Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1906-05-03

! Will then appear. They are Gods first
( Visions but oh. 50 delicate. They Of
! ten can he rubbed out almost at a
| touch. We had better beware how we
laugh at or denounce the child.
Selfish Parents.
! And vet inevitably we heed but little
| the visions Of q child Of twelve sum.
mnrs. If your hoy, Just entering his
/ teens, comes 10 YOU some evening In
! the library and says. Father. would
/ like TO give 10y heart to Chris 70 go
out as q mis- 'ou9ry to China or ART
ca" what would YOU do? Would YOU
! stop md take that chilH upon your lap,
/ as though he was seeing n vision from
/ God? Would you tell him of the glorl-
! Gus usefulness which such life OF SELF
/ sacrifice would produce? Perhaps.
/ but | rather think this is the way You
would do; You would look up for an
| instant from your book or ledger or the
! manuscript You were reading or writ
/ ing, and you would say: Yes, yes,
child; yes. yes.. That would he nice.
But run away now. Papa is very busy.
| Run away" Supposing some day you
! should find your little girl crying over
| The story OF Little Neil" Surprising
| she LOOKS up to you and says "Oh,
mamma, there is 80 much of suffering
aud poverty in the world. I would love
10 give rp my l;fe SIS q Christian nurse
10 work among the poor and the help
less" What would you do: Would
You take your little girl rith you
through the Sums and talk 10 her about
the poverty and the ignorance and the
squalor Of a great city? Would you
bring her to such place as the Eull
! House of Chicago and show her what
| one young woman like Jane Addams
was able TO accomplish for the poor III
| the great human beehive of the middle
west? or would say say: "Tush. tush
daughter. You must not speak Ike
that. ] do not want You TO go and live
among the poor. but among the rich.
Nurses never wear diamonds. | want
you 10 go not 10 a hospital. but to Il
fashionable boarding school. want
You to he q social queen and not to
bind up the wounds Of me social out
casts" All, my friends Is that YOUR
way of dealing with the Vision: Many
OF the first visions OF a possible trium
phant missionary for Christ have beer.
suppressed by a selfish parent in Just
such language as have quoted. Be
ware BE careful how you deal with
the first vision OF child.
Gone Forever
But there is still another fact rela.
tive to the visions OF childhood TO which
I would draw your attention. They
may come to a hoy or n girl at a time
when the parent thinks the child Is too
young to have any appreciation or any
thought Of his own They may come
and so so quickly that, Ike the hum
ming birds drinking out cf the honey
cups Of a garden, you can hardly tell
whether they are truly here before
they are gone They may come and
go and after awhile seem to disappear
forever, but because the fufiliment OF
these first visions may he postponed
for mouths-ayc. for yeais--do not be
surprised or skeptical Those first
visions Of youth. if they have been
welcomed Alright by the parent and the
child, will all be realized. They will all
be fulfilled if they We're true visions
from God.
Let me illustrate my thought by the
life OF Jesus Christ. love to think of
the Journey which this Divine Child
took 10 The capital Of his great ancestor,
King David. Jesus up TO this time was
nothing but boy. Ills true, he was n
perfect boy. but he was hoy. with all
the hcalthful desires Of childhood He
was not a boy with the character of a
girl, but Il boy. q healthful, beautiful,
noble boy He could ronp ana play
like other boys In the games played
between his companions aud himself |
havc always thought there was no
laugh mcrrier than his and no rollick-
ing joy more full and hearty. can
never think Of Christ as Il frail baby
or siclily boy Every part of him &c
me was that of well rounded. perfect
~ formed child, He was boy who
was the life Of his home, boy who
was loved by every one.
Now, il was custom Of all the Isra-
elites ordained by the Mosaic law to
attend the feast of the passover once
Il year. This feast took place in the
sprlngtlme. 1t was combination, if
might use the smile. OF our Thanks
giving day and Fourth of July. II was
time when the Hebrews assembled
in Jerusalem to thank God for their