Chapter 76—Holidays And Anniversaries
The Need of Guidance in Holiday Observance—I saw that our
holidays should not be spent in patterning after the world, yet they
should not be passed by unnoticed, for this will bring dissatisfaction to
our children. On these days when there is danger that our children will
be exposed to evil influences and become corrupted by the pleasures
and excitement of the world, let the parents study to get up something
to take the place of more dangerous amusements. Give your children
to understand that you have their good and happiness in view
Through the observance of holidays the people both of the world
and of the churches have been educated to believe that these lazy days
are essential to health and happiness, but the results reveal that they
are full of evil
We have tried earnestly to make the holidays as interesting as
possible to the youth and children, while changing this order of things.
Our object has been to keep them away from scenes of amusement
among unbelievers
Shall the Angel Record, “A Day Lost?”—After a day of pleasure
seeking is ended, where is the satisfaction to the pleasure seeker? As
Christian workers, whom have they helped to a better, higher, and
purer life? What would they see if they should look over the record the
angel wrote? A day lost! To their own souls a day lost, a day lost in
the service of Christ, because no good was accomplished. They may
have other days but never that day which was idled away in cheap,
foolish talk, of girls with boys, and boys with girls.
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Never will these same opportunities offer themselves again. They
had better been doing the hardest kind of labor on that holiday. They
did not make the right use of their holiday, and it passed into eternity
to confront them in the judgment as a day misspent
1
Testimonies For The Church 1, 514, 515
.
2
Fundamentals of Christian Education, 317
.
3
The Review and Herald, January 29, 1884
.
4
Letter 12, 1892
.
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