The Belding banner-news., 1920-01-21
FINE PAF Err WAS READ
AT FARMERS MEETING
(COntinupd from pace

Al fAHMEnS MtEIINU
(Continued from page u
day and was looking for some of the
young people to spend the evening so
suggested to my father that it would
be well if he shoveled the snow from
the front walk but he was busy and
not inclined to bother his head with
my company SO he told me that if we
left the snow there long enough it
would melt" So it is with our roads
If the rut in the road stays long
enough the good roads commission
will look after it with an expenditure
of our tax money, when maybe few
moments of our spare time might
be used to fill the rut, thus prolonging
the time when the road in front of our
property would be called good road.
Now l shall not try to discuss road
beds for I'll be frank and tell you
know too little about the construction
of good road to run the risk Of get
ting into an argument but going back
to the Idea of the snow melting in
time. Perchance an acorn might blow
to the ground and lodge directly in
front of your dwelling, or mine along
the roadside you know and if we left
it there long enough it would become
a wonderful shade tree and perhaps
more acorns would drop along in a
row thus making a cool and shady
avenue for those who pass by in the
years to come but perhaps if we get
behind shovel we might plant row
of party grown trees along the road
side that would surely be good for the
next generation to look upon and en-
JOY for as Beecher has said 1--WE should
so live and labor in our time that
what came to us seed may go to the
next generation as blossom and what
came to us as blossoms may go to
them as fruit. So much for good
roads.
Now as to the church influence |
"If | ever reach Heaven / expct to
meet someone had not thought to see
there; Second to miss someone | had
expected to see there; and Third the
greatest wonder of all to find myself
there"
1t is the province of the church not
only to offer salvation in the future
but to teach men how they ought to
live in the present so / think we will
all agree with man who seemingly
had no use for any church himself but
when asked him why he did not take
his two lovely children and bring them
up where there was no church at all
he baked quickly enough for he want
ed his children to grow up under the
influence of church people and relig
ious standards. Now again we must
question ourselves as to what we are
doing to better the influence of the
church for the next generation.
There was a boys conference held
at Flint in November and among those
who attended that meeting was a son
of our own Mrs. Johnson and from
his report ] have gathered a few
thoughts that / think would be well
for us TO bear in mind. At that time
Chester B. Emerson said, This is a
great age and the present generation
holds a great responsibility. Think
what you can give the world rather
than all you can get, forget conse-
qences and act unselfishly."
At this conference it was also
brought out that the church needs the
Sunday School and that the number
of Sunday School students for the Y.
M. c.. A. and such work is weak. 1t
is almost impossible to believe that
two-thirds of our boys and girls are
lost from the churches and Sunday
Shoots at the age of fifteen years and
these are lost fatally.
Now why let us ask ourselves is
this true? One reason given at the
conference was that boys especially
like to do what their fathers do and
because fathers and mothers do not
attend Sunday School the children do
not want to go either.
This fact was brought out to me a
short time ago. A man and his wife
took a small boy to bring up and of
course they dressed him up and sent
him to Sunday School and while he
was gone one Sunday they took the
time to clean the garage and take care
of the winter vegetables. When the
lad returned he lookd about and said,
"Well you got lot done while was
gone didn't you? Nothing more was
said till the next Sunday when she
laid out his Sunday clother, he said
her if she did not intend to go with
him and when she thought not he re-
piled, 'sWell what are you and dad
going to do while I'm gone this morn
ing?"
SO it is with all children, unless
we older ones go to church and Sun
day School we can not expect the
young people to go and if no one goes
to church or takes their part in the
keeping Of the golden rule there would
soon be no church influence so won
er what the results would be if a
whole community attended church at
least once week for year. Surely
that community would not be bad
place to live in for christianity is
intended to be the guide, the guardian
the companion of all our homes, to be
the food our mortal spirits; to be the
serious occupation of our whole ex-
istance."
And now last but not least comes
the sebject of stamping out disease.
We buy Red Cross seals at each
Christmas time to help that wonder
full organization to stamp out tuber-
culosis and we have spasmodc clean
up weeks, fly destroying campaigns,
II - r.