The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1905-07-19
THE PULPIT.
AN EScaUENT SUNDAY SERMON BY
THE REV. ROBERT cOLlYER.
Subject: Leading Children Softly.

~ bTOOhlSU, N. l.-lu0 NV ANooSA'
Collyer, the Oldest Unitarian pastor
n Greater New York, preached in the
Second Unitarian Church, Clinton and
Congress streets, Sunday morning. His
last appearance in that church was last
fall, when he delivered an address Oh
he late Rev. DR.. John White Chad
wick, the former pastor, who had just
lied. The eloquent preacher took fol
lis text: Genesis Xxxiii:13-14, THE
children are tender; l will lead on soft
"" and said:
1t was one of the secrets of my craft,
n the old days when 1 wanted to weld
IRON or work steel to a fine purpose,
10 begin gently. If 1 began as all
Farmers do, to strike my heaviest blows
IL the start, the iron would crumble
Instead Of welding, or the steel would
Auffer under my hammer, so that,
When it came to be tempered it would
fly" as we used to say, and rob the
hing I had made of its finest quality
t was the first condition of a good
OBJ to begin gently, later l could strike
With q tirmer hand, and in the end poul
nut all my might in a storm Of sturdy
blows; but if l began so it ended, rs a
Sule, with a wreck. The perfection OF
be Nasmyth hammer lies in the blend
&hg of its gentleness and its ponderous
hight, so that it can come down as
Rently as a June shower or smite like q
Eornado, according to the need of the
hSment. So the skillful mechanic
parts new machinery, a locomotive,
IA tsteam engine or even q sewing ma
IHb4 ,,,o oro-t1t- II SC tho fpct condition
e keeping the balance true that the
b{achine shall not tear away at first
L high pressure. l noticed the same
b the building up Of q grand organ,
rhe builder began gently in bringing
ut its harmonies, with some fine
hords, made those true and went
II to the others, and so wrought
n to the end. Again On animal trainer
khile he smites the tiger with an iron
ar, if he is wise talks to q horse, al
hrcs him, courts him and makes him
is friend. We do not speak of "break.
hg" a horse, so much now; we train
i'm.
So I love to note such things as these
I watch the perpetual advent of
- title children into this life of ours, and
FSnder how we shall deal with them in
he one wise way which will weld
hem, shall l say, to whatsoever things
IRE true and lovely and Of good report,
TART them to the surest purpose and
tain them so as to bring out the
hole power for good which God has
tddcn in their nature. There must be
he right way, and l think this father
bund it when he said: 1.-THE children
Re tender; I will lead them on softly"
hey may seem crude, mere machines
little brutes; there are some men
fho seem by their actions to have
hch notions of q child's nature, to
heir eternal shame. Here is the prin-
pie: They are tender; we must lead
hem on softly. Solomon may slip in
18th his cruel maxim Of Spare the rod
nd spoil the child" He has no bust
ess about my place while my children
Re tender. / al no more be hard
them than Jesus could. If I hurt
hem in this evil way I hurt those
no are Of the kingdom of Heaven.
~ white hairs have brought me this
isdom: That the objectionable sin
to be hard on a tender child. I do
BIT wonder that the old grandsire is so
entle with the second generation. He
i'll not tell you, or himself, perhaps,
Thy he is, but he would fain recall
me passages of his fatherhood, but
at cannot be done, so he chokes back
e inextinguishable regret and humbly
lies to get even through the over
easure. My good mother was some.
ing Of a Spartan, q very gentle
tartan, with her children, but it was
Wonderfully beautiful to see her in
r old age spreading her wide, grand,
otherly wings over the children of
e new day. She could no more be
I'D upon them, no matter what
fanks they played, than your May
n can be hard upon your May BIOS
m. 1t was the return of the heart
the soft answer, the sweet submits
bn to the better plan, the vision Of
nder folk, the endeavor, unknown to
Rrself, to ease her dear old heart Of
hat little pain there vas from the
days, the feeling that perhaps she
ght have gone moro softly once.
THESE children are not things at all
Fat we can turn out to pattern, but
imam beings. each one living to him.
or to herself, holding q Sc
et we cannot fathom, possessing
wers perhaps we cannot even
Jess at our children after the
sh; Gods children after the spirit.
t intruSted to our hands and homes
bt, coming out of Heaven with hints
the angels in them, they may 60
~ OK when their time comes as sealed
Fnts. The boy may be the image of
2 father, yet totally different within.
E vainly try in our children, some
pes, to see our image. We detect q
eulty or temper we had. The
ply Spirit, which watches forever,
ects and saves, by a law we do not
IF understand, and we do not I'M,
tstand these tender natures until we
low what these powers are which are
king out Of their sleep. My boy
44y have a faculty which in thirty
hrs may be a benediction to the
man family, but to-day it may look
e q vice to me, and may grow to be
vice if 1 did not say. THE child is
der, / will lead on softly" He may
born with an overpius of magma
q and things that have no existence
y seem realities to him; l imagine
is lying right and left, and then
tead of a gentle guidance, through
ieh he can find the line between
3ngs and thoughts, 1 give first q stern
rning and then a sound whipping
re is a case where q father and
are alike. but with a difference,
father, a minister, has been draw,
on his imagination, time out of
bid, for matter for his sermons; the
has come honestly by the faculty
he is NOT ShreWd ennrph to sec