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nobility of character. Many a father and mother, denying their children
to the cross of Christ, have learned too late that they were thus giving
them over to the enemy of God and man. They sealed their ruin, not
alone for the future but for the present life. Temptation overcame them.
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They grew up a curse to the world, a grief and shame to those who
gave them being.
Even in seeking a preparation for God’s service, many are turned
aside by wrong methods of education. Life is too generally regarded
as made up of distinct periods, the period of learning and the period of
doing—of preparation and of achievement. In preparation for a life
of service the youth are sent to school, to acquire knowledge by the
study of books. Cut off from the responsibilities of everyday life, they
become absorbed in study, and often lose sight of its purpose. The
ardor of their early consecration dies out, and too many take up with
some personal, selfish ambition. Upon their graduation, thousands find
themselves out of touch with life. They have so long dealt with the
abstract and theoretical that when the whole being must be roused to
meet the sharp contests of real life, they are unprepared. Instead of the
noble work they had purposed, their energies are engrossed in a strug-
gle for mere subsistence. After repeated disappointments, in despair
even of earning an honest livelihood, many drift into questionable or
criminal practices. The world is robbed of the service it might have
received; and God is robbed of the souls He longed to uplift, ennoble,
and honor as representatives of Himself.
Many parents err in discriminating between their children in the
matter of education. They make almost any sacrifice to secure the
best advantages for one that is bright and apt. But these opportunities
are not thought a necessity for those who are less promising. Little
education is deemed essential for the performance of life’s ordinary
duties.
But who is capable of selecting from a family of children the
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ones upon whom will rest the most important responsibilities? How
often human judgment has here proved to be at fault! Remember the
experience of Samuel when sent to anoint from the sons of Jesse one to
be king over Israel. Seven noble-looking youth passed before him. As
he looked upon the first, in features comely, in form well-developed,
and in bearing princely, the prophet exclaimed, “Surely the Lord’s
anointed is before Him.” But God said, “Look not on his countenance,