The Oskaloosa herald., 1911-11-09


read at the Mahaska County Sunday
School Convention at Leighton and is
published by request of the officers.
1t was delivered by Rev. w. ]. Deik
er, pastor of the Ebenezer Reform
church of Leighton, on the subject,
Home Training a Help to Sunday
School Work" The paper follows:
"The subject to which l wish to
call your attention for a few mo-
ments is Home Training a Help to
| Sunday School Work."
THE suject is one of great import
ance. Much of the success / might
| say the real success of well-regu
lated S. S. depends upon the cooper.
alton of the Home and it's influence.
THE Home and the S. S. should
| be closely united and tremendously
| work together for the welfare of the
child, home training must be at the
basis of all S. S. work. All reli.
gious instruction should begin in the
home.
Throughout the Holy Scripture,
great stress is laid in the early in.
struction of the children of the
household. Abraham furnishes us
all example of faithfulness in regard
to his family. He not only prayed
with and before his family, but he in.
terceded for them as priest. This
the ancient patriarchs and Holy men
of old did. They were priests in their
own houses. So shall every master
of a Christian family be. Indeed
every private Christian is a priest un.
| to God. He was also a prophet to his
family. He instructed them not in
matters of mere speculations doubt.
| full disputations-thi was foolish
and Improbable but in matters of
experimental and practical religion
and virtue.
He taught his family not only to
know these things but to do them.
If our children be the Lords they
must be educated for Him. If they
wear His sivery and be called by His
name they must do His work.
We see later in the history of Gods
people in the time of Joshua in the
formation of the liberated Hebrews
into a nation most significant, promin-
ence is given from the very beginning
to religious education of their child
rem.
The godly nation was to be made
| by teaching goodness to it's sons and
daughters. The fathers proved rebel
ious and were left to die in the wild.
erness, the hope of Israel was in it's
children and it was left for them to
enter into the inheritance and to,
commence the natural life in it's more
consolidated form. Divine care was
shown concerning the Children from
the first.
Even before the people left Egypt
the very right which commemorated
the Exodus was pointed and empha-
sized in the direction of the children.
The Ordinance of the Passover waste
be perpetual that when their children
should ask their parents What do
you mean by this science" they
might be taught to fear and love and
and trust the Gods of their Fathers
desert is marked by repeated in
functions concerning the pious train
ing of the young. The word of the
Lord were to be taught to the child
rem and to be written on the door
posts of the houses and on the gates.
Deut. IL 1921 and in great septen
NAL gathering in the year of release
at the feast of tabernacles the words
of the Lord were to be read and eX.
pounded that any who had been
neglected in servitude that the child
rem who had not known anything and
all the people might learn to fear the
Lord.
In the miracle which makes way
through Jordan for entering into the
long deferred possession, equal stress
is laid on teaching the children as in
the Exodus; so here the teaching OF
the young is the first thing for which
provision is made. Gods hope of the
nation is seen taking shape and form
through hope in the families, and his
hope in the families through religious
training in childhood.
In the children lies the future wei.
fare of the church of the world.
Train the child in the way he should
go and when he groweth up he will
not depart therefrom. Much depends
upon the parental training and cul-
ture in the early days of childhood
even before it is committed to the
instruction of others. This leads us
to consider parental duty towards the
child.
The children have many claims upon
their parents to receive from them
instruction in the Revelation from
God.
Parents are responsible for the ex.
istence of their children. They are
the instrumental cause of their child's
being in the world, of his being in
that state of probation upon which
hangs infinite possibilities. A being
created with an immortal soul and
committed to his care.
God has entrusted to the parent
precious charge. Great is the re-
sponsibility which rests upon him to
lay a good foundation for the child's
future welfare, both temporarily and