THE HOME INFLUENCE by Mrs. Mary C. Hanson

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Dec 13, 1905

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 31, No. 50.

THE HOME INFLUENCE.

By Mrs. Mary C. Hanson

Its Effect upon the Salvation of Our Children.

BY MRS. MARY C. HANSON.

WE often hear men and women speak of what home influence has done for them. Some give it credit for their success in life; while others trace their failures back to the influence of their early training.

By the influence of the home we may lead our children to love and obey their Creator, and to shun the evil of the world. It is of the greatest importance to know how so to conduct ourselves in our home that our daily life may be a gathering, rather than a scattering, one.

When a family has been established, a new government has been set up. An altar should be erected, around which all the members of the family should be gathered every day. The children should be taught to pray, the need of prayer, how to pray, and the proper attitude in prayer. It will be a source of strength and comfort for them in after years to have daily communion with their Maker, pleading for protection from the snares of Satan, and strength and wisdom to do God's will.

Experience has taught us that the human mind learns what it sees and hears. Therefore our daily life and conversation should be of a nature that will lead the young minds in the paths of nobility and truth. In order for this to be the case, we must guard against speaking of our neighbor's faults, especially in the presence of our children. Satan is constantly seeking to fill our minds with criticism and faultfinding. It was this medium that lead Lucifer to instigate the rebellion in heaven which resulted in the loss of his home and his place as covering cherub; and that same spirit, if cherished in our hearts, will forever bar heaven's portals against us and deprive us of our inheritance on the new earth.

If parents are always kind and polite to each other as well as to their children, the young minds will soon catch the same spirit. Still we should guard carefully lest the love for our children lead us to indulge them. A Christian mother once said: "The so-called tenderness, the coaxing and indulgence, used towards young children by parents and guardians, is the worst evil that can come upon them. Firmness, decision, positive requirements, are essential in every family." We should be firm in dealing with our children. They should be taught to respect their parents and superiors and show respect for other people's rights. A child who has been taught these principles at home, will easily learn to respect God and His Word. If the people of Bethel had not neglected this part of their children's education they would not have been visited by that awful judgment spoken of in 2 Kings 2.

Children who are taught to obey their parents will find it much easier to serve the Lord and obey His commandments than those who have been allowed to grow up always having their own way. A home where love, order and, obedience are found, is a place where angels desire to dwell. The influence of such a home will follow our children through life.

Fathers, mothers, we have been intrusted with a most solemn work. Let us guard well our words and deeds, so that when our little ones shall have grown to manhood and womanhood, they may look back to the days which were spent at home as a strength in after life, when temptations have grown harder; and at last, when gathered around the great white throne, they can thank God for the lessons He taught them through their earthly parents.