JUVENILE IMMORALITY AND ITS CURE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10021, 7 January 1896, Page 6

JUVENILE IMMORALITY AND ITS CURE.

STRIDING SERMON BY THE REV.

CURZON-SIGGERS. The firsb of a series of a series of four Bermons by the Rov, W. Curzon-Siggers, M.A., on the manifestations of Chrisb in childhood, youth, manhood, and suffering humanity, was begun on Sunday evening at St. Matthew's Church, Hobson-streeb. The subject was "The Manifestation of Chrisb in Childhood." The preacher clwelb at length on the worship, protection, and provision for childhood, as illustrated by Christ's childhood, emphasising their relation to the opinion that our humanity consisted of a spirit embodied in flesh and blood, with tho necessary relations of parent, child, brother, wife, etc. The value of the country for a child's growth was illustrated by the choice of Nazareth, the preacher remarking that the time would come when common-sense would force paronta and children to see that ib was more genteel to be a servant in , the couutry than to be a servant serving out a pennyworth of ribbon behind a counter in a town, with all the last life due in a measure to a vitiated atmosphere. The growth of wisdom depended on the removal of every bar thereto, notably j uvenilo sin, whilst growth in grace was only to bo attained by the use of grace, and hence the qualifying for more grace. Christ blessed children, taught that they exemplified the true life, and sab forth that they had rights which must be respected, and had as the defenders of those rights, angels who could visit with punishment here those who caused children to fall. The rights of children included a right to careful training, rospocb for their feelings, the preservation of their innoconcy, listening to their childish prattle, and the setting bofore them of a good example—the last being the only atonement paronts could make to their children for bringing them into the world, with parental failings inoculated in thorn. Auckland, it bad-been said, had more juvenile immorality than even larger places. It was the duty of its sitizens to uso every moans which common »onse, law, and medical science permitted, in ordor to chock such and to provonb tho landing on to two or more generations the :urse of a (future) parent's indulgence in /ico. The root of the whole matter lay in '.he unfitness of people to be parents. What ffas needed, was the instruction of parents iow to train their children by a good homo ife. The root would not be touched until ■hose married, and moro especially those ret to be married, realised tho absolute luty of keeping their bodies and souls Dure, and recognisod also the rights of •hildhood, so as to fib thomaelves to bo in ,he marriage state, which then would beholy vedlock, instead of beings as ib too often vas, a state of legalised incontinency, with a vicked indifference to parontal responsibilities. No one had any right to bring into ihis world children tainted with their own ailings (and more so, marked with their rices), and then to punish or neglect their )ffspring for manifesting in their lives tho lins of their parentage. It was the duty >f would-be paronts to prepare for parentigo by exercising overy control ovor every sin, whether small or great. If this were lone, and the rights of cnildren wore irmly .embedded in the parents' minds, ihona race might and would follow us, so loblo in comparison with us, that we could mrdly imagino the happiness of their home ives, tho nobility of their character, and ihe beauty of thoir citizen lifo. To raise ip such a race was tho noblest patriotism, ind the grandost work for God and couutry .hat the unmarried in tho greater degree, ind the married in tho lessor degree could ■Ob before them. This would be done just io far as each one seb to work to exorcise lelf control in body and mind for tho benefit it tho race or thoir offspring. Tho wholo lermon, which was dolivored without notes, vas a decidedly ablo one, the preacher's tylo being remarkable for its clearness and 'igour. The address was listened to hroughoub with the.doopeßb attontion by he large congregation present. The renaming sermons of tho series promise to >e equally powerful, and will doubtless ittract widespread interest.