Untitled article by Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Mountain View, California · Aug 2, 1905

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

EDUCATION IN THE HOME. No. 12.

By Mrs. L. D. Avery-Stuttle

THE next "study evening," as Beth calls it, has come once more; and, as usual, it finds Brother Hartman's family and their guests all ready for study. Mr. and Mrs. Jones are again on hand, accompanied by their friends, Mr. and Mrs. Wilber—the latter looking very serious, as she nervously turns the leaves of her Bible. We notice, also, that there are two faces here that we have not seen before. One is that of a lad of about sixteen, whose well-brushed locks and neat clothes incline us at once to the belief that this must be Walter Grey, of whom Elsie spoke after the last study—John's friend and companion. The dark eyes, that so frankly and squarely look into ours, are mild and earnest, and the crisp, brown curls cluster over a brow broad and white, that tells of an intelligence above the average. The other lad is shy and awkward, the eyes are constantly studying the pattern of the carpet, and the heavy boots are much too large for the owner. Poor Billy Black! a friend to nobody, and nobody a friend to him! Nobody?—Grandma Hartman watches the quiet, shy lad, with moist eyes; and, if we listen closely, we can hear her whisper softly to herself, "motherless, fatherless." After this evening, Billy Black might feel perfectly safe in counting Grandma Hartman his firm friend. Was that all?—Ah, He who has said, "Ye are of more value than many sparrows," has His eye upon this poor son of a drunkard, and regards him in tender love and pity.

Just as the company begin to open their Bibles, little Beth whispers: "Come, papa; I've not forgotten that you promised a story this evening,—please tell it."

"O, yes, father, do; Beth never forgets a promised story," said John.

Billy Black's dull eyes at once shone with interest. Billy was beginning to feel more at home already.

"But, Beth," said the father, tenderly stroking the fair curls, "you know you were going to repeat the ninety-first psalm this evening; you said grandma taught you."

"All right, papa, if you'll tell the story afterward;" and then, in a clear, soft voice, the little girl repeated that most wonderful psalm, so filled with comfort and strength and hope and courage: "'He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.'"

Grandma wiped her glasses long before the child had finished, while the sad-eyed lad, sitting apart from the rest, unconsciously felt a longing after something better, nobler, than he had ever yet known. Poor Billy! it was probably the first psalm he had ever heard, and it is destined to make a lasting impression upon him. The pleasant, well-lighted room, the earnest faces of the little company, the strange, wonderful words of the psalm, and the soft, gentle tones of the little speaker,—all make an impression upon his heart, never to fade away.

"Well, now," said Brother Hartman, after Beth had sat down, "since I promised a story, I will begin at once, that we may hasten on with our study. By this little story I hope to illustrate the fact that the apostle James tells the truth when he says that if we break one—only one commandment—we are guilty of breaking the whole,—that is, we have broken the law."

"When I was a young man, I became acquainted with a steeple climber. This man's precarious business possessed a strange fascination for me, and I loved to listen to the thrilling stories he used to tell of his adventures. At last it was my privilege to watch him make an ascent. The place about the steeple which needed repair was at least two hundred feet above the ground. My friend took the rope which was to sustain his weight in mid air, and carefully felt every foot of it, as was his custom. The rope bore the test of his examination, and he proceeded to attach it firmly. But by some means his delicate touch had failed to notice just one weak point at the very end of the rope. It was perfect, except one flaw. Very soon I saw my friend swinging in mid air, with only that little rope between himself and death. Suddenly I saw the slender line sway and part, and my friend shot downward. O, the horror of it! But by a miracle he caught a projecting timber, and his life was spared. The rope had only broken once, but that was enough almost to have cost him his life."

"Now, my dear children and friends, I have often thought of this incident since that day. God's law is like the rope. The breaking of one link is dangerous. We may carefully observe to do all the commandments save one; but if we deliberately break that one, we separate our souls from God, and run a fearful risk. We have been trying to restore the Fourth Commandment to its rightful place in the heart of God's law. Who shall tear it from thence? A broken law is like a broken chain,—a defective rope. But, Mrs. Wilber, I must ask if you have yet found the text of scripture commanding the change of the Sabbath?"

Mrs. Wilber smiled, and shook her head. "I don't believe there is any, Mr. Hartman."

"I think," interrupted Mr. Wilber, "that my wife would have found it, had there been any; because she has hardly ceased studying the Bible and concordance since the last meeting here. I told her she wouldn't find it, and she didn't."

"I'll tell you what I did find," said Mrs. Wilber, "I found a verse in which Paul says that he has not shunned to declare all the counsel of God," and Mrs. Wilber turned to Acts 20:27; "so I reasoned at once that, if it had been in the counsel of God to change His law, and institute another day of rest, Paul must certainly have spoken of it. But I have carefully read every word written by this great apostle, and—well, to say the least, I can not find it."

"But," said Mrs. Jones, willing to help her friend, if possible, "the day has certainly been changed by some one,—at least the Christian world mostly believe that it has; now, the question is, Who has changed it? Who has presumed to do such a thing, Mr. Hartman?"

Mrs. Jones spoke rapidly and earnestly, and her face expressed deep anxiety.

With a swift prayer to Heaven for help to make plain the Scriptures of truth, Brother Hartman replied:

"Mrs. Jones, will you kindly turn to Dan. 7:25, and read."

"'And he shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High; and he shall think to change the times and the law; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and half a time.'"

"I think this verse answers your question very fully." Then, turning to little Beth, he asked: "Did you remember to borrow the Catechism of your friend, my child?"