The Detroit times., 1911-01-17


impression made on the minds OF tile
chlldren IL one OF reverence and re
spect And III this law OF suggestion
II not sufficiently fruitful a should be
followed by the direct teaching and
IL need be. command
Train your child in obedience.
hardly need say this In enc OF the great
inIunctions OF scripture Far moro
than we appreciate. the will determines
our morals or lack OF morals. Jesus
said 10 the Jews ,le will not come
unto me that ye might have life" That
Is, your Will Is against coming unto me.
III should attempt 10 lay my finger
on the weakest spot In the American
home. I'm rearing children, | would say
IL Is observation-disclosures. lack of training
| in obedience. The unframed. wilful
child Will very likely become the law
| less man, a menace 10 soctety,--possi-
bly, criminal. DO not misunderstood.
i am not talking about crushing the
child's Will. Sometimes we hear
parents. especially fathers. talk about
| father who believes in and ever prac-
| tices breaking his child's Will. Did |
| say, God pity himT' Nay, would
such work. he certainly is in the ser.
| vice of another. The unframed Will OF
the child Is like the wild colt. What
developed to its fullest strength his
every muscle, that he may 6ecome the
powerful horse. AS you do so. tame
him, train him for service. Never
destroying manhood's most kingly
power. You are robbing him of his
greatest asset for success. Develop
that Will TO It's fullest capacity, but
to God and man.
What Is fathers greatest peril In
the training of his children? III he
Se ras Rsse 70 ra Wba es
weak side? The Word of God indi-
Gates. Paul. inspired by the holy
Spirit. writes. Fathers provoke not
your children to wrath" He did not
say Mothers provoke not your chill
dren." but fathers" This is not a
| distinction the preacher Is making. but
fathers" because he did not believe
mothers were given TO this tempta-
| ton. In this respect. we fathers are
apt TO be guilty ones. We men have
rot as much patience as women. III is
no pleasure to confess II, but II is
fact. For most OF us, IL Is very easy
TO lose our tempers. and the pity Is,
We find them just as easily. They won't
stay lost. On the other hand, while
| there is nothing in the world so pre-
cious and lovable as little child, there
SO provoking, Arbitrary. capricious.
unreasonable, obstinate-how often.
| under these conditions, we must shut
on the pressure with the thought He
Is only child" There Is your situa-
ton. ON the one side a bundle OF irri-
tation, and on the other an impatient
disposition III the average father were
to carefully analyse the cause as to
would find IL was not for the child's
correction so much as an escape valve
for bis own peni-np feelings. Fathers
] provoke not your children to wrath"
am not saying. let them go unframed.
| i believe In correction. but IL II ever
wear the form OF punishment, let us
be sure there Is only one motive which
prompts us--the child's rightful devel-
opment.
Another peril OF the father in child
training is the neglect OF his spiritual
life. The father IL much concerned
about his child's physical welfare, his
mental Improvement his social and
financial position, but I'm his relation
| to his God he Is too often Indifferent.
or leaves IL to the mother. In fact IL
has become very largely the popular
notion that mothers. and not fathers.
OF their children. IL they receive any.
This may be the thought and habit OF
the twentieth century, but IL is not so
In the Word OF God; In the scriptures.
religious teaching In the home is es-
pecically laid on the father. When
Paul has said. Fathers, provoke not
| your children &c wrath" he continues,
but nurture them In the Christening
and admonition OF the Lord May l
again call your attention to the fact,
II Is TO the fathers the apostle Is ad-
ual training of tie child. You train
your child In cleanliness, In economy
| and In work. What instruction do you
| give him as touching his Saviour and
| Lord? He loves the child and the
child as truly needs him as the man.
There Is no other period In life when
it is so easy TO find the blessed Lord.
What are you doing that the child may
make this great discovery?
The little boy Icy dying. The fathers
hand was on his brow. The little fell
coming over me. am dyingw The
father answered, Yes" Again the
child asked, "wil l be with Jesus to-
sWered. "Yes.s Unable to restrain trsf his his
emotion. he turned away his face. The
little fellow saw the tears. and said,
Papa. don't cry when die and go TO
and tell Him, so long as | can remem-
Der you have told me about Him."
What a testimony! The fathers effort
ucus teaching. III this training is done
in the home life there are two most
essential factors: first, personal piety
on the part Of the father; second, the
one may say, the stress OF an indus
trial age will not permit time for such
daily custom" Then In an. age, when
II Is most needed, we are allowing the
smoke of factory and the hum OF store,
TO rob the home OF it's daily vision and
inspiration of God and Heaven. There
are many legacies which a father may
leave his children. but the richest In
heritance which he can bestow on any
son or daughter is the memory OF
holy life.
The Crown Of Fatherhood.
What Is tho crown or fatherhood? Is
| IL not I'm his children, who come TO
| manhood, To womanhood with ripened
powers for service t. man and God?
Must Ii not be so? They bear his
nature They are bone of his bone.
| flesh OF his flesh In nurture and train
| ing he has given unto them the best
years OF his life His sacrifices have
been to enrich their lives. And now
| they haze come to maturity. Perhaps
out there In the world. he sees only q
wreck OF manhood. Kissing and "a
! by-word TO the multitude What heart
break like this? Change the picture,
| only settled In life. but with ripened
| powers of intellect and spirit nobly
| are they bearing their part I'm the
worlds fierce battle. Their Influence is
Gods tug on many a soul to a higher
| life. No vision, nay more. no treasure
! in all the world like this to the heart
| OF the true father In his children he
has seen the full fruitage OF all that
was holiest and dlvinest I'm his life.
Is this true3 Fathers IL SO. among
| your manifold interests what place does
! this duty--or shall we not say privi-
| lege--of training your children hold?
Is such training a side issue, or OF first
| Importance? Hereby we better under
stand our Heavenly Father. az lie
writes In His Word, God so loved the
world that n egave His only begotten
Son" No sacrifice too great. no price
too costly that the wandering ones
might be brought back to the Fathers
heart and home