The Kennewick courier. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1905-1914, 1908-11-20

the child. Inc cnuIcll tIld' o"io'
hest for the children will be, ana
ought to be the church of the future.
We can look about us every day OF
our lives and STE this thing demon
strated. If you will observe in many
of the Sunday Schools Of the land
the~yarious classes from one years
end to another, you will find that
when boy or girl gets to GER
tain age he or she will gradually be-
come more and more Indifferent un-
til finally, before we can scarcely
realize it they are out of the church
entirely. l do not think that the
child is altogether to blame for this
seeming Indifference at all. l think
if you will make a careful study you
will find that the teacher has not
been as earnest as he should be in
the study and preparation OF his
lessons, and has not been as prayer
full perhaps as his exhalted position
demands. The teacher of a Sunday
School class has no small obligation
on his hands, and he should, in
some way, be made to realize this
important fact. You ask any Of
your orchardists about how it is
that he is able to produce the beauti-
full, fully developed and uniform
fruit that he does and he will tell
you that it is most altogether due
to the fact that he has been very
attentive to the tree or shrub (as it
might be- while it was young and
tender, before it has become in any
way dwarfed out of shape, and that
he has never let week go by that
he has not been through his orchard
and carefully observed each tree
to see if there were anything that
tree might need to stimulate more
rugged or wholesome growth. Just
so it is with our Sunday School
scholars. We need each Sabbath
to carefully observe each and every
pupil and if we find any one of
them, in any way, seeming to lose
interest, let us have that pupil on
our mind and heart and try in some
way to arouse him. If we want a
fully developed Sunday School
scholar, young christian, matured
christian, church, state and nation
we will, and must, care for the
child.
In the lesson we have recent
ly studied in our Sunday School
work the subject of which was
David Grieves for Absalom' we
saw very clearly the never dying
love of father for his son, though
that son had become so depraved as
to be known as a murderer and at
that time had been seeking his
fathers life. When David sent his
soldiers forth to battle, his last COM
mand was Deal gently for my sake
with the young man, even with Alb
SALON." And you remember that
after the battle (even though the
Young man had had but the one
purpose in mind, that of Staying
his father and securing the kingship
for himself) the first inquiry David
made was regarding the welfare OF
his hayward son, and when he
heard of his death Though slain
that David himself might live) he
cried out 20, my son Absalom, my
son. nv son Absalom! would God /
had died for thee, 0 Absalom, my
son, my son." This simply shows
something of the value an earthly
father places upon his son. David
greatly mourned over the thought
that he had not given his life fol-
that of his son. Just think for a
moment il you were ever sufficient
ly devoted to anyone to be willing
to sacrifice your life that that per
son might live? Perhaps none Of
us have ever been but to the test,
but if we will just give the thought
one moments consideration we will
readily see, or come to realize, some
thing of David's devotion to his
hayward and criminal son.
Then there is another who per.
} hapS places a greater valuation on