"Do unto Others as ye would that Others should do unto you."
AND A LITTLE CHILD SHALL LEAD THEM
Of the recorded utterances of Christ about children the most direct prophecy is the caption of this chapter.
It is no disrespect to the holy mission of Christ in the world to say that He was the first Great Kindergartner.
It is in the love and solicitude for children that the view of Christ differs greatly from all the great teachers whom the world reverence or worship.
The utterances of Christ are few, but the Golden Rule and references to children stand out clearly as among the important themes of His mission.
In the light of our present interest, and in behalf of our especial quest, the prophecy of Christ is a burning tower of hope that men and women will some time see Christ in the light that Froebel saw Him, and as many of the enthusiastic followers of the Froebel method of missionary work now see Him. May they gather to the support of our cause, to the support of a Perfect Social Quarantine that shall not permit any child of the community, of the nation, nor of the world, as far as possible, to escape the mandate of the Golden Rule and the solicitude that Christ expressed for them.
Will any great number of those who have been blessed with children deny that one of the most potent influences in their life, next to that of mother, has been desire for the respect of their own children?
There are many parents who shape their lives, consciously or unconsciously, so as not to be a bad example to their children. Society, public opinion, self-respect and law have a due measure of influence or restraint, but at the bottom of the best of conduct is the influence of the little child, for the prophecy is true, "And a little child shall lead them."