The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1905-03-07
BAN ON NOW | LAY NE"
Chicago Women Declare Child
hood Prayer Out of Date.
THE IDEA OF DEATH DIsAPPR0VED

Members of the West End Mothers
| Council offered Substitutes In Verse,
| and Finally One Was Adopted,
Taken In Part From the Psalms.
why Philadelphia Women Favor
the Old Prayer.
The prayers which millions of child
| 6h lips have murmured for genera
dons, Now l lay me down to Sleep"
| was recently relegated, says the Chi
cago Tribune, to the past by the West
End Mothers council of Chicago The
council also decided adversely to the
protests of children who are compelled
Sunday after Sunday to dangle their
legs and ''be quiet" during church serv-
ice.
1t was after the addresses of Mrs.
Ida Evans Haines and Mrs. Edmund
A. Osburnson on the subject, What
More Can We Do For the Religious
Life of Our Children and Young Peo-
pier that the subject of prayer was
mentioned Mrs. Edgar A. Hall, presi-
dent, said:
"The last lines of the old prayer are
horrible:
Now / lay me down to sleep.
l pray the Lord my soul to keep,
And If / die before l wake
/ pray the Lord my soul to take.
1.-THE idea of death during the night
Is horrible, and / never use it."
There was a general buzz of approval
of Mrs Halls views.
Mrs. Hall had a substitute to offer
1t was listened to with many mods of
approval. Here 1t is:
Father we thank thee for the night
And for the pleasant morning light,
For rest and food and loving care
And all that makes the world so fair.
Beautiful" some one murmured.
$50 tranquilizing'
Then others offered substitutes for
the time honored Now | lay me-"
Mrs. Robert w. Smith, corresponding
secretary of the club, also hostess at
the meeting, submitted this:
Jesus, tender shepherd, hear me.
Bless thy dear lamb tonight;
tHe udFhileSS DE lIlOu near
Keep me safe till morning light.
II was evident that most of the mem
bers had relegated the Now lay me, "
and a third substitute was accepted by
the club before the topic was dismissed.
This, In part quoted from the Psalms,
was offered by Mrs. Ida Evans Haines
as follows:
Create in me clean heart, o God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Teach me, o Lord, the way of thy
statutes and l will keep 1t unto the
end"
Then an anxious mother asked the
advice of the club members as to in
sisting on children going to church
whether they want to or not.
Every Sunday my ten-year-old son
begs to be let off He has attended
Sunday school and is no doubt tired
Last Sunday l received two notes say
ing, Mamma, 1 will not go to church
next Sunday" The others responded
with their experiences. The verdict
was that as parents attended the chill
dren ought to. There were various RENE
dies offered for the failure on the part
of children to yearn for church service.
They We're as follows:
Give them pencil and paper and
have them make notes on the sermon.
"Have them run around the block at
close of Sunday school before church
service begins
Get a stool for their feet so they
will not dangie.
"Work on their wish to be grown up,
and show them 1t is an evidence of ma
turity to attend church and not get
wriggly before the minister finishes.
"Take them instead of sending them"
philadelphia mothers will not indorse