The Glenwood post., 1912-03-09
is THE YOUNG MAN,
ABsoLOM. SAFE?

Is the young man, Absolom, safe?-
II Sam. 1929.
The above words were used as a
basis of the discourse at the NJ. Il.
church last Sunday night. The Rev.
Mr. Klein said, in part: 'sWe have
here an all important question. Is the
young man safe? When the father of
that young man asked that question,
his heart was filed with great con
cern. He had parents heart, and his
boy had gotten into bad way. Little
by little very gradually he had gone
from bad to worse until he was in
very bad way, indeed. And the father
became alarmed and properly so. lie
was not at all unduly apprehensive.
There was reason for asking, Is the
yonug man safe?' Absolom had been
fine boy, handsome, energetic and
aggressive, sort of a Rooseveltian
character, lacking the Roosevelt vir-
tues ana SlaHnlnd. lie WIS Always
doing things, but, unfortunately, the
wrong things. Had his aspirations
been centered in the proper Ideals,
what Il magnificent fellow he might
have been. And so it is with many
boys today. They have the energies,
the ambitions, and if these energies
and ambitions were placed in the prop
er channels, what manly fellows they
would be! How tremendous would be
their Influence for the good! And how
proud mothers and fathers could be IF
their boys. But these boys sidetrack
go so gradually and so slowly that
fond mammas and Indifferent papas are
not aware of what is taking place until
suddenly they awaken to the peril OF
the boy, and in desperation they cry,
Is the young man safe?'
The trouble with this young man,
Absolom, lay largely in his ovl father
He was unfortunately born, unfortu-
nately invironed. He wasn't given the
right kind of a father. 50 1t is today.
Parents are often largely responsible
for the mis-spent lives of their chill.
dren. David had grelt advantage
over his son, Absolom. He was horn
and reared out in the country, amid the
beating hocks, the hills and wales, Il
splendid place for boy to be born
even today. Out close to nature s heart
away from the glittering allurements,
the damnable distractions of the city is
where character is developed. There
are too many distractions in the city
for the moral wellbeing of the boy,
and especially is that the case if he
isn't given the right kind of father
and mother. And Absolom was unfor-
tunately born in the city, in palace,
fed with a silver spoon, carried about
on fowery beds of ease, humOred, pam
pered and dandled, until even though
he had within him the making of a
man of character, he became quite
worthless. But David thought that his
boy was all right, model for every
other boy to copy after. And the lad,
enjoying this splendid opinion of his
father, did very much as he pleased.
Strange how parents fail to see the sins
and shortcomings of their children
Many a parent today looks upon the
sins of the boy as childish mischievous-
ness, but, alas, the day comes when the
sin of the boy assumes its own colors,
its own form, even to the parent. 1t is
no longer mischief, but sin. So it was
with David, and he then endeavorcd
to restrain his boy, but it is difficult
to begin restraining a boy who has al
ways been humored, and given his way.
1t is not so difficult to train boy, but
it is almost impossible to break a boy.
:" Is the young man safer Better
ask, is he being given the proper train
ing? Is he the creature of salutary
home infuenceg Is he receiving the
proper examples? Is he being led in
the proper paths? Are the parents
what they would have their children
be? If not, pity the boy, for he is de-
cidedly unsafe. 'The first duty says
DR.. Talmage, 'of the parent is by the
grace of God to make himself fit ex-
ample for the boy to copy after DOM
expect the boy to be better than you