DO you, dear children, always come directly, when mother calls you? Or do you sometimes stop where you are a little longer, and give her the trouble of calling to you again? This ought never to be.
I will tell you a little verse which was written for a child whom I knew and which you may like to learn; and then I hope you will follow what it tells you to do.
“Like an arrow from the bow,
When you are called to go,
Run, run, my little one,
Let the right thing be done,
Nor stop on the way
For a moment’s play.”
How many verses there are in the Book of Proverbs which tell children that they ought to obey their parents. I will give you one from the first chapter: “My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother?’ (Verse 8.) There are also many other verses like this in Proverbs, which you may someday be able to find for yourselves.
Then, too, in the New Testament we read: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor thy father and mother, which is the first commandment with promise, that it may be well with thee; and that thou mayest live long on the earth.” (Eph. 6:1-31Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2Honor thy father and mother; (which is the first commandment with promise;) 3That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. (Ephesians 6:1‑3).)
I am now going to tell you a true and very sad story of what happened quite lately in New Zealand. In the North Island, as it is called, there are many springs of hot water, some of which are called Geysers. One of these, which is a kind of small lake, is partly bounded by rough hills, at the top of which it is safe to stand and watch the Geyser “play,” as it is called; this means that every now and then the water in the lake suddenly rises to a great height, sometimes straight up in the air, but at other times washing up against the hill-side.
A guide is employed to show travelers the way, and to warn them not to go into danger.
On the day of which I speak, two girls, with their mother, were visiting the place; when the former wishing to take “snapshot” photographs, ventured nearer to the Geyser than was safe. The guide called out to warn them; and their mother, who was near him, also called her daughters by name, requesting them to come away. They turned, and smiled at her, one of them saying, “Just a moment, mother.”
At that moment the Geyser went up; the eruption, which took the form of a tidal wave, becoming suddenly terrific; and when it subsided, it was found that the girls had been swept away in the rush of the boiling water and mud! Of course there was no possibility of saving them; although their bodies were afterwards recovered.
I will add no words of mine to this solemn story; but would earnestly beg my young readers to remember that, not only in their early childhood, but as they grow older, they should bear in mind the verse which I quoted at the beginning of this paper:
“MY SON, HEAR THE INSTRUCTION OF THY FATHER, AND FORSAKE NOT THE LAW OF THY MOTHER.”
It is written of the Lord Jesus, that “He was subject to His parents” (Luke 2:5151And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. (Luke 2:51)). If you love Him, you will wish to please Him, and to be like Him. And if sometimes your naughty heart wants you to do your own way, you must look to the gracious Saviour to help you, even Him whose name is called JESUS, “for He shall save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:2121And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21).)
ML 05/06/1917