Guarding the Avenues to the Mind of the Child
By Lauretta Kress, M. D.
“He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith.” The ear is one of the chief avenues to the mind, and with the mind man serves God. The mind may be compared to the cylinder of a phonograph. As we speak into the receiver of a phonograph, and revolve the cylinder, impressions of what we say are made upon the delicate wax. All that is necessary after this is to put on the funnel and turn the cylinder, and the very words that were spoken into the receiver will be reproduced, with the same expression that the speaker put into them. Had Eve always allowed God to speak to her, and listened only to his voice, she would never have been deceived; no ill could have befallen her. But she made the mistake of listening to the words of the evil one. “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” Satan does not now use the serpent as a medium. He could not accomplish his ends through it; for every one keeps as far away from a serpent as possible. But he uses things just as subtle. The modern phonograph, or graphophone, for instance, is a very harmless-looking thing; yet the songs and sayings of wicked and dissolute men are often reproduced by it. We would not go to a theater to listen to these men, but we welcome them to our homes, and allow them to amuse our innocent children with their songs and talks through the phonograph. Impressions are made upon the minds of young and old. The words and the very spirit of the one uttering them are indelibly impressed upon the mind, often to be reproduced later in life. Evil seeds are thus sown, which later spring up and bring forth a sad harvest. The moving picture show is another feature of our modern life which is sure to develop a crop of criminals. [A case in point was cited in the Literary Digest of October 16. A boy “doing time” at the House of Refuge on Randall’s Island wrote to the secretary of the Big Brother Movement of New York City, asking for help to secure a position. Among other things he said, “It was the movey that got me to steal & I hope that hear after I can live straight & earn an honest living as I hope I can.” The secretary responded with a kind letter of inquiry, asking the lad if he would tell him just how the movies taught him to steal. Following is a verbatim copy of the boy’s reply:—
“DEAR SIR: Just got your letter & was glad to hear from you. I will tell you how it was once I went to a show and saw a picture named working in a office & he stealis money from a safe & is not blamed a young cleark is accused & sent to jail & and at last they discover the theif and he has one more chance & and when I saw that I thought it would be easy for me so I took a chance & was not caught & so I kept it up & at last was caught & discharged so I think If I got a chance I would live stright as I have no more to say I remain” etc.15This is only one case—of an ignorant, untaught lad of the streets of a great city. No doubt the same picture that proved his undoing was exhibited before the eyes of thousands of boys from refined, Christian homes, on whom it will have a tendency to break down the walls that have been so carefully and prayerfully builded to shield them from temptation.—Ed.] Ever it is the same old, old story: “While men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this.” Parents are asleep to the dangers of their children. While they are trying to sow good seed in their fertile minds on the Sabbath day, through some of these apparently innocent things Satan is sowing tares that will some day be reproduced in the life of the young man or young woman. The daily paper, filled with records of crime, murder, theft, etc., is another medium through which impressions are made upon youthful minds. The reading of novels, love stories, fiction, and light literature is another medium. Young people who feed the mind on such literature live in an unreal and fanciful world; their imaginations become diseased. Many of them in later life become walking novels, known and read of all men. How important therefore it is to keep the heart “with all diligence,” ever remembering that “out of it are the issues of life,” and to take heed what we hear and what we see. The Word of God is the golden oil that is to flow through the golden tubes into the golden vessel. “Thy word,” said David, “have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.” Again we read: “My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them, and health to all their flesh.” “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; . . . the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,” said Jesus; and “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance.” These fruits appear in the children in whose minds God’s Word has been planted. And the promise is, “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee.”