Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1908-03-28

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Ind al better get down on their knees
and pray They bad better lift up an
earnest petition 10 God that he viii
direct that Young boy 10 choose the 80.
cation which he should follow. for
God had purpose for him when he
WAS born And the whole happiness of
that 10y. rs well as his usefulness. de
ponds upon his making 10 mistake in
following the line of work God IN.
tended him to do
The Right Line Of Work.
But. fathers and mothers before YOU
start in this prayerfu selection Of the
lire of work your boy or girl wifi fol.
low through life ! want you TO thor
oushly consecrate yourselves to the
Master. for IL you do not you may
| receive . jolt that you will never get
over What God wants. that boy 10 do
and what you want him 10 do may bc
as far apart as the North star Is dis
tant from the equator. God may want
that boy to enter the ministry God
may want that girl to 20 10 foreign
lands MS missionary God may want
your son to be reformer with his pen
What God wants and YOU. the parent.
wants may bitterly clash unless ynG
are ready TO surrender your will to his
Will
The story Is told that when James
Russell Lowell was class poet II friend
sent his father. Dr. Lowell. an ac-
count uf the commencement nj Iiar-
ward at which the son had achieved
such a brilliant success. The old gen
tleman ~ the time was staying In
Rome When he received the account.
| instead of being pleased. he was very
angry and said. well. well. Look nj
this AIN very sorry and disappoini.
ed, james promised ne when | left
home that he would give up poetry
aud stick 10 his books | hoped he had
become less dignity" Yet Ii WINS as a
poet that Lowell was destined to
achieve fame. Thus what God wants
your boy 10 do and what you would
like to have him do may be entirely
different And yet. my brother. all the
| happiness and the usefulness of your
son are TO be decided within the next
few months Better pray and pray
earnestly that God Will help him 10
choose Alright In the selection Of his
life vocation. Better not let your will
run counter TO Gods will
But after we have asked God TO Sc
lect our chldrens work In life We
must not stop here In our divine plead.
imgs The school or the college IN
which our children prepare for their
lifc's work Is important Now You had
better make prayerful selection OF
the institutions To which YOU send your
children during the critical formative
periods OF their lives You need Gods
help here rs you need him In other
vital matters You need TO plead to
him for guidance just as much as the
disciples needed 10 pray for wisdom 10
In the apostolate.
Going TO College.
The older | grow the more nm
amazed 10 see how blindly and In what
don't care spirit most parents allow
their children TO select the school or
college Mt which they are to be edu.
Gated Very slight and trivial reasons
weigh with the boy DO you want 20
know how ! went To certain military
school; There was a boy who lived on
our block who went there He came
home for his vacations dressed IN
beautiful uniform. That uniform. with
It's silver buttons and shining chevrons
was the envy of oil the neighborhood
Like most of the boys on our street,
wanted 10 90 TO a school which would
let boys dress up In uniform like that
And. though that school at the time
was not what II ought 10 be In many
respects. yet the intinitesimal thing OF
little silver button took me 10 that
school, where | passed -four long years
Of the most important part Of my edu
catlonal life Hundreds and thousands
OF young folks 60 to a school because
friend goes there or because that col
lcge has n fine football team or because
that institution is the largest university
In the state or because thar college IL
situated lii the east And the great es-
sentials Of the moral and spiritual
characteristics OF that educational in
stltutlon are passed over as though
they did not amount to anything
Did you ever realize that unlver-
sity or u college has an atmosphere or
a soul? Are you not aware that just
as you have certain special character
istics that In your life stand for some
thing So an educational institution has
Its distinct personality and stands for
something and that something is Cor
the benefit or injury of the students
who live within its walsf received
some time ago letter from an old and
very dear classmate. lie was writing
about some of the weaknesses OF the
college we both love. Then he wrote
this sentence. which have often pom
dered over, because II presented a
truth In way that had never had
II driven into my mind before: "Edu
cational institutions are controlled by
individuals who are merely human