The Mena weekly star., 1913-08-21
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w. C. T. U. COLUMN
The Influence of Sunday Schools.
Bertha Kelly, Press SuDl

l The Influence of Sunday Schools. l While the Sunday school is an institution that attracts children socially and reliaiously and must have the credit of accomplishing
 much good for some, especially for
 the lower classes of society; yet we must see if it does all we would have it do. Some parents relieve themselves of their responsibility or their work of instruction-eXpected
 duties of parents-as commanded
 by our Lord to tram our children. The Sunday school teacher is often
 thoroughly incapable of such re- sponsibility. Sometimes children
 receive no instruction from Sunday
 school teachers tha, intelligent and conscientious parents should give. Environment is the training school
 from the cradle to ,nr grave. Some times children lose respect for par
 ents. The child notes the Venera-
 ton of parents. Ncneration Is one
 of the religious organs of the hu-
 man mind that lies on top of the
 head and should be developed. If
 the parents go With the children
 and study the object lesson in ad-
 vance and know that the child gets
 the truth as taught by the Word,
 then the Sunday school will ac-
 complish more good than ever be-
 fore The truth will travel through
 their lives and the lives of other
 generations by getting truth with
 out a covering. We often hear peO-
 pie discussing heredity. We know
 that this idea is as false as in the
 beginning, when Satan gave it a
 start and taught them. OF trained
 Adam and Eve to lay their sins upon other shoulders. Adam said
 Eve was to blame; she said it was
 the serpent. Cain killed Abel The
 life blood told who was guilty. And
 so we each try to shrk our own -Fe-
 sponsiblity and always have some
 one spotted that must bear our
 mistakes. Satan has never been
 embodied so that finite vision can
 behold him. We cannot see angels.
 He is a fallen angel and uses bodies
 that are loaned to him. We some
 times refuse him the Use of ours,
 but cloak him by names and give
 him direction into Inc lives of IoDhprs. So let us instruct our chil-
 dren or they may think we are in- capable of teaching. Parents often Idepcud wholly upon he instruction | they gel from ministers on each
 seventh day of the week. The child
 notes this. Parents can receive
 Divine instruction by the exercise
 of reason and the study of Gods word. Start the child out in search lOf wisdom or truth: make the con-
 ditions healthy for spiritual deyeI- opmcnt. Our literature in Sunday
 schools is becoming more unifOrm four faculties are developing in the
 understanding of the great plan of
 salvation. The Sunday school
 teacher should feel the responsibili- | ty of a parent and be careful not
 to teach churchanitY but unity of
 spirit: that there is naught in
 Heaven and naught on earth and naught in the universe that prom
 Ses perfection and future life but Hove. Just one word holds all pow
 er Then. if Sunday schools deVeI- Top love enough m one home each week to form new creatures, what | if gives the suggestions as taught in the Holy Bible il does not letter the
 child with human beliefs of Oppo- site churches. One Sunday morning
 one church sang, "Will There Be
 Any Stars in My CroWn?' and the other was singing. No, Not One l On another occasion one sang. T Want to Be An Angel;' the other
 church sang, "Too Late. the Door
 Is Shut" So we see the songs we
 sing too often have a selfish Sentl- ment. The whole world is watch ing parents and instructors. If l
 am slave to appetite. a slave to fashion, a slave to frivolous |amuse- menls, a slave Do gold mines, and
 so .on, can l expect the Sunday school teacher 10 root out all | plant in six day, in the hour she has charge of my child. We have good and evil, right and wrong, ap- pcaling tO Us every hour in every way Surely the majority realizes | that at our very best our powers and talents and facilities are sadly weakened through the false lesson of Satan. and we need strengthen ing instead of covering. We need new wills. all our own. Just the image of the Creator. Earthly loves are so Tickle, generally selfish. | Earthly hopes are elusive. Earthly | joys are of brief duration. Earthly | ambitions are rarely gratilied. Yet these things the world strives for. | If we strive for spiritual blessings, 1 the eye of faith opens wider and | wider. and then comprehends the | heights depths lengths and | breadDhs of Divine wisdom and | love. Then comes peace, Satls- 1 faction. that pasSc.h all understand | ing and explanation. But we know | that the world Ina, but little to offer | child of God The best it has is it's ugly appearance when viewed | in the light of God, of truth. of | reality Then we are disguSted at l any attempt we make without Gods | hand guides us. Faith must be ours | before we are born again as chil- |