
would do 1t! Perhaps. Bu1 fear i
would do just as most. fathers do.
would make the mistake OF giving NIL
had, or running into debt and, IL neces-
sary. perhaps or destroying my own
good name, II i could only save NV
boys. Oh, Maynard children, IL is not
you who should blame your fathers and
mothers for kindness which proves To
nave been mistaken! They were indui-
gent TO you, they were blind to your
faults. they trusted you. believing that
you would do right. You see now. as
they see, that it would have been bet
ter for you If they had been more strict
and severe. But will you blame them
for that? 1t was their love for you
that was their fault. How have YOU re-
paid that love? Return. beseech YOU.
and beg their forgiveness.
Backs Too Weak For Burdens.
But there Is another reason why we
sympathize with broken hearted par
ents who are bearing the heavy bur
dens OF hayward and sinful children.
Those burdens are placed upon backs
too weak to carry them and upon
hearts when they are too tender to
suffer. 1t makes great deal OF differ
ence how a man can bear a burden,
whether he is old or young, sick or
well, tottering or straight limbed. You
would not hitch an old horse I'D to a
load he could easily have drawn In his
prime. Neither, foolish son, should YOU
make your parents in their old age
bear the burdens OF your sins.
How old are your parents? "Oh."
you say, father is about sixty years
OF age, and mother is about the same"
on know when orr narenta ma ,rIad