JANUARY 15, 1914 



77 



T have mentioned has been telling about a 

 woman pickpocket. We can imagine a man 

 so lost to all sense of fairness and honesty 

 as to be willing to appropriate the hard 

 earnings of another man by picking his 

 j)0cket; but is it possible that there are 

 women also who are so lost to all sense of 

 honor and justice? Let us now get back to 

 that baby. We are compelled to admit that 

 there are fathers — -yes, a lot of them — who 

 run away and leave their children. They 

 generally leave them to burden and drag 

 down the poor patient hard-working moth- 

 er; but is it indeed true that there are 

 women — mothers fashioned by God's hand 

 — so lost and depraved that they would 

 abandon their own children, and an eight- 

 months-old babe at that? 



Before we close I want you to turn over 

 again and take a look at that baby. I have 

 looked at it again and again, and that little 

 puekered-up mouth, so plaintive in its dis- 

 ti-ess, almost moves me to tears whenever I 

 catch sight of the picture. As the little one 

 lay there suffering with the cold and rain, in 

 its baby mind it was wondering where the 

 mother was ; and it was wondering, too, 

 where all the good peoj^le who had loved it 

 and kissed it in time past had gone. It 

 cried again and again for help. 



We all know that babies must be kept 

 warm. Whatever you do, do not let the 

 little ones get chilled. Give the baby plenty 

 to eat; and if out in the open air, protect 

 it with the best, softest, and warmest cloth- 

 ing the world can afford. Jesus said, " The 

 foxes have holes, and the birds of the air 

 have nests ; but the Son of man hath not 

 where to lay his head." God has made am- 

 ple provision for the birds and the beasts; 

 but humanity has to be cared for — especial- 

 ly the first stages of humanity here in this 

 world of ours. These same daily papers 

 have been telling us of the appalling num- 

 ber of deaths of babies — little babies — and 

 the whole world is up in arms to protect 

 these little innocents. Not only are they to 

 liave better milk, but kind and wise nurses 

 are sent out to instruct the mothers. God 

 bless the nurses; and may lie bless the 

 Christian nation that is taking this matter 

 in hand. Grown-up people are more or bss 

 to blame for their misfortunes and troubles; 

 but babies are in no way responsible. The 

 responsibility rests on the shoulders of the 

 fathers and mothers — on your shoulders 

 and mine. It rejoices my heart to think 

 that my life-long companion accepts this 

 responsibility. She very often becomes very 

 tired, I know; but a baby's cry is a strong- 

 er appeal to her mothei'ly heart than almost 

 any thing else on earth. Let us as a people 

 not only look out for better environment 



foi- the babies in the way of health, but let 

 us think of their spiritual nature. The wurld 

 is just now discussing how much environ- 

 ment has to do with helping the babies to 

 become G^od-fearing, law-abiding people 

 instead of criminals. 



The police and everybody else were ask- 

 ing what could have possessed a mother to 

 forget her motherly instincts so far as to go 

 away and leave that pitiful baby there in 

 the wet gi-ass and weeds to die from expos- 

 ure, for no one heard its plaintive cries. 

 The police, after long experience, suggested 

 an explanation, and the only possible ex- 

 plantation for such a state of affairs. It was 

 the old, old story of strong drink; and I 

 suppose we shall have to admit it is true 

 that in these latter days women are getting 

 to be slaves to strong drink as well as the 

 men. We have had pitiful tales of men — 

 or they were once men — who took the shoes 

 from their poor babies' feet and pawned 

 them to get drink. This woman sacrificed 

 the baby entirely, and went away and left 

 it because she loved drink more than she 

 did her babe. 



Let us now once more take a look at that 

 plaintive picture and then repeat the words 

 of our text : " Suffer little children, and for- 

 bid them not to come unto me, for of such 

 is the kingdom' of heaven." 



LIFE OR DEATH — WHICH WILL YOU CHOOSE? 



We are told the following was clipped 

 from the Youth's Companion: 



THE BOY AMD HIS FATHER. 



" And the father laid a kindly hand on the boy's 

 shoulder, and said: ' Come with me, son. I want to 

 show you something.' He led the way to his work- 

 room in the attic. There were his carpenter-bench 

 and his tools and his lathe; and in the corner was 

 the dynamo that worked them all. The boy had seen 

 them all many times. 



"'What is it, father?' he asked. 



" The father laid his hand upon the dynamo. 

 ' Boy, by means of this a mysterious power becomes 

 mine. We call it electricity, but no one knows what 

 it is. We only know that, if we treat it in the right 

 way, it will enable us to do wonderful things. It 

 will work our mills and light our houses and our 

 streets and run our cars. It will enable man to do 

 more than any other power that has been discovered. 

 But at the same time, if you treat it the wrong way, 

 it will strike you dead.' 



" ' Yes, father, I know that,' said the boy. 



" His father turned toward him with an earnest- 

 ness the boy had never before seen in his face. 

 ' There is another power, my boy, much like thai in 

 its results. There is the mysterious feeling that men 

 have for women, and women have for men. Treat 

 that right, and it will bless your life, and ennoble it. 

 and make you ten times — yes, a hundred times — 

 the man you ever could be without it. Nothing else 

 on earth will do so much for you if you treat it 

 right. But treat that feeling wrong, and it will 

 curse you and blast your life and kill your soul! ' 



" For one moment father and son looked at each 

 other square in the eye; then together they went 

 downstairs in silence. In the hall below the boy put 



