8
Christian Education
of nature. The mother should have less love for the artificial in her
house, and in the preparation of her dress for display, and should
find time to cultivate, in herself and in her children, a love for the
beautiful buds and opening flowers. By calling the attention of her
children to their different colors and variety of forms, she can make
them acquainted with God, who made all the beautiful things which
attract and delight them. She can lead their minds up to their Creator,
and awaken in their young hearts a love for their heavenly Father, who
has manifested so great love for them. Parents can associate God with
all his created works. The only school-room for children from eight to
ten years of age should be in the open air, amid the opening flowers
and nature’s beautiful scenery. And their only text book should be the
treasures of nature. These lessons, imprinted upon the minds of young
children amid the pleasant, attractive scenes of nature, will not be soon
forgotten.
In order for children and youth to have health, happiness, vivacity,
and well-developed muscle and brain, they should be much in the open
air, and have well-regulated employment and amusement. Children
and youth who are kept at school, and confined to books, cannot
have sound physical constitutions. The exercise of the brain in study,
without corresponding physical exercise, has a tendency to attract
the blood to the brain, and the circulation of the blood through the
system becomes unbalanced. The brain has too much blood, and the
extremities too little. There should be rules regulating their studies
to certain hours, and then a portion of their time should be spent in
physical labor. And if their habits of eating, dressing, and sleeping
were in accordance with physical law, they could obtain an education
[10]
without sacrificing physical and mental health.
The patriarchs from Adam to Noah, with but few exceptions, lived
nearly a thousand years. Since the days of Noah, the length of life has
been tapering. Those suffering with disease were brought to Christ for
him to heal, from every town, city, and village; for they were afflicted
with all manner of diseases. And disease has been steadily on the
increase through successive generations since that period. Because of
the continued violation of the laws of life, mortality has increased to a
fearful extent.
Disease has been transmitted from parents to children from gen-
eration to generation. Infants in their cradle are miserably afflicted