tsaa
** The Lord God is a Sun and Shield.”
VOL. III.
HILLSBOROUGH, N. NOVEMBER, 1846. ’
NO. 11.
■* *
From the Southern Christian Advocate.
FAMILY GOVERNMENT.
BY THE REV’. BISHOP ANDREW,
[Continued.]
We shall now contemplate you as pa
rents. See that mother as she presses to
her bosom her first-born* She has just
become a mother; how fondly she looks,
on the little helpless creature that lies in
her bosom ! What a'tide of maternal feel
ing gushes through all her soul, in view
of the new relations and affections which
now spring up around her! Fancy is
busy, and hope is buoyant in the mothers
. heart as she fondly weaves the web of the
/ future. Have you seen that father too, as
' ' ^fie took his first-born into his arms, and
gazed upon it with all a father’s yearning?
Did you see him as he looked fondly up
on the wife of his youth, and then upon
the precious pledge of their mutual love?
It is a hallowed moment, full of sacred
and thrilling interest; nor would we in
terrupt its joyousness, ^ior cloud the
brightness of its anticipations: but we
may just recommend to the happy pa
rents to raise a joyful hosannah to God,
and devoutly and earnestly invoke the di
vine blessing upon this new-born heir
of immortality. Unitedly dedicate your
child to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, in
solemn prayer; and as early as circum
—. stances will permit it, repeat the dedica
tion in the solemn ordinance of the house
of God. When your child becomes old
enough to take notice, it may be of im
portance for you to observe carefully the
developements of thought and temper, and
commence early *and gently, but fitmly,
the work of training. Children can often
be controlled in their tempers and habits
at a very early age by judicious manage
ment; and the earlier you lav thefotinda
T—tmtrrof education •w-th€ff-inind'4m4iijfeagL
of,your child, the better both for yourself
and him. All children have not the same
disposition ; and as the management must
to a great extent he regulated by the tem
perament and predominant characteristics
pf those to be governed, it is the wisdom
of parents to study these early indications
with great care, and to conform the sys
tem of government to the peculiar charac
teristics of each child, Every discreet
parent who has had to manage half a do
zen children, knows that precisely the
same kind of management will not answer
for all. There must be occasional varia
tions to suit peculiar circumstances. The
timid must not be controlled precisely as^
the froward and self-willed are. This is
a pertec^y-sgpim case; and yet it is fear*
1 ed that this view is not always regarded
by parents. It is so much easier to make
absolute general rules, and to force every
thing up to obedience by the sternest sort
of discipline, than it is to make patient ex
planations, and temperate and judicious
discriminations, that many, to avoid trou
ble, ruin their children. Your child is
supposed to be old enough to understand
your instructions. It is therefore high
time that you had settled your system of
government; for recollect there must be
system, or there can be no good govern- %
ment. There must he laws definitely set
tled and steadily adhered to, or your
house will be the scene pf wretchedness
and confusion. Now then let the father
and mother prayerfully and carefully talk
over this matter. . Settle on your plan of
government in view of your child’s pre
sent and future existence. Let there be
~rr—nrmtrod; understanding and agreement
between you, so that there may not be
subsequently any interference in your ad
ministration. Your code of laws must^f
course at first be short and simple; and
you must take pains to make the child
understand, as far as he is capable of do
ing so, not only demeaning of your laws.