Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-02-18
FATHERS MUST PAL
WITH SONS TO SAVE
THEM FROM FALLING
REV. cHESSMAN DELIVERS SOUND
ADVICE TO PATERNAl PAR.
eNrS IN SERMON LAST NIGHT
At BAPTIST CHURCH..

KEY. Il. W. CnesSman spoke on the
subject. rs That Boy Safe?' He
said In part;
in II Samuel 1929 we read: is
the young man Absalom safe? It is
Il question freighted with pathos. It
is the agonizing heart cry of father
whose son went wrong. Read the
story OF King David. and his son Alb.
SALON. and you will find David waited
too long 10 manifest vital concern
for his rebellous son. He neglected
him in the days when comradeship
and counsel would have saved his boy
from the pitfalls ahead of him.
THE lesson for MS is, don't wait I'M
I'll some tragic hour to ask the Ques.
ton is that boy safe2' A wealthy
business man came 10 IA preacher with
the confession. l have robbed my
children of the best things. edu-
N'tNb tbtiii, saw tufill
and opportunities for travel and so.
cial life. have cheated them My
children were not brought up to go
10 church, they have not been sur.
rounded with "A religious atmosphere.
They have no foundation for morality.
no great ought, no sense of God. II is
bitter revelation and realization 10
me now that I've cheated them of the
things which would give the moral
sanctions and moral imperative of
life That father waited too long be.
fore he awakened.
"A lot OF splendid fellows are head.
ed for the bod today without an an.
chor of religious or moral conviction
to hold them in the crisis hours OF
temptation. They have been neglect.
ed by dad. A wealthy lady took her
four year old son to specialist to
examine his vocal organs. Nothing
was wrong only the lad was talking
ihHj'Hs NV udu Il IulllSn lul SC WIN
had entire charge OF him Ii is neg.
lect Of the boy that results disastrous.
~ in later life. 1t is safe to say that
the army of wastrels and pariahs OF
society lacked in boyhood a chummy
dad. The Big Brother movement il
an attempt to supply this great need
Of fatherly comradeship 10 lads whose
dads neglect them. saw n picture
somewhere of group of happy faced
newsboys. In the middle of the pic
ture was a jovial faced man who was
father to those fatherless lads
Great responsibilities and obliga-
tons go with fatherhood. A boy has
a right to expect some things of his
father. He has right TO expect com.
radship. Talking to man the other
day who has a lad now in a big city
carving his own way in life and max.
Ing good learned that dad and the
boy were always ehums, The father
was a real comradc and the boy lik-
ed TO be with him. When that cru
cial point came in the lads life
where there were certain things he
ought to know about his manhood that
father spoke to his boy about the
matter He portrayed the great bene-
fits OF clean living and the sad re.
suits Of breaking natures laws aud
the moral laws. The boy, after a time
in the great city, said ON "A visit
home. Dad. I've been thankful many
a time for the things you told me-
Those talks you had with me have
helped me TO be what | now am and
have always been. absolutely clean
There are fathers tonight with
boys in the army and navy who thank
God they were ehummy with them
and did not permit information about
the mysteries Of manhood to come
from vile lips of unclean companions.
Democracy is not the only thing tC
he made safe for the world. The boy.
need to be made safe That is iol
father can be expert at He can hell
that boy to come into strong man
hood and go forth from the parenta
roof to make the battle of life, evadt
the pitfalls, maintain integrity ant
keep untarnished his ideals. NJ
father who does this Is a failure il
life. He may not have any none,
laid by to leave the boy He has Civ
on him in comradship and nuturct
manhood a legacy transcending an,
other legacy he could leave him. Tn,
biggest contribution a man can max,
to the world is clean, vigorous. high
principled offspring.
"Some dads wake up too late. The,
ask. Is the young man safe? to,
late. Some men are so busy maxim,
money running business, or DOM
other things outside the home tina
they forget the boy. But one da,
there is an awakening. Better tn
awakening comes early while there /
yet time to point the way as fathe
can to nobility In manhood for tina
lad. Some fathers need to get RICH
themselves in order to lead the La
Alright. The lad knows what his da
is. No camouflage works there.
tnli vou N raa1 fothar yaat. Aha ,,a,,