Children to be Shielded from Contaminating Influences

Upon fathers and mothers devolves the responsibility of giving a Christian education to the children entrusted to them. They are never to neglect their children. In no case are they to let any line of business so absorb mind and time and talents that their children, who should be led into harmony with God, are allowed to drift until they are separated far from Him. They are not to allow their children to slip out of their grasp into the hands of unbelievers. They are to do all in their power to keep them from imbibing the spirit of the world. They are to train them to become helpers together with God. They are God's human hand, fitting themselves and their children for an endless life in the heavenly home.SpM 242.4

The education of our children begins in the home. The mother is their first teacher. When they become old enough to attend school, shall we permit them to enter the public school?SpM 242.5

Many years ago, in Oakland, my husband and I conversed with a public-school teacher in regard to the public schools in the city. He said to us: If parents knew of the iniquity that is to our certain knowledge practised in these schools, there would be a furor raised in regard to these schools such as neither you nor I can imagine. The young people are rotten; and what kind of homes they have is more than our teachers can tell.”SpM 242.6

This statement was made over twenty years ago. Have the conditions in our public schools improved since that time?SpM 243.1

Some fathers and mothers are so indifferent, so careless, that they think it makes no difference whether their children attend a church school or a public school. “We are in the world” they say, “and we can not get out of it.” But, parents, we can get a good way out of the world, if we choose to do so, we can avoid seeing many of the evils that are multiplying so fast in these last day. We can avoid hearing about much of the wickedness and crime that exist.SpM 243.2

Everything that can be done should be done to place ourselves and our children where we shall not see the iniquity that is practiced in the world. We should carefully guard the sight of our eyes and the hearing of our ears, so that these awful things shall not enter our minds. When the daily newspaper comes into the house, I feel as if I wanted to hide it, that the ridiculous, sensational things in it may not be seen. It seems as if the enemy is at the foundation of the publishing of many things that appear in the newspapers. Every sinful thing that can be found is uncovered and laid bare before the world.SpM 243.3

The line of demarcation between those who serve God and those who serve him not, is ever to remain distinct. The difference between believers and unbelievers should be as great as the difference between light and darkness. When God's people take the position that they are the temple of the Holy Ghost, Christ Himself abiding within, they will so clearly reveal Him in spirit, words, and actions, that there will be an unmistakable distinction between them and Satan's followers.SpM 243.4

Some may inquire, “If we are to remain a distinct people, why do we have sanitariums to which we invite every one?” I answer, In bringing men and women of other denominations into our institutions, do we tell them that we are undenominational? If we do, we deny God's law. We are denominational; but we open the doors wide and seek to have all come in who possibly can come. “Let your light so shine before men,” the Saviour said, “that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” We are to seek to restore to physical health the diseased and the suffering. Many men and women have been improperly educated in habits of living. Many children are sick because they have never been taught the laws of the human mechanism - the mechanism that let David to exclaim, “I am fearfully and wonderfully made!”SpM 243.5