EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN.
By Mrs. Z. A. Adams
My little boy sat on the carpet one day,
His pretty dark eyes bright with fun;
With my workbook and work he was busy at play,
And with all he could lay his hands on.
I chided him gently for tangling my skeins,
And he quickly obeyed my commands;
Then softly he asked, as his tears he restrained,
“Mamma, what shall I do with my hands?” “What shall I do with my hands?” is a question which becomes one of vital importance to every mother, and father as well, when propounded by our own little ones, for whom we, as parents, are responsible; responsible, not only for the future of this present life, but also for their future eternal destiny. This being the case, where is there in this world the responsibility equal to that of the parents? There is none greater. That this is true, and that God would have us realize it, is plainly evident from the many admonitions given in his word. As parents become aroused to the importance of their work, we hear them exclaim, “To me the thought that the training of my children, the education received at my hands, must result in the formation of such a character as will stand the test of the judgment,—to me this is the most solemn thought of my life.” Truly it is a thought which should cause every parent, especially the mother, to cry out: “Lord, give me wisdom. I am wholly incapable without thee, for I can do nothing of myself.” I say the mother, because to her is given largely the moulding and training of her children for the first few years of life, which is the most important period with reference to character building or usefulness in after life. One of our greatest mistakes in this matter lies in our failure to recognize the true Source of knowledge. We waste precious time and exhaust our best energies seeking after methods and book education, which is simply somebody’s else experience, who, like ourselves, have sought the experience of somebody else to attain to that which alone can be attained to successfully by the simple means within the reach of all,—the Spirit and word and works of God. Doubtless the one question above all others in the heart of every mother is, “How can I teach my children to know God and his love from earliest infancy, that a knowledge of him and his love may grow in the heart with the growth of the child?” The Lord speaks to us in Deut. 6:6: “These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.” Dear parents, this is what we want, what we must have,—a real heart zeal and heart knowledge, that we may train or mould our children for God and usefulness, not pleading that our incapabilities necessitate the placing of our children in the hands of some kindergartner to be “brought up.” The Lord does not want such a shirking of responsibility, but he does want to fill us with wisdom, that we may be able to impart that education, to exert just the right influence over our children, that will be for our own and our children’s highest moral and intellectual good. The influences brought to bear upon the early life of a child form the basis for after life. The education of early life stamps the character, and to a great extent the image of the educator is reflected. What we desire then is to be able to impart that education that will—leave our stamp of character?—oh, no! the divine impress. In order to do this, “these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart.” A worthy writer has said: “Every act of life, however small, has its bearing for good or evil. Faithfulness or neglect in what are apparently the smallest duties may open the door for life’s richest blessings or its greatest calamities.” Again, “It is the unpretending acts of daily self-denial, performed with a cheerful, willing heart, that God smiles upon.” These words were spoken to us and for us as mothers. How glad we ought to be for them! Who of us does not desire to enjoy the approving smiles of God? Well, he says we may, if we are “faithful in the little, unpretending acts of daily life.” That means be a child with our children. Enter into their joys and sorrows and amusements; minister to their childish wants, remembering that we are “only children grown tall,” and that once we were so helpless that all we could do was to kick and cry, and that to be allowed to kick was a delightful privilege, and the only means of expressing the activity of life enveloped in the tiny bundle of humanity, which to confine would be to dwarf. A God-given duty and privilege, then, is to be patient and loving while training those little feet, realizing that much importance may be attached even to the manner of expression in their exercise, prayerfully, carefully instilling the little mind with the fact that God made those little feet to be used to his glory, for the development of the physical being and the promotion of health and morals. With this principle woven into every emotion of and experience in life, the promise is ours, “Our children shall rise up and call us blessed.”138Then, as the little feet grow older and must needs be piloted in the walk of life, knowing as we lead they will follow, as we walk they will walk, in short, they will be what we are or what we make them,—then it is we must needs whisper, “Jesus, Saviour, pilot me.” Then, too, is the blessed assurance most precious, “My grace is sufficient for thee.” And how we desire to embrace this strength as we go forth, sharing with our child its joys and griefs as well, while guarding the little feet and directing the little mind in that channel that ever points to a God of love and infinite wisdom, proclaimed by stately trees, beautiful flowers, lofty mountains, and singing birds, and drawing from each a lesson that will leave an indelible impression upon the heart and mind for time and eternity! Can we do this?—Yes, if we have a living connection with Him who is the only true source of help and strength. Do we feel that the responsibility is great?—Yes, and also that the requirement at our hands is great, for account must be rendered to God for the souls of our children. Then let us enter heartily into the work left for us to do, by beholding and teaching our children to behold a loving Creator in all the works of nature. Parents, take time to examine and talk of the grass, the trees, the flowers, the leaves, the birds,—the ten thousand speaking beauties of nature,—all pointing to nature's God. Recognize his love in giving us eyes with which to see, ears with which to hear, a mouth with which to speak, food to eat, raiment to put on, yes, and even the blocks with which we build our wonderful houses, especially the ones which are lettered, which may be made to spell out the wonderful words of life, and the beautiful texts which we transfer to our small blackboards—which, by the way, is an indispensable article in the home for children, patiently teaching the little fingers to transfer them to the board, while praying God to print them on the heart. But time would fail me to speak of the many, many ways which abound all around us, and means at the command of every true seeker of imparting to our children such knowledge as will lead to a pure, true, noble life, avoiding the vice and evil with which the world is now extant.