Upon the home naturally falls the duty of fostering the first feelings of
reverence towards God. The child who learns to lisp his prayers at his
mother's knee is started aright. The home must give the first lessons in
the love of God and goodness. If it fails, they are likely never to be
learned.

But the home needs the influence of the church here. It must have it to
round out the child's religious development. The church can do many things
for the child that the home cannot accomplish. It introduces him to
religious ceremonies and observances that satisfy his soul, and it helps
greatly to train him in religious habits.

One cannot estimate the value of all this upon the character of the child.
As a restraint from wrong conduct and an encouragement to right action, the
work of the church is most salutary. The solemn ceremonies, the sacred
music, the exhortations pointing heavenward, the general spirit of the
group at humble worship--all exercise upon the child an influence for good,
mysterious yet profound.

Clean, beautiful surroundings and orderly behavior are also very
impressive. The work of our Sabbath Schools is most beneficial. They offer
to parents a strong reinforcement in cultivating right religious habits
and emotions in the child. To go into one of our well-conducted Sunday
Schools, where order prevails, where the spirit of peace and prayer is
uppermost, to join in the singing, to listen to the uplifting instruction,
or, better still, to be given opportunity to take active part in this
religious service--all these make a deep and lasting impression upon the
youthful soul. Parents can do nothing better for their children and
themselves than to support loyally their Sunday Schools and other