They are easily excited to jealousy, disposed to look
upon the dark side, and when you are laboring for
their good, imagine that you are their enemy, that you
needlessly reprove and restrain them.
And have you not inquired where will all this end,
as you have looked upon your children from a moral
point of view? Have you not noticed the increase of
disobedience in children, and their manifestations of
ingratitude and impatience under restraint? Have you
not been alarmed at their disregard of parental authority,
which has bowed down the hearts of their parents with
grief, and prematurely sprinkled their heads with gray
hairs? Have you not witnessed the lack of that noble
frankness in your children which they once possessed,
and which you admired in them? Some children
even express in their countenances a hardened look of
depravity. Have you not felt distressed and anxious as
you have seen the strong desire in your children to be
with the other sex, and the overpowering disposition
they possessed to form attachments when quite young?
With your daughters, the boys have been the theme of
conversation; and with your sons, it has been the girls.
They manifest preference for particular ones, and your
advice and warnings produce but little change. Blind
passion overrules sensible considerations.
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And, although you may check the outward manifestations,
and you credit the promises of amendment, yet, to your
sorrow, you find there is no change, only to conceal the
matter from you. There are still secret attachments and
stolen interviews. They follow their willful course, and
are controlled by their passions, until you are startled
by perhaps a premature marriage, or are brought to
shame by those who should, by their noble course of
conduct, bring to you respect and honor. The cases
of premature marriage multiply. Boys and girls enter
upon the marriage relation with unripe love, immature
judgment, without noble, elevated feelings, and take
upon themselves the marriage vows, wholly led by their
boyish, girlish passions. They choose for themselves,
often without the knowledge of the mother who has
watched over them, and cared for them, from their
earliest infancy.
Attachments formed in childhood have often resulted
in a very wretched union, or in a disgraceful separation.
Early connections, if formed without the consent of
parents, have seldom proved happy. The young
affections should be restrained until the period arrives
when sufficient age and experience will make it
honorable and safe to unfetter them. Those who will not
be restrained, will be in danger of dragging out
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an unhappy existence. A youth not out of his teens is a
poor judge of the fitness of a person, as young as himself,
to be his companion for life. After their judgment has
become more matured, they view themselves bound for
life to each other, and perhaps not at all calculated to
make each other happy. Then, instead of making the
best of their lot, recriminations take place, the breach
widens, until there is settled indifference and neglect of
each other. To them there is nothing sacred in the word
home. The very atmosphere is poisoned by unloving
words and bitter reproaches. The offspring of such are
placed in a much more unfavorable condition than were
their parents. With such surroundings, such examples,
what could be expected of them if time should continue?
Mothers, the great cause of these physical, mental, and
moral evils, is secret vice, which inflames the passions,
fevers the imagination, and leads to fornication and
adultery. This vice is laying waste the constitution of
very many, and preparing them for diseases of almost
every description. And shall we permit our children to
pursue a course of self-destruction?
Mothers, view your children from a religious
standpoint. It gives you pain to see your children feeble
in body and mind; but does it not cause you still greater
grief to see
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them almost dead to spiritual things, so that they have
but little desire for goodness, beauty of character, and
holy purposes? Secret vice is the destroyer of high
resolve, earnest endeavor, and strength of will to form
a good religious character. All who have any true sense
of what is embraced in being a Christian, know that the
followers of Christ are under obligation as his disciples,
to bring all their passions, their physical powers and
mental faculties, into perfect subordination to his will.
Those who are controlled by their passions cannot be
followers of Christ. They are too much devoted to the
service of their master, the originator of every evil, to
leave their corrupt habits, and choose the service of
Christ.
Godly mothers will inquire, with the deepest
concern, Will our children continue to practice habits
which will unfit them for any responsible position in this
life? Will they sacrifice comeliness, health, intellect, and
all hope of Heaven, everything worth possessing, here
and hereafter, to the demon passion? May God grant
that it may be otherwise; and that our children, who are
so dear to us, may listen to the voice of warning, and
choose the path of purity and holiness.
How important that we teach our children self-control
from their very infancy, and teach them the lesson of
submitting their wills to
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ours. If they should be so unfortunate as to learn wrong
habits, not knowing all the evil results, they can be
reformed by appealing to their reason, and convincing
them that such habits ruin the constitution, and affect the
mind. We should show them that whatever persuasions
corrupt persons may use to quiet their awakened fears,
and lead them still to indulge this pernicious habit,
whatever may be their pretense, they are really their
enemies and the devil’s agents. Virtue and purity are of
great value. These precious traits are of heavenly origin.
They make God our friend, and unite us firmly to his
throne.
Satan is controlling the minds of the young, and
we must work resolutely and faithfully to save them.
Very young children practice this vice, and it grows
upon them and strengthens with their years, until every
noble faculty of body and mind is debased. Many might
have been saved if they had been carefully instructed
in regard to the influence of this practice upon their
health. They were ignorant of the fact that they were
bringing much suffering upon themselves. Children who
are experienced in this vice, seem to be bewitched by the
devil until they can impart their vile knowledge to others,
even teaching very young children this practice.
Mothers, you cannot be too careful in preventing
your children from learning low