“When God wants to throw a world out into space he is much concerned about
it. The first mile that world takes settles its course for eternity. When
God throws a child out into the world he is mighty anxious that it gets a
right start. The Catholics are right when they say: ‘Give us the children
until they are ten years old, and we don’t care who has them after that.’
The Catholics are not losing any sleep about losing men and women from
their church membership. It is the only church that has ever shown us
the only sensible way to reach the masses—that is, by getting hold of
the children. That’s the only way on God’s earth you will ever solve the
problem of reaching the masses. You get the boys and girls started right
and the devil will hang crepe on his door, bank his fires, and hell will
be “for rent.”
“There is power in a mother’s smile. See the boy, how he will outdo
himself if he knows his mother is watching him, and it makes the hard
places easy and the dark places light. A long face and a gloomy look are
about the last things you ought to give to your children if you want to
inspire and cheer them.”