Chapter 28—Family Activities During Holidays and
Anniversaries
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.
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.
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.
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