Chapter 75—Parental Guidance In Social Affairs
Evil Influences Almost Overpowering—The evil influence
around our children is almost overpowering; it is corrupting their
minds and leading them down to perdition. The minds of youth are
naturally given to folly; and at an early age, before their characters
are formed and their judgment matured, they frequently manifest a
preference for associates who will have an injurious influence over
them
Could my voice reach the parents all through the land, I would
warn them not to yield to the desires of their children in choosing their
companions or associates. Little do parents consider that injurious
impressions are far more readily received by the young than are divine
impressions; therefore their associations should be the most favorable
for the growth of grace and for the truth revealed in the word of God
to be established in the heart
Let the youth be placed in the most favorable circumstances possi-
ble; for the company they keep, the principles they adopt, the habits
they form, will settle the question of their usefulness here and of their
future, eternal interests with a certainty that is infallible
The Peril of Unlimited Freedom—Parents, your sons and daugh-
ters are not properly guarded. They should never be permitted to go
and come when they please, without your knowledge and consent.
The unbounded freedom granted to children at this age has proved
the ruin of thousands. How many are allowed to be in the streets at
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night, and parents are content to be ignorant of the associates of their
children. Too often companions are chosen whose influence tends
only to demoralize.
Under the cover of darkness boys collect in groups to learn their
first lessons in card playing, gambling, smoking, and wine or beer
sipping. The sons of religious parents venture into the saloons for an
1
Testimonies For The Church 1, 400, 401
.
2
Ibid., 5:544, 545
.
3
Ibid., 5:545
.
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