Chapter 33—Parental Responsibility in Character
Formation
A Divine Commission to Parents—God has given parents their
work, to form the characters of their children after the divine Pattern.
By His grace they can accomplish the task; but it will require patient,
painstaking effort, no less than firmness and decision, to guide the will
and restrain the passions. A field left to itself produces only thorns
and briers. He who would secure a harvest for usefulness or beauty
must first prepare the soil and sow the seed, then dig about the young
shoots, removing the weeds and softening the earth, and the precious
plants will flourish and richly repay his care and labor
Character building is the most important work ever entrusted to
human beings, and never before was its diligent study so important
as now. Never was any previous generation called to meet issues
so momentous; never before were young men and young women
confronted by perils so great as confront them today
Here is your work, parents, to develop the characters of your
children in harmony with the precepts of the Word of God. This work
should come first, for eternal interests are here involved. The character
building of your children is of more importance than the cultivation of
your farms, more essential than the building of houses to live in, or of
prosecuting any manner of business or trade
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Home, the Best Place for Character Building—Neither the
church school nor the college affords the opportunities for establishing
a child’s character building upon the right foundation that are afforded
in the home
Crooked Characters Must Be Straightened—Those who do not
make the crooked character straight in this life can have no part in the
future immortal life. Oh, how important it is for the youth to keep
1
The Signs of the Times, November 24, 1881
.
2
Education, 225
.
3
The Signs of the Times, September 10, 1894
.
4
Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 162
.
125