Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1905-03-18

arc You sui gong TO SIN anu nave MIN
lacerated 10y remorse because he has
been too kind to You:
But is il To be wondered at that par
ents. OH account of their great love for
their children. err many times over by
being lenicnt? For years | never had
sympathy for fathers and mothers who,
as | expressed il, We're willing to pay
their childrcn'S expenses to perdition.
always said If had any boys and
they got drunk once | would forgive
them and get their clothes out of pawn
and get them on their feet again. If
they stole once would keep them from
going To Jail. But. if they did it the sec
ond time. to Jail or to the county poor
house they would GO AS my own
boys are now growing up. do l think l
would do it? Perhaps. But / fear I
would do just rs most fathers do. I
would make the mistake of giving all
had. of running into debt and, If neces-
sary. perhaps of destroying my own
good name. if could only save my
boys. oh. hayward children. it is not
you who should blame your fathers and
mothers for kindness which proves to
have been mistaken. They were indul-
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 man can bear II burden,
whether he is old or young. sick or
well. tottering or straight limbed. You
would not hitch an old horse up 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"
You know when our parents married
they did not do as do many people Of
the present day. They did not wait
until they had amassed fortune.
Then the daughters were ready to start
with the sons at the bottom of the lad
der TO climb up. Therefore they mar
ried when they were young. Once
young together. now they have grown
old together" And then your lip quiv-
crs as you say: But mother is not as
strong as she used To he. and that old
pain has come back in fathers heart.
He had a fainting spell last week."
All. yes, they are growing old together!
Perhaps one Of them is already gone.
Is Ii not Il mean act, an awfully mean
act. on Your part to take broken
down woman or an old broken down
man ana place upon them the burden
of your unpardOned sins? They once
carried you in their arms; now you
ought to be willing to let them lean
upon your arm. They once wiped
away your tears; now you should be
willing to wipe away theirs. They
| once lived and are still living to make
you happy: now you ought to strive to
make their last days happy. Do not
put that heavy burden of your wicked
ness upon their hearts. They are too
old to bear it,
"But." some one says. "my old father
and mother are not entirely dependent
upon me for their happiness. am not
the only child. As my parents are old
fashioned folks. so they had an old
fashioned family Their family was
big one. l have four brothers and
three sisters, and, with the exception
of one brother, we are all alive today
and have families of our own. Two
of my brothers are gospel ministers.
am the only black sheep in the fam
lily. Thus you need not worry about
the old folks. Five children out of
six who are Christians is not such a
bad record" All, my brother, when
you speak like that. even though you
are married, l know you have not yet
fathomed the depth of your mothers
and fathers love- The true Christian
parents happiness is dependent not
upon the Christian lives of Il few, but
Of all their children. No matter how
many children Christian mother has.
she is never happy unless all are in the
gospel fold. She will never be happy
if one fingers outside. You remember
the old story of how a rich man want
ed to adopt one of the children of
large family belonging to German
peasant The rich man said to the IA
Their. Il will take any child you Sc
lect." That night while all the chill
dren were asleep the father and the
mother went from bed to bed to make
their choice. Not this one" said they;
mot that one:" mot the other one."
So they went through all the rooms.
Though they had many children, they
could not let one of them go. So. my
friends. though you may have brothers