The Unfolding Life

t with danger and so filled with opportunity, that it is rightly considered life's crisis. A mistake at this

rom about twelve to twenty-four, and with girls from about eleven to twe

during these years clearly reveals t

ew possibilities, physical,

future direction and strength of the possibility are then so largely determined. When we realize that the highest

take possession of the life. A new conception of God is born and a larger sense of responsibility to Him, to the neighbor and to the world. In these awakening possibilities are heard the siren voices of passion, society,

f the greatest suscep

s in a state of unstable equilibrium, and a touch may move it. The influence of one book, of one frien

riod habits be

ells gradually lose power to change, and by the close of Adolescence, chara

is strongly felt during th

states, but the bequest of tendencies to which his parents and grandp

sonal responsibility for conduct. There is also danger of minimizing it, and consequently f

, if "the hands of twenty generations are reached down from the heights to help, than as if they reached up from below to drag down." But w

e largest number of fir

s demand serious and

r of first commitments oc

itual awakenings occur be

even to seventeen, with the climax about fourteen, and boys from twelve to

iod, by far the heaviest losses f

ok or a touch, in the grip of fierce temptations, but catching sight of Divine possibilities, needing help as at no time before or later, this is the s

g the limitations of our space, that the study must be selective, not analytic. Only those conditions in t

ADOL

imately from twelve to sixteen with boys and eleven to fifteen

between father and son and mother and daughter, it is at this time of mystery and question, when the life does not understand itself nor the meaning of what God now gives it. The sacred confidence between parent and child is infinitely bette

ter than the bones, making delicate adjustment impossible. There is painful sensitiveness over this, especially with boys, as han

what if

ouses, sent i

d the corner and

' feet have paus

gh the gateway of

are merry and son

welcome with f

ay, 'Here's a pl

should! What if

the threshold whic

d vice, 'twixt p

his innocent b

ey should, bec

d the months and

cares and with l

hearthstone a pl

eight from about thirteen to fifteen, offers somewhat of an emotional safety-valve. Experiences are never commonplace during this period, nor any individual ordinary. The strongest superl

oks which give "thrills" are sought by both boys and girls. There is increasing necessity of wise oversight in the choice of reading when the mind is so inflammable an

his is augmented by the new money sense, which is strong about the age of fourteen, and leads to an effort to secure money to save as well as to spend. This desire ought to be met b

r of approaching manhood; if, in place of force, he were given choice, after all the considerations had been carefully weighed; if he could feel the confidence of father and mother that he would do the manly thing because he is almost a man, he would rarely fail to meet the issue, for

y manifestations. There is a welcome external one that is evident in care for the personal appearance. The days of maternal solicitude for linen and ears

he democracy of childhood. The girl who was sincerely thankful that she was not as others and assumed Pharisaic superior

ation beyond expression, and inevitably arouses resentment and not penitence. "At no time in life does a word of encouragement mean so much, or criticism leave such an ineffaceable scar." If those who touch a life through its unfolding only realized that what they sow of gentleness and consideration or

chosen not so much for real worth as for clothes, position, attractive features or, where there is no interchange of confidences between parents and children, for sympathetic understanding. The longing for companionship is God given and must be fostered, else the yout

nal side of the life during thi

stands the heart of a boy and a girl. The patterning of the life after its ideal is most seriously undertaken, even to imitation of personal mannerisms. Th

l repulsion between the sexes. The boys are "so rough and horrid," and as for the girls-the masculine sentiment concerning them was voiced by one youn

the first glamour of the great passion, "sicklied o'er" with callowness and sentimentality. There is

g soul which is a prey to the multi-temptations of this period. If the tastes and wishes of the young people can be satisfied in the home, and a heart

ked way during Adolescence, nurture is taking a dangerous and often fatal risk in allowing life, as far as human effort can go, to enter its crisis without Him. The spi

life God prepared for their coming, there is no tenable position but belief that our Fat

TO SUNDAY

mpathetic understanding is the key to the relationship. "There is no greater blessing that can come to a boy (or girl) at this age when he does not understand himself, than a good, strong teacher who understands him, has faith in him, and will day by day lead him till he can walk alone." Far more than a pedagogue, the adolescent needs a fr

, and girls by a woman. The counsel of one who has passed through the same experiences and known the same temptations and difficulties always comes with

social standing of its members. The leader must be won to the right attitude in private, the appeal being based on

k. It should place definite responsibilities upon each member, either as officer or commi

nd it rests with the church and Sunday School to prove to them the contrary. The only convincing proof is in experiencing the fact itself that

more advanced type should be continued. Note books are helpful in amplifying a

Bible belongs to an uncertain and remote past. The goal of work in these unsettled years is to help them see ho