And a little child shall...
Illustration
Object:
"And a little child shall lead them" (Isaiah 11:6c). A pioneer in California during the time of the gold rush days said that for the first year or two there was not a child to be found within ten miles of where he lived in Sierra Nevada County. A big festive Fourth of July celebration was held, and among those who came was one child. The celebration included an oration, a poem, and a boisterous brass band. The band music troubled the child and he began to cry. The planners, not wanting the loud child to be heard above the band, asked the band to play louder, which they did.
Actually, those in attendance were thinking of their own children far away and they even enjoyed the cry of the child. The music went on, louder and louder, and the child cried louder and louder.
After this contest had gone on for a while, one swarthy miner with tears rolling down his cheeks cried out, "Stop the noisy band and let the child cry. That is the sound we want to hear."
Actually, those in attendance were thinking of their own children far away and they even enjoyed the cry of the child. The music went on, louder and louder, and the child cried louder and louder.
After this contest had gone on for a while, one swarthy miner with tears rolling down his cheeks cried out, "Stop the noisy band and let the child cry. That is the sound we want to hear."
