W

HEN Germany was in great distress, crushed to earth by the conquering Napoleon, the Sovereign of Prussia called upon a famous philosopher to aid him in reorganizing the stricken kingdom.

It was then that Humboldt said: "Whatever you would put into the state, you must first put into the schools."

This was another way of saying, The child of today is the citizen of tomorrow.

The truth of this statement no one doubts, but not every one sees it as clearly as the great philosopher; not every one is prepared, as he was, to suggest the right course of procedure in view of this fact.

"Boys will be boys," we are tempted to remark as we see a group of boys engaged in mischievous pranks. Let us not forget that "Boys will be men," and that now is the time, while they are boys, to mould their characters and direct their energies so that they may grow up to be men of whom neither Church nor State will have reason to be ashamed.

This fact cannot fail to imThe Opportunity press us with the opportunof Today. ity of rendering vital service to both Church and State as we deal with the child of today. We do not realize this as we should. We are apt to say to ourselves, "By and by these boys and girls will be old enough to understand these great questions, and then we will try to impress them upon their minds." As a matter of fact, NOW is the accepted time for doing this very thing. Emerson says: "Today is a king in disguise; let us unmask the king as he passes."

If we were trying to save men from being carried over the Falls of Niagara we would not wait until they were in the fierce current just above the falls, but we would go back as far as possible and try to rescue them before they were in the grasp of the current.

Why should we wait until the child has grown up, until his character is formed and his tastes and habits are established, before we try to instruct and train him for the service of life in Church and State?

Why should ministers, evangelists, philan

thropists and reformers give their first thought and most earnest effort to the adult whose character is fixed and his days of service limited, while they give but little attention to the Church and State of tomorrow as they stand before them in the child of today?

There are many things in society, as it is at present constituted, that we have reason to deplore. We see on every hand the evidence of low moral standards and disregard for the teachings of God's Word. A spirit of worldliness and pleasure-seeking has taken possession of men and women from whom better things might have been expected. At such a time, how wise it would be for us to recall the words of the great philosopher, "Whatever you would put into the state, you must first put into the school."

Would it not be better for us rather than wasting our efforts to stem the current as it dashes over the falls, to recall the great truth, "The child of today is the Church of tomorrow," and give our efforts to the instruction and training of the little children in order that the future Church may be composed of intelligent, efficient and consecrated members? How can we better interest men in missions and temperance, and civic righteousness, than by going to the little child and interesting him in these things? Who can tell what rich harvests shall be reaped for Church and State from the sowing of such seed in youthful hearts? Mr. Wanamaker said on one occasion, “When you convert an adult, you convert a unit; when you convert a little child, you convert a multiplication table."

The Children of America.

An added interest to the truth We are considering grows out of the fact that it is the children of America with whom we are dealing. The children of every land are well worthy of our best efforts, but a greater importance attaches to our efforts for the children of America in view of the strategic relations of our land to the lands of the earth.

Dr. Austin Phelps said: "If I were a missionary in Canton, China, my first prayer every morning would be for the success of American home missions, for the sake of Canton, China."