The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1908-11-20
THE VALUE OF A CHILD
Paper by the County Clerk, J. D: Marsh; and
Read by Rev. Rounds Published by
Request Of Sunday School Convention.

been sentenced to the penltentlary
for life, and perhaps after years OF
daily visitations, his sisters, broth
ers and father, one at time, have
grown rather Indifferent and care
less about making these visits and
finally cease altogether to make
their daily calls at the gloomy cell
of the unfortunate, but according
to statistics of prison authorities all
over the land) there is one who las
long as God gives her life and SUI
ficient strength) will never failthe
otherwise forsaken one, nor cease
to make her daily calls to that one,
who she can very well remember,
was once 80 innocent and sweet.
And when this old sainted mother
once becomes too feeble to trudge
out with her crutch, she will send
beautiful flowers and words of en-
enlargement to this boy who has so
disappointed her in life, but who
still has her heart strings wrapped
about him.
Then you ask, can anyone have
a higher estimate of child than
does the mother? and in answer to
this l emphatically say yes. Let
us consider for a moment what Gcd
thinks of the child. In noting the
great value our Lord and Saviour
places upon childhood, let us quote
his own words: Except We repent
and become as little children, We
cannot enter the kingdom of Heav-
en-" and the other very familiar
scripture, Suffer little children to
come uoto me and forbid them not
for such is the kingdom of Heaven. y
Just consider for a moment, dear
friends, how much there is in this
utterance of our Blessed Saviour.
Our Master makes the development
of the child nature in us a necessary
qualification for entrance to our
Heavenly Home. When we think
of the cheerful, trustful and inno-
cent nature of the child, we can
very readily see what development
in our lives is necessary to take
place before we will be known as
Children of God, and accepted by
Him as such. We should be cheer
full and happy in our Christian life,
faithful to our Saviour and the trust
he has given us and pure in heart
as an innocent child.
Then when we consider the in
estimable value placed upon child
rem by father, mother and our Bless
ed Redeemer why should not the
child be one Of, if not the greatest
burden upon our heart as Sunday
School Workers? When Robert
Moffat was brought into the church
the people said: "OnIy a boy" But
that boy opened up new provinces
to the gospel, gave translated
Bible to savage tribes and brought
African chiefs to the feet of Christ.
With wisdom it is said: A man con-
verted at sixty is a soul saved plus
sixty years of service" When the
Sunday School teacher faces his
class little can he realize what won
derous possibilities are before him.
One of those children thoroughly
converted to God will be able, pos
sibly, to bring thousands to the feet
of Jesus.
We are told that if we want to
take the pagan world for Christ,
we must spend our missionary mon
ey and efforts upon the dominant
and conqueripg races. If there
be any wisdom in the church spend
ing her energy more largely upon
the young who will be the leaders
and moulders of society in the very
near future. We have often heard
it said that 1t is better to keen
well than cured when you are sick''
and 1T is better to train a bow to
be honest than cure thief etc.
but more truly can it be said that
it IS better to train boy to love
God than to change the heart of one
who hates both God and man. Had