"What kind of helps have you for children? I wish there were a TOWER that children could understand."
We have no reading matter specially designed for children, and we cannot refer you to any papers or books setting forth God's plan in a manner suited to the comprehension of children. Nor would such a thing be possible. Though children's minds, unprejudiced, are specially susceptible to the truth, and they seem to drink in the beautiful story of Jesus and his love, his redemptive work and work of restitution, yet children need personal teaching and living example. As you study the divine plan, and come to understand it more and more clearly, live it and teach it, step by step, simplifying it and diluting it, so as to bring it down to the comprehension of each of your children—even little tot whose eyes will open wide with wonder as she will question you regarding the wonders of restitution in the Millennium.
Study the principles of the divine will and show your children, by word and example, how to apply them in the everyday affairs of life. The parent is the very best instructor for children, and it is a very mistaken idea to hand them over for religious training to the Sunday Schools, where they actually receive little to profit, but very much to engender and to cultivate pride and love of display.
There are some children's papers and books which, if carefully selected, would be aids to moral culture. But as a general thing light literature is placed in the hands of children on the supposition that they are not capable of appreciating books of merit and usefulness, until the taste for light reading is formed, to the exclusion of that which is wholesome and good. When they are able to read well, they are able to appreciate something worth reading.
The parents, then, should be the TOWERS of strength for their children, their teachers both in morals and theology, and God will add his blessing to your earnest efforts. Not only will the children be blessed, but you will be blessed also by faithfulness in this matter. You cannot transfer to a Sunday School teacher, or any one else, the responsibilities which as a parent you owe to your children, to train them in doctrine and practice conformably to the spirit of God's Word. If you have brought children into the world, you have an obligation toward them in God's sight, until they reach years of discretion, which must not be set aside, even to take part in the glorious and important work of preaching and teaching the truth to the more matured.
A brother recently confessed sorrowfully, that before he came to see the truth regarding God's plan of the ages, he used to spend his Sundays in church (sectarian) work and Y.M.C.A. work from morning till night, and paid almost no attention to his own family's spiritual matters, the very duty which should have taken precedence to all others. He was led astray in this, as many others have been, by a false theology, by the mistaken idea that God had sent him to "save souls" from eternal torment.
This brother, no less zealous now, has his judgment more correctly guided, has received "the spirit of a sound mind" from an unprejudiced study of God's Word. Now he sees that Christ's death redeemed all from death, and that in God's "due time," in the Millennial age,—
"He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found."
And he sees that now it is his privilege as one who has found Christ and tasted of his favor, to tell these good tidings to all who have ears to hear, beginning with his own household; and as for those who have no ear for the good tidings, he now sees that he need not agonize for them, because God has already arranged that they all must come to a knowledge of the truth, concerning his goodness and abundant provision for them, that all may be saved, if they will, not from torments, but from the second death—from extinction—and have everlasting life. His is now a reasonable joy and peace and a reasonable service—based upon the reasonable teachings of the good word of the good God.
God bless the dear children; and may the consecrated parents, instructed and equipped of God and invested with a just and love-inspired authority over their children until the years of maturity are reached, be indeed their towers of strength, training them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, until through their instrumentality young manhood and blooming womanhood shall come forth with strong hearts and ready hands and consecrated wills to take part in the Master's great work.
We are pleased to learn, from several quarters, that children of the saints are receiving the truth and catching its spirit, and that some at the early ages of ten and twelve are active missionaries to the extent of their ability. Elsewhere in this TOWER you will find a suggestion as to a way in which the children may do effective harvest service; and a way, therefore, in which busy mothers can do some harvest work by proxy.