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Mind, Character, and Personality Volume 1
hold up the hands of his wife, giving her wise counsel and loving
encouragement.—
The Review and Herald, July 8, 1902
.
Parents Must Govern Themselves—Parents who successfully
govern their families must first govern themselves. If they would only
have pleasant words in their families, they must let their children hear
only pleasant words from their lips. The planting of the seed will
produce a like harvest. Parents have a solemn, sacred work to perform
in educating their children by precept and example. They are under
obligation to God to present their children to Him fitted at a very early
period to receive an intelligent knowledge of what is comprehended
in being a follower of Jesus Christ. If those who claim to be Bible
Christians have children who do not fear and love God, in most cases
it is because the parents’ example has not been a correct one. False,
spurious seeds have been sown which have produced a harvest of briers
and thorns.—
Manuscript 59, 1900.
Gentle Words and Smiles for the Family—It is not only our
privilege but our duty to cultivate gentleness, to have the peace of
Christ in the heart and as peacemakers and followers of Christ to sow
precious seed that will produce a harvest unto eternal life. Professed
followers of Christ may possess many good and useful qualities; but
their characters are greatly marred by an unkind, fretful, faultfind-
ing, harshly judging temper. The husband or the wife who cherishes
suspicion and distrust creates dissension and strife in the home. Nei-
ther of them should keep his gentle words and smiles for strangers
alone, and manifest irritability in the home, thus driving out peace and
contentment.—
Letter 34, 1894
(HC 179.)
Vulgar Speaking to Be Avoided—Fathers and mothers, husbands
and wives, I beseech you, do not indulge in low thought and vulgar
speaking. Coarse sayings, low jests, want of courtesy in the homelife,
will leave an impression upon you, and if frequently repeated will
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become second nature. The home is too sacred a place to be polluted
with vulgarity, sensuality, and recrimination. There is a Witness who
declares, “I know thy works.” Let love, truth, kindness, and forbearance
be the plants cultivated in the garden of the heart.—
Letter 18b, 1891
Never Manifest Rudeness or Unkindness—Do you never man-
ifest rudeness, unkindness, and impoliteness in the family circle? If
you do manifest unkindness at your home, no matter how high may