p. 14 | Untitled article by Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, Cal. · Jul 26, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 30.

EDUCATION IN THE HOME. NO. II.

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

BY MRS. L. D. AVERY-STUTTLE.

"WELL, mother," said Brother Hartman, after their guests had departed, "it is quite evident to me that our good neighbors are deeply interested. My only regret is that we have been so tardy about beginning these readings."

"Yes, that is true; we should have begun them long ago," replied Sister Hartman. "The studies seem really to be doing as much good to our neighbors as to our children. Of course we planned them especially for our own; but it seems to me that the Holy Spirit is already watering the seed sown, and I fully expect to see a goodly harvest."

"Mrs. Wilbur seems to be in earnest, at least," observed Mattie. "Why, just as they were ready to go home, Josie whispered to me that her mama seemed awfully worried because she couldn't find the text she's looking for; and Josie is going to ask her ma if she can't go to Sabbath-school with me next Sabbath."

"That would be nice," said grandma; "but of course our Sabbath-school is very small compared to the Sunday-school which she is used to attending; so we must try to make the lessons and the exercises doubly interesting."

"But, my children, how do you all like these home readings? do you feel, any of you, as if you would care to discontinue them?"

"O, no," said John, heartily, "it is about as good as a church school, I believe."

"Yes," agreed Mattie; "and I would much rather my own father and mother would teach me the Bible, than any other teacher."

"I like to have grandma teach me," said little Beth. "Grandma knows the Bible better'n lots of preachers. She taught me the Fourth Commandment and the Lord's Prayer, and now she's teaching me the ninety-first Psalm, and when I learn that, she's going to teach me the other nine commandments."

"I will ask you to repeat the ninety-first Psalm at our next reading, dear child," said papa. "It's too bad that you should not have some part in our meetings."

"I've been thinking, John," said Elsie, "that it's about time some of your chums came in to spend the evening. There's Walter Gray, for instance; he's not been here for some time."

"But he's coming; I forgot to mention it before; but I told him about our studies, and I was afraid he wouldn't like to have our old-time chats in my room broken up, but actually he said he would be glad to come and join our circle. By the way, he surprised me by saying that he hoped some day to be a preacher. Whew! just think of it? Walt Gray to be a preacher!" and John clapped his hands enthusiastically.

"That's all right, John," said Sister Hartman. "Bring him along to our studies; they are just what he needs if ever he intends to preach the Word. He needs to study it while he's young. My father used to say that as we are all in an evil world, we could not always keep out of evil, but we could, by God's help, keep evil out of us!"

"That's true; and while it seems to be necessary for you, my dear children, to attend school here in the village, where you meet many temptations, still if you all remember that Christ was tempted also, but never yielded thereto, and that He always met these temptations with a verse of Holy Scripture, these things need only serve to add strength to your faith. Christ's prayer is a very fitting one: 'I pray not that Thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that Thou shouldst keep them from the evil.'"

"You know," said grandma, with a tremble in her kind voice, "that the more the wind blows on a tree, the deeper the root grows and the stronger it becomes. But, John, I was just wondering what had ever become of poor Billy Black, whose father died a drunkard a year ago. Does he live alone with his grandmother still?"

"Billy Black? why, he goes to school every day when he doesn't play the truant," answered John, "Why do you ask, grandma?"

"Because, don't you think it would be a good plan to invite him, too, to attend our studies?"

"First rate plan; I'll do it, grandma, if father doesn't mind."

"Indeed, I should be glad, my son; it would be good missionary work. We will help the poor lad all we can."

"But we haven't decided upon the subject for our next meeting, have we, father?" questioned Elsie.

"I think we are not yet done with that Fourth Commandment, are we, children? that one seems to cause very much trouble and discussion in the religious world, and I want you to be well fortified, -rooted and grounded in the truth, your feet planted on the broad platform of the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus."

"Well, for one thing at our next meeting, Mrs. Wilbur is going to bring in that text which she feels so sure she can find, that enjoins Sunday-keeping. We would be willing to promise her five hundred dollars for every one she can find, wouldn't we, father?" smiled Sister Hartman.

"We certainly would,—or five thousand, for that matter. But the keeping of God's Sabbath alone, important as it is, is not all we have to do, don't forget that. There are nine other commands, which the apostle James says must each be kept, or we become guilty of breaking the whole. Then we must not forget that Christ is our salvation: without Him, we could never overcome. At our next study I will tell you a little story of my life, if you will remind me, that will illustrate this great truth so well expressed by the apostle James."

"There's no fear of our letting you forget to tell the story, father," said Mattie, delightedly; for she knew her father's ability to tell a story and to tell it well. "We'll not let you forget, father."

"O grandma!" exclaimed Beth, "you know Emma McLane's parents are Catholics; she told me to-day at school that she had a great secret to tell me if I'd never tell any one."

"I hope, my dear, that you didn't promise her," said mama. "I would not like my little girl to listen to anything which she might not tell her mother," said Sister Hartman, anxiously.

"Why, no; I told her I must tell my ma and my grandma—"

"And all the rest of us?" questioned John, roguishly.

"No, but finally she did tell me, and she said she did not care a bit if I told any one. She said she knew how it happened that everybody keeps Sunday. She says it was in her last week's lesson in her Catechism. I asked her how it was, and she said their church had changed the day from Saturday to Sunday,—did they, ma?"

"I am thinking your little friend made you acquainted with a tremendous fact, my child; and I am inclined to think it was providential in bringing it up just at this time. Do you suppose you could borrow Emma's book, so that we might have it at our next study?" questioned her father, eagerly.

"I guess so; I'll ask her, anyway," and little Beth crept off to bed, wondering what her papa could possibly want to do with Emma McLane's Sunday-school Catechism.