The San Francisco call., 1913-08-03
PASTOR SUFFERS
LITTLE CHILDREN
To COME TO HIM
Part of Each Sunday He
Devotes to a Special
Sermon Written
FOR Them
ATTENTIVE AUDIENCE
PROVES HIS WISDOM
He Believes He Has Method
OF Recruiting Church
Members Early
This mas IN plaster.


Once upon a time Benjamin
Franklin, phom you children all knop
about. mas told that certain amount
of common plaster. mixed Nth earth,
mould fertiliA ii and cause things to
grow more plcntifully and richly. He
weni TO his neighbors and told then, of
his information. suggesting that they
should all experiment in this direction.
But these fnmcs mere not edsily
persuaded from their oDn waps of
doing things and refused TO try amp.
thing new.
SO Benjamin decided TO try the
plaster all by himself. He cultivated
his ground and. phen about to som his
grain. mixed together lot Of plaster
and earth and formed letters phich
spelled out this sentence, This mas in
plaster
"After a time. phen the tinu shoots
began TO spring out of the ground, the
pdssers-bu noticed that portions mere
much greener and further developed
than Others. rs the days passed BIZ
and The grain grep and grew. this
fresh greenness was noticeable, and
every one remarked upon it. pondcring
as TO the cause.
At last the whole field mas COP
cred. and phen no earth mas to be
seen at all this sentence, pritfen IN the
lopeliest Of green coIors and standing
out higher than all the rest. proclaimed
10 all the porld, This pas in plaster
So uou see. bops and girls, Benia-
min Franklin mas right. after all. and
after that his neighbors mere pilling TO
follOw out his plan, for they had seen
his results.
"And nom. do you knop phu I
have told uou this little .storu3 II is
TO show uou that children vho trv TO
be Christians and pho have the desire
in Their hearts TO be kind and thought
fuL and considerote, and pho mix The
plaster of a Christian character NTH
the trials and porries and duties of the
everyday life. nil shine out for all to
see. I hose pho pass bu mill have no
trouble IN telling the difference betpeen
those pho have God in their hearts
and pho have moi, for it mill be writ-
len clearly IN Their actions and dealings
NTH others. Let us hope and pray
that ne may so lipe in our homes. in
our schools and in our play, that NE
nil alwaps reflect credit upon our
maker."
The foregoing is one of the sermon
cites of the Rev. selden w. Cummings.
pastor of the First Baptist church of
Pasadena, Cal. in what he calls his
"children's church" This part of the
service takes place Immediately before
the regular sermon to grownups and
IS an integral part of the Sunday morn
ing service. There Is no introduction
10 1t and no explanation, but this min
lster believes that many children
would like to go to church If the SER
mons We're made to reach them. SO he
pushes aside other matters for about
10 minutes In order 80 devote himself
to a simpler effort to engage the chill
dren.
CHILDREN ARE ATTENTIVE
Although Doctor Cummings has been
IN PASADENA for only half a year his
plan has been eminently successful.
Many OF the children who attend the
Childrens church." and, strangely
enough the majority of these are boys.
remain for the rest of the service. but
there is a decided exodus at the close
Of the sermonette.
had most satisfactory expert
cnce along this line during my occu-
pancy OF pulpit in Lowell, Mass"
said Doctor Cummings, so that nv
people In Pasadena have the benefit
OF all OF our endeavors there. 1 feel
j that there is a lamentab1e lack of effort
/ 10 reach the children between the ages
of and IA, and that If we can onlv
form for them the habit of going to
church at that period Of their lives.
1t viii be a lasting one.
Whether one is q churchroer ar NOT
n SO called Christian or not. he viii
admit that no one is harmed by going
to church, and, of course. the majority
VIII admit that the habit. as such
Is good one.
IN SOCIAL SERVICE
THE church ssociabIes offer a Iitt,a
Eayety to those who are too poor or
lonely and unknown to have a definite
sociaI circle, and often young people
stray into trouble for this very lack.
Consequently, feel that if r Interest
the boy or girl at this age, I have a
fair chance, or my successor after me.
to have in the fold the growing man
and woman. So prepare my children's
sermon with as much care and thought
as / do my message to the adults. for
it must be brief, to the point and fun
Of interest and sustained action