«^i.i:AA'I]\'GS IN BEE CULTURE. 



Sept. 15 



On that paper were 40 names — to be exact 

 there were just 43; but my two grandchil- 

 dren, Mildred and Howard, were a part of 

 I he 43. Mildred is 7, and Howard is 10; 

 hut they took in all of Mr. Reed's exceed- 

 ingly plain sermon, and without a bit of 

 hesitation they wrote their names in their 

 own childish handwriting. Mr. Reed said 

 it brought back very vividly the time when, 

 almost 30 years ago, Mildred's mother look- 

 ed up into his face and listened to his 

 preaching, and gave her childish heart to 

 the Lord Jesus Christ. Yes, there were 

 several other children, many of them under 

 ten years of age, that signed that paper. 

 Of course, the objection was raised that 

 thej^ were too young; but, dear me! what 

 are the fathers and mothers thinking of 

 when they make objections instead of giv- 

 ing encouragement at a time like this? What 

 can they be thinking of when they suggest 

 that a child who is old enough to hear a 

 minister's sermon, and follow it through 

 from beginning to end, is not old enough 

 to choose between righteousness and iniqui- 

 ty? The Master himself said, "Suffer lit- 

 tle children to come unto me, and forbid 

 them not. " Perhaps not every minister is 

 able to make his sermons so plain and child- 

 like and simple that a child only ten years 

 old is not only able but delights to follow 

 the sermon through. The heading of this 

 paper is, as nearly as I can remember, 

 something like this: "I accept Jesus Christ 

 as my Savior and my guide through life; 

 and 1 promise to do as he would have me 

 do, so far as I am able." You will notice 

 it includes the sentiment of that wonderful 

 book, "In His Steps," " what would Jesus 

 do?" The minister of that church, in look- 

 ing at the list, and reading the heading, 

 said, "Why, that is as good a creed as I 

 would ask for. Anybody who signs that 

 paper can be taken into the church without 

 any other conditions." Now, I did not ex- 

 pect all who signed that paper would unite 

 with the church; but I did expect a consid- 

 erable number to do so. Permit me to ex- 

 plain that this church is made up of people 

 of all denominations; and even when all of 

 these denominations united there has been 

 difficulty in raising the money to pay the 

 minister's $60 a year for preaching once 

 every other Sunday. For a time all of these 

 various denominations seemed to unite very 

 well; but just at present a great many of 

 the older Christians think they must have 

 their old denominations or none. Mr. Reed 

 said I was exactly right in deciding that 

 the only way to keep up the church under 

 the circumstances was to have them all 

 unite — Baptists, Methodists, Congregation- 

 alists, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Disci- 

 ples, United Brethren, and very likely there 

 may be members of some other churches. 

 The thing to do at this present age under 

 such circumstances is to drop all differ- 

 ences, and band together as followers of 

 Jesus Christ. Somebody, however, seems 

 to have started the idea in that community 

 that there is no particular need of uniting 



with any church; but I am sure this is a 

 grave and grievous mistake. If that boy 

 from Bingham we have just been talking 

 about had, when he first entered that great 

 city, gone to Sunday-school, and taken a 

 letter to the church, and kept with Chris- 

 tian people, he might have been now a great 

 and good man, instead of being without a 

 character, penniless, and dead to every 

 thing that is good. 



I have often watched the result of people 

 trying to lead a Christian life without unit- 

 ing with any church. Years ago, on these 

 pages, I told j'ou of a family in Michigan. 

 The father and mother were both earnest 

 workers in the United Brethren Church. 

 They bought a farm in the northern part of 

 Michigan. Within a quarter of a mile of 

 them there was a Methodist church where 

 services were held every Sunday; but they 

 felt as if they could not unite with any de- 

 nomination not their own, and there was no 

 place of worship like their own nearer than 

 about fifteen miles. This was so far they 

 went only a few times. Finally the}' ceas- 

 ed going at all; and their children, as they 

 grew up, did not even go to the Methodist 

 tsunday-school, only a quarter of a mile 

 away. At the time of my visit there was a 

 family of six or seven. Out under the ap- 

 ple-trees was a platform covered with the 

 boughs of trees. My eyes had wandered 

 toward that platform several times, and I 

 felt troubled about it. When I was told 

 they had not been to Suaday-school, and 

 that the family had grown up without any 

 religious teaching, the mother spoke out 

 something like this: 



"Mr. Root, that platform or pavilion, as 

 they call it, was built to hold dances. I 

 have protested against it ever since it was 

 started. Our children, instead of being 

 brought up in the Sunday-school, are so ta- 

 ken up with dancing-parties that there is 

 no room in their hearts for any thing else; " 

 and she burst into tears as she declared 

 then and there that she for one was going 

 over to the Methodist church and strive to 

 undo the outcome of their living for years 

 without any recognition of the claims that 

 God has upon us all. Yes, men and women 

 may lead Christian lives without being 

 members of a?iy church, but past experience 

 is all against it. United, we stand ; di- 

 vided, we fall. With the allurements that 

 this great world is now offering to lead all 

 mankind astray we should leave no means 

 untried for avoiding its dangers. It is ex- 

 ceedingly desirable that those who have 

 signed that paper I have mentioned should 

 keep the matter in mind. They have com- 

 menced to lead new lives, and every safe- 

 guard should be thrown around them. The 

 fact that people know they have signed the 

 paper will be a safeguard for some little 

 time; but pretty soon the matter will be for- 

 gotten. If it is understood from the start 

 that a man is a member of tlie church, every- 

 body will expect him to be honest in deal 

 and upright in deed. In fact, he will ex- 

 pect it of himself in a way he would not 



