If you have never thought on these things, and have been an idler, I want to ask you to "Redeem the time." (Eph. v: 16.) That is, do not let your time go to waste. If you are not a Christian, even though you are very busy and very industrious concerning temporal things, you are really wasting your time. We are placed here upon the earth in order that we may love and serve God. That is our main business here. If we are going to serve Christ, we should study to know His life and His teachings, and yet some people know very little about the Bible. Did you ever stop to think that a man who is thirty-five years old has had five solid years of Sundays? And the man who is seventy years old, has had ten solid years of Sundays? With ten years given to worship and the study of God's Word, a man at seventy ought to know a great deal concerning the teachings of the Bible. May God teach us so to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Questions.—How do we measure cloth? Are sugar and coal measured by the yard? How do we measure land? How do we measure time? How many divisions of time can you name besides seconds? What was the first instrument with which time was measured? With what did King Alfred measure the hours? What was later used for measuring time, after the sun-dial? About how long ago were clocks first invented? About how long ago were watches first made? Why did David want to be taught to number his days? Can the idle man or the busy man more easily find time for necessary duties? Will you always make diligent use of your time? Why does the larger hand of the clock point to the minutes? If we take care of the minutes, what will the hours do?
PLANS.
LIVING WITH A PURPOSE.
Suggestion:—Object: Architect's drawings for the building of a house.
MY DEAR LITTLE MEN AND WOMEN: I have here what the architect calls "plans," or drawings for a house. Unless the carpenter and builder had a copy of the plans he is to follow he would not be able to build successfully. He would not know what kind of material he would need. He would not know where to place the doors, or how large to make the windows, and whether to put the dining room on this side of the house or on the other side of the house; whether the parlor was to be on the first floor or on the second floor. So when a man is going to build, the first thing to be done is to decide what kind of a house he wants, and then to get an architect who is able to draw the plans perfectly, so as to show the size of every door and window and room, and the exact position and place of everything that is to enter into the building of the house. These plans cost a great deal of thought and oftentimes much delay in beginning, but in the end they save both time and expense, and secure the most desirable results.
Plans for Building a House.