Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1906-05-05

ious mother said when my children
were very young they were mine.
could say to them, Children, sit down!
and they would sit down. l could reau
10 them a book and explain to them the
pictures. and they would accept my
statements as true, because mother
said 1t. But there comes a time when
I feel my boys hand loosening lts
grasp upon my hand. Then | see MN
move away and leave my side ana De-
gin to walk alone and to think for him.
self. Then cannot say, Child, DO
this and he Will do it simply because
his mother tells him to do it. l cannot
say, Child, believe this, merely be-
cause I believe it. But / must give him
an intelligent reason why he should DO
so and why he should believe" Then as
the child moves away from his MOTH
er's side the mother must sit still ana
pray to God that he will help guide her
boy. Yes, as parents we have all gone
through this experience. For years ana
veors orr children have followed US,
rs bleating lambs follow the mother
sheen. But some day we turn our eyes
TO see where the children are. Ilen,
much TO our surprise, they are not Dy
orr side. Then we look up the noun
tain heights. There we see our boys
and girls beginning to climb. Along
the dizzy preclpices they go. over the
dangerous rocks, higher and higher,
like Alpine hunters, they mount or bal
ance They are climbing up the noun
| tains of original research. Ihey are
climbing up the mountains OF Thought
They are starting out for the noun
tains of fame. Then all that the par
ents can do is to sit In the valleys anu
see their boys and girls disappear
among the cloudlands as they pray;
80 God. guide my children! . God
roach out thy strong arm and bridge
! that dangerous crevasse! This time
Of starting for the cloudlands, for pio
neering among unseen worlds, general
" comes to the boys and the girls
when they are about to pass the
twelfth golden milestone. Looking intC
the past we know this was our owl
personal experience. Thus is it Wit
the first coming of Gods visions to ou
children.
Rows who Heard the Call.
Not only do these visions come to tn
child of twelve but they come in
rational way. When God gives to tn
Young boy vision he is not pictuI
lnq for him a future life which is III
possible to be realized. God is givln
TO him the same kind Of vision tina
he gave to the boy Jacob, and to til
boy Joseph and TO the boy Samuel, an
TO the boy David, and to the boy chris
These ancient boys as well as u
modern bows of twelve may not full
realize what their futures are 10 D
but something within them says, "
} child. thou art to be this or that or IL
l other thing on account Of thy menti
r and physical and spiritual powers
|, These boy children Of twelve feel u
: inward as we'll as the outward calling
= of fine future. as the great painter Be
iamin West when little child USED
make paint brushes from the hairs
his cats tail, and as the boy Demo
e themes felt the slumbering fires OF el
s ouence burning within him when
d suffered so badly that in order TO
= | Ill fC4 11CG0
II nebbles in his mouth, and as Dav
G Rrainerd heard the divine call to 81
o his life to foreign missions long I
e fore he was out of the short trouse
n Of the schOOlroom.
/? Not only do these youths and ma
t. ems feel the rational call of their
l. ture life work. but the parents and
3 guardians and the teachers may
Sc the trend of their minds and hearts
n, they only watch the actions OF the
1t children closely and intelligently L
ct other day l was very much interest
n in reading a letter which John AdaI
III the Young schoolteacher Of Worcest
Of Mass. wrote of his old college trien
re The second president of the Unl'
re States was then a young pedagog
r This IS the letter: 81 sometimes cons
th or myself in my great chair at sen
ne as some dictator over Il commonweal
BIS In this little state can discover
great geniuses and all Of the surpris
0n actions and revolutions or the ct
ut world I'm miniature. | have several
st nowned generals, only three feet hi
IL and several politicians in pettlcoats.
he have others who are catching ana
to secting flies with as ardent curloS
ne as any virtuoso Of the Royal socl'
on Their investigations are sincere,
cd nest and based on the ambitions OF
Be- ture greatness. Some rattle ana III
)st der out A B C, ETC., with as much
rol | and imDetuosity as Alexander 1oul
at Some of them often sit down ana
sh- when outspelled as heartily as Cae
he cried at Alexander's sepulcher when
yly formed that the Macedonian hero
he conquered the world before his
ms In short, my little school, like the g.
ore world, is made up of kings, politici'
| divines, LII. DIS, fops, buffoons'
ow dlers, sycophants, fools, coxcon
is chimney sweepers and every o
asst character known in history or seer
d the world" In other words, JUS
ted John Adams, the teacher could
md see the future of his scholars by
in actions and predictions at school
ese the child himself, by the inward W
to ings of his mind and soul, can feel
un- see. though it may be dimly, what
you wants him to do
you visions of Youth.
my Oh. the visions Of youth! How
'ne' portant they are for the develop1
one Of the child. In the book OF PROV
'ist' we read. "Where there is no vision
d people perish" That means when
ons. people have no ideals lowering Dc
Oh them, where the sculptor cannot
ons more perfect statue in dim ou