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Suggestions To Parents:—The objects to be used to-day are a bouquet of flowers or some potted plants and a bunch of weeds that grow by the wayside. These will illustrate the difference between neglected, untaught and undisciplined children, and the children of a well trained household. Make the lesson impressive, so that the children will appreciate that the restrictions and discipline which are imposed upon them are all for their own good—that without these careful attentions they would grow up like the children in the slums. The neglected character of the clothing of undisciplined and uncared for children is only indicative of the minds and hearts and character of these children.

Arrange the chairs, "drive to church"; let the ushers show the different real or imaginary persons to seats. Then let the hymn, prayer or "opening service" precede the "preaching" of the object sermon of last Sunday or the regular sermon at the morning church service by one or more of the children, after which a hymn may be sung, and the parent gather the children close so they can see the pictures, and read the following sermon on "Wayside Weeds and Garden Flowers." During the reading, or before, or after, let the children gain the impressive lessons from the colored picture which so beautifully illustrates the sermon.

Copyrighted 1911 by Sylvanus Stall. Wayside Weeds and Garden Flowers

THE land of Palestine, in which Jesus lived, has always been noted for its flowers. They grow everywhere in great abundance, and oftentimes in very great perfection and beauty. One time, when Jesus was preaching on the mountain, He used the flowers which were growing on the side of the mountain, to preach an object sermon to the multitudes about Him. He said, "Consider the lilies of the field; how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin, and yet I say unto you that Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these." (Matt. vi: 28, 29.) Let us to-day take the same object lesson, to set forth to our minds a clearer understanding of some truths, which are very important to every father and mother, as well as every boy and girl.

As you see, I have here two bouquets. This, which I now hold in my hand, is indeed very beautiful. Here are some lovely roses, some tulips, some peonies. Here is a dahlia and heliotrope. Here are some tube roses, and a great variety of other flowers, which together constitute a very beautiful bouquet.

Now, here is another bouquet. I see you smile, but indeed it is a bouquet. I spent a great deal of time gathering these flowers, at which you laugh. I sought them in such places as would afford the best varieties of these several kinds.

Now, boys and girls, I want to ask you where these flowers grew? I will hold up this beautiful bouquet and ask the question. I know what will be your answer; you will say that I bought it from a man who keeps a hot-house, or that I gathered them in some flower garden which was very carefully tended; and such, indeed, is the case.

Now, I will hold up this other bouquet. Can you tell me where I gathered these? I did not think that you would have much difficulty in determining. I gathered them along the roadside, in the fields and in the woods. These flowers are what the farmer calls "weeds." Here is a rose with a single leaf that grew in a neglected corner, along the outskirts of a woods. It is a genuine rose, but it is by no means pretty, or at all to be compared with those in the other bouquet.

I will tell you why there is such a difference in the appearance of these two bouquets. One grew in the garden, where it was protected by a fence from being tramped upon. The weeds that grew about it were all pulled out of the ground, and the stalk upon which this flower grew was given a fair chance, so that it might grow successfully. The roots of the plants were carefully nourished, and whenever there was not sufficient rain the flowers were all watered, and thus the plants and flowers grew to their greatest perfection and beauty.

Now, these other flowers which I gathered in the fields and along the roadside and in the woods, have had a hard time of it. In their growth they had to contend with other weeds. They have been tramped upon by the cattle. They have been scorched by the sun. And year after year they have grown in these neglected quarters with great difficulty, consequently they are stunted and have never attained any perfection or beauty.

Do you know that these very beautiful flowers in this bouquet at one time grew just the same as the flowers in the other bouquet? But they were removed from the roadside, and from the fields and from the woods, and placed by themselves where they could be properly cared for and cultivated, and they grew more beautiful from year to year, until we have this present satisfactory result.

Boys and girls are very much like flowers. Those who are neglected, who are permitted to walk the streets, to stroll along the roads and over the fields, to go along the streams fishing on Sunday, instead of being in Sunday-school and in church, those who are permitted to run out at nights and play with all kinds of company—these are the boys and girls who are like the flowers which grow by the roadside. Nothing very beautiful, or very good, or very perfect can reasonably be expected from them.

This beautiful bouquet represents those boys and girls who have Christian fathers and mothers, who surround them by influences which are well calculated to make them pure in thought and upright in life, so that they may grow up to be good Christian men and women. These flowers represent the boys and girls who grow up in the Sunday-school and in the Church, who give their hearts to the Lord Jesus Christ, and grow up into His likeness, and into His image, and into His stature, and become noble Christian men and women.

When parents permit their children to run wild, they cannot expect them to grow up Christians. It is only by culture and education and Christian influences that they can be improved, so as to become honorable and upright.

Nearly all the products of the field have been improved by cultivation, just the same as these flowers have been improved. Wheat in its native state, as it may still be found in France and Italy along the shores of the Mediterranean, was a stunted and straggling plant, with a small and inferior seed, but after long years of patient and continued cultivation, it has grown to its present plump and prolific proportions. All the beautiful fruits which now grow in our orchards were at one time unsightly and undesirable. The apple was small and sour, and unpalatable; but by pruning and grafting and fertilizing, it has grown to be not only beautiful to the eye, but delicious to the taste. The acrid and unwholesome berries, which formerly grew on the mountain ash, have been developed into the sweet and juicy pear. By cultivation, the acrid and bitter sloe has grown into the beautiful plum. The same is also true of the potato, the turnip and the cabbage.

Boys and girls can only be developed into useful men and women by the influence of the week-day and Sunday-school, the Christian home and the Church, by reading and studying the Bible and other good books.

When you are restricted or corrected by your parents, you may oftentimes feel very much irritated and may feel rebellious, and may think that you do not have as many privileges or as much freedom as some of the other boys and girls whom you know. But you must remember that all this is done by your parents for your good, and later on in life you will see the value of it all and be very grateful to your parents for what they have done for you.

When I was a boy, in the little village where I lived they organized a cannon company of six or eight boys, who were to accompany the men who went to other villages to listen to political speeches before elections, and then to march in a torch-light procession. I was at that time a boy about twelve years old. I was asked to join. The boys were all to wear red blouses and red caps, and to my thought just then, nothing in the world was so much to be desired as the torch-light procession and the red blouse and cap, and to be permitted to march behind the drum and the fife, hauling the little cannon after us.

I shall never forget how I cried and how ugly I felt toward my father when he would not let me be one of the cannon boys and wear a red blouse and a red cap. He said that at night I ought to be at home and in bed, and not be exposed to possible bad influences, the danger of catching cold and of other bad results which he could clearly see, but which I, at that time, thought were only imaginary.

When I grew to be a man, I saw that my father was right, and later when at intervals I journeyed back to my boyhood home and visited the cemetery, I frequently placed one elbow on the tomb-stone of my father and the other elbow on the tomb-stone of my mother, and with my face buried in my hands thanked God that He had given me Christian parents who were wise and judicious enough not to let me have my own way in all things when I was a boy, but who had restricted me and guided me wisely and well.

So, boys and girls, it will be with you when you have grown to the estate of manhood and womanhood. You will be, oh, so thankful again and again that father and mother have oftentimes denied you things which you have most desired to have.

Questions.—Which are the prettier, flowers which are neglected by the roadside, or those which are cultivated in the garden? Are boys and girls like flowers? Which boys and girls are the best, those who are neglected and not taught, or those who are cared for and carefully trained? Is it more pleasant for boys and girls to have their own way in everything, or would they prefer to be taught and trained by their parents? Which kind of flowers are the heathen boys and girls like? Can wild flowers be made more beautiful by care and cultivation? Can the boys and girls in heathen lands be made like Christian boys and girls? What is necessary to effect this change? How can Bibles and missionaries be sent to them? Did the writer of this book want to have his own way when he was a boy? What did he want to be? What kind of a cap and blouse did he want to wear? When he became a man, was he thankful to his father for not allowing him to have his own way at that time? Will all good boys and girls, when they become men and women, be thankful to their parents for right training?

"The Cannon Boys."