WHY WE NEED FIRESIDE SCHOOLS.
By Hope
It is an acknowledged fact, that in these days the religious training of our children in their homes, is too much neglected. Many parents expect the Sunday-school teacher, pastor, or some one else to do this work. Others are careless and let their daily labor or demands of society make them neglect the souls of their children. Not a few mothers give all their time to feeding and clothing the body, while the soul starves or is fed by Satan. We should keep the mother and child nearer together. The mother is the God-given teacher of the child. But we seldom have them together, even in the house of God. The children come to the Sabbath-school, and when it is out, the children often leave, and the parents come to the preaching service. If the child can not attend both services, then it had better come with the parent to the preaching service. I do not want to be understood as condemning the Sabbath-school and other helps, but only to say that they are not able, in one hour out of every seven days, to do the great work of the religious and moral training of our children. Indeed, much of this work should be done before the child is old enough to attend the Sabbath-school. A mother said to me, a few days ago, "Sister Moore, I have brought my children up in the Sabbath-school, and yet they have gone astray." I said, "My dear sister, you could not bring your child up in the Sabbath-school, because it is in session only one hour and a half during the whole week. At home is where your child has been brought up. There is where its character was formed, to a great extent, before it was seven years old."-Hope.