Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-07-06
her. as we trv to educate them. y

could hardly light on a wiser OF Dettef
woman than Mrs. Barbauld; but she
was SO eager to make a very remarka-
HE man out of her little nephew,
Charles Aiken. that she educated him
out of his mind into idiocy. So good
parents, who would shrink from laying
heavy burden on their children's backs,
do not hesitate to lay burdens on the
nerve and brain. They urge them on
at their books. or permit the teachers
to do this, until the poor young things
lose more in wealth Of life and LIES
worth than their education will ever
nav for. Lead on softly in these
maths Of education. If your children
want to rush ahead at a pace which
will leave them learned but 1nvalids,
hole them back; q true education is
not a long fever. Here and there a
child may need to be urged on a little,
hut I frankly confess that under the
high pressure of our public schools l
would take the children's side in their
little plots to stay away q day from
school when they have been hard at
work for many days. / like to plot
with them; their success pleases me
more than their failure.
In the culture Of the heart, also. we
must lead on softly. l can no more be-
lieye that hard and cruel thoughts OF
God will be good for my children than
| I can believe in hard and cruel words
| and blows, and I have no doubt there
| are more sO-called infdels made, and
| confirmed to that end. by fathers who
thought they were doing Gods service
than there are of any other type. Such
thoughts may be but theology to the
father. but they are very often grim,
hard, real biting torment to the tender
| child. 1t shuts out Heaven and opens
hell to him: it is cruel as the kissing
| and biting of serpents to some delicate
| small souls. I suffered more agony at
| one time in my childhood when a re-
| viEalist got hold of me and made me
believe I might wake up in hell when
| [ laid my poor little head on the pillow
| than from any other thing that eve
struck me. There lies the way to do 4
fatal mischief. the way the seeds of in
fidelity are WI in many a noble ma
ture. 1t is Simply the revolt at, the re-
s%istance to. and the rejection Of, a God
their nature is too large and sweet and
tender to tolerate. If in these early
days there is nc day star of a lovelier
light, no dawning for the small, bright
soul of a better day, then there may be
no chance for that. soul to pass into the
kingdom until it has passed out of the
world.
When we quote the Scripture: "Train
| up a child in the way he should CO." we
must still take heed to our ways lest
we think more Of the Scripture than
we think of the child-iX II mind and
purpose on the other rather than the
hither END of the way and train him
for what he should be at forty rather
| than what he must be in childhood and
! youth. We must answer for what is
written in the book of the life of our
children. I must lay the %patriarch's
gentle purpose to my heart: "The
children are tender, I will lead on
SOFTLY" for these in my care, who
also have the long hard journey before
them.
If this is true of the shadow. how
true it must be Of the light. If ours
is a hard and poor lot, no man OF
woman. father or mother, need eve1
fear the children will fail to look back.
ward to the early years with a tender
love, if by all the means in our power
WI make good for them the patriarch's
purpose. I think, indeed, our love fol
the old home is very often deepest and
purest in those who have had to face
the hardest times if we have fought
through them in this bright, good way
and led the children on softly. There
were homes in this country fifty, sixty
seventy years ago bare of all things
save this one secret-they are the dear
est places on the earth to-day in mem
! nTV nf mon and woman whn howe oVynrr
thing now the heart can desire. Anl
when we have done this, what better
can we do than put the whole wealth
of u endeavOr in trust into the hand.
Of God.