"For her my tears shall fall;
For her my prayers ascend;
To her my cares and toils be giv'n,
Till toils and cares shall end."
CHAPTER V.
HOME INFLUENCE.
"By the soft green light in the woody glade,
On the banks of moss, where thy childhood play'd;
By the gathering round the winter hearth,
When the twilight call'd unto household mirth,
By the quiet hour when hearts unite
In the parting prayer and the kind 'Good night;'
By the smiling eye and the loving tone,
Over thy life has the spell been thrown,
And bless that gift, it hath gentle might,
A guarding power and a guiding light!"
The Christian home has an influence which is stronger than death. It is a
law to our hearts, and binds us with, a spell which neither time nor change
can break. The darkest villainies which have disgraced humanity cannot
neutralize it. Gray-haired and demon guilt will make his dismal cell the
sacred urn of tears wept over the memories of home; and these will soften
and melt into penitence even the heart of adamant.
[Illustration: Maternal Influence]
The home-influence is either a blessing or a curse, either for good or for
evil. It cannot be neutral. In either case it is mighty, commencing with
our birth, going with us through life, clinging to us in death, and
reaching into the eternal world. It is that unitive power which arises out
of the manifold relations and associations of domestic life.
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