Some are afraid of exciting a prejudice against their principles; and their earnest desire to see their dear children living in Christ makes them glad to soften down as much as possible the distinction between His people and the world. I can enter most heartily into such a feeling, and I am persuaded that no wise Christian would ever wish to put a needless cross in the way of his family. Still we must make up our minds to the conviction, that neither they nor we can follow Christ without the cross. There is a cross to be borne, and we shall utterly mislead those who are guided by us if we suppose that it is melted away by modern improvements in society. We have therefore plainly to face the fact that our Christian principles involve a cross, and we shall never really commend them to others by presenting them in such a modified form as to keep out of sight their true character. If we succeed in persuading young persons to accept such a modification, there is danger of our becoming the unintentional means of deceiving them as to their true position before God. Others, who feel strongly themselves, are afraid of drawing the line too tight for others, and so causing a reaction when the tension ceases. I can thoroughly enter into these fears, and most fully acknowledge the danger. But I do not believe it is avoided by the parent’s departure from his own principles; but rather by the prayerful and painstaking endeavour, in accordance with those principles, to make his home thoroughly cheerful. It is the greatest possible mistake, to suppose that exciting amusements and large parties are essential to the happiness of the young. On the contrary, I believe that, when the collapse after the excitement is taken into account, they will be found on the whole to diminish it. The real happiness of a young man’s vacation depends on the resources of his home; and the best safeguard against the irritating effect of real consistency is to make the home so thoroughly cheerful that there is no desire for extraneous excitement. This is not always easy, and in all cases requires prayerful self-denial and painstaking. If a family is left to itself, to amuse itself as best it may, who can wonder that the evenings often hang very heavily? But when the dearly beloved mother throws her whole heart into the interests of all around her; when she is always planning for that which may make the day pass pleasantly; always on the look-out for good books and good friends; always ready to deny herself so as to cheer away a dull half-hour, and to throw herself with real interest into all the amusements of her family; and when the father takes his share in all that is going on, his share of interest, if he cannot afford his share of time, and so gives all the support in his power to her on whom the home life must mainly depend for its attractions, it will seldom be found that the young persons crave