The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-14


 trial in their youth.
 1 never had this fact more powerfully illustrated than at my own dining room table. If you will not think the per sonal history impertnent, l may tell you that my boys and my girls and are ore. We play together; we laugh together; we joke together; we live to- together as one. Paul said. When was a child, I spoke as a child, 1 un- derstood as a child, 1 thought as a child. Well one day at the dining table I was joking with one of my children. Some people might think l was teas ing her. After the dinner was over and the children had left for school a gen tleman who was a guest at the table said: MT Talmage, l would never tease child like that. When 1 was young. my father never cared for me He used to take a fiendlsh delight In tantalizing me whenevr l came to the table. l all ways used to come late in order not to meet him. And sometimes, on account of his teasing l would not speak to him for months at a time. An, no father has right to tease his children and to make them think that he does not care for them" When l heard that man speak thus, I said to myself. Poor fel- low. He must have spent his childhood days as young David spent his" David's Childhood.
 Where do I find the intlmation that Da i'd had an unhappy childhood? think we have it in the story of Sam uel visit. Have you ever carefully studied that incident? Why, parental fayoritism Is sticking out all over it. When Samuel came to Bethlehem to find a new king of Israel among Jesse's sons, what did the father do? He brought every son he had before the prophet, eX fn ga4ys G1 nm p1 here are my seven boys. Did you ever see a finer lot of young men? Any one of them is fit to be king" And as the father speaks thus a look of loving pride spreads over his features. But the prophet is still not satisfied. He keeps looking and looking. He is look ing for some one else. Then he says to Jesse, Are here all thy children?'' W..n that a look of disdain comes into the fathers face as he answers: "Ah, yes; ther Is still another; but he Is puny, undersized stripling. He does not amount to much. You surely do not want him. There yet remaneth the youngest, and behold he keepeth the sheep.' Thus as Jesse pushed David his son luto the background on account of parental favoritism for the other chill drea, some of us have lived through bitter childhood We have angrily felt that our father or mother did not care for us as they cared for the rest. David well knew what it was to weep during the long nights of his childhood. And yet today he comes to all boys and says: My young friends, do not worry. God will yet scatter your gloom. There is a bright dawn coming for you. Look how God has led me out of my child hood trials. Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morn ing Boys and girls, young men and young women, with your fresh young cheeks wet with a shower of tears, will yoI believe t?"
 But David had more dark nights than those found in his childhood days. He also knew what the struggles of young manhood mean. He knew what it was to work for years to perfect himself for an important task and then to be laughed and sneered at and denied op- portunity to do what he knew he was fitted to do. He was just like hundreds and thousands of young people adrift in our large cities, struglging to get foothod in life when the world will not recognize their physical and mental ca- pablities.
 A Revolutionary Story.
 Perhaps I can illustrate my thought by telling you the sad history of Cap tain John Calender of the Revolution ary war. At Bunker Hill this young American hero was In the command of an artillery company. Something got wrong with his cannon, and he ordered the soldiers to drag them to the rear, that they might not fall 1nto the hands of the enemy Just then General Israel Putnam rode along the lines, and he saw what Calender was doing. He charged the young man with being coward and ordered him back to the line of battle at the point of the pistol. Immediately after the battle upon the testimony of General Putnam, Callender was degraded and in disgrace reired from the service. Undaunted by the injustice which was done him, young Callender enlisted in the army ordinary private. He gallantly fought through battle alter battle. At last the attention of the great commander in chief, GeorSe Washington. was drawn to this young soldier. And toward the close of the Wal General Washington investigated the cause of Callenders dismissal He reversed the unjust sentence of Putnam.