pulled and tugged and talked to me of freedom and liberty, something happened. The cord broke! The boys gasped as they saw the broken cord fluttering in the breeze — then we all fastened our eyes on the kite. It wav ered uncertainly for a moment, swept from side to side, then suddenly turned topsy-turvy, its tail streaming out behind it, and came floating down, down, down—helpless to right itself. At last it was swept by the strong wind up against a telegraph wire, and there the poor kite hung by its tail — the once white and spot less linen, which had shone so in the sunshine — all discolored and be draggled and tom to shreds, the frame broken and disfigured. I have thought of that kite many times since, as I have come in con tact with boys and girls who have talked of “freedom.” How many boys there are who feel that, if they could only get away from their mothers’ “apron strings,” out into the big, wide world, they could be something! How many of them yearn for the liberty which they think lies beyond and far away from their homes! They are like the kites, tugging at the cords which hold them. I was like that when I was a boy. When they caught me smoking my first cigarette, I thought resentfully, “Oh, if I could only get away where I could be free!” I wanted to break the cord which b o u n d me to Sunday school, to church, to mother and home. But, boys and girls, there is a greater freedom which we can all have. It is the freedom which comes from doing right, from obeying the kindly laws which keep us safe, the freedom which comes from becoming acquainted with the best Friend a boy or girl can have, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. If you let Him into your life, and let Him hold the cords, you will have real freedom, and you can rise to undreamed-of heights. Once I went to visit a big state penitentiary. There I met a young man who had been sentenced to serve twenty years’ imprisonment for a crime. I talked to that young man, and he told me his story. He had been brought up in a Christian home, but like the kite, he craved freedom. He resented the demands which were made upon him — he didn’t want to go to Sunday school and church; he didn’t want to know the Lord Jesus. He felt that all those things were just strings that would keep him from realizing his real freedom. So he broke away, just as the kite I told you about. He tugged and pulled, and finally the ties which THE KING 'S BUSINESS
T his m on th is a good kite-time for boys. Every boy knows what it is to feel the call of the outdoors in the spring of the year—and that when the fresh, strong breezes come to sweep away the winter clouds, the sky seems to get a new blueness, the sun shines more brightly than ever before, and every vacant lot has its share of boys, playing ball and flying kites. It is about a kite that wanted to be free that I am going to tell you. Sometimes kites, like boys and girls, seem to feel a craving for freedom. On just such a spring day as I have been talking about, I found myself walking down the street in a city where I was pastor of a church. As I strolled along, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air, I passed a corner where a group of boys was playing. I rec ognized them as being members of my Sunday school. They were flying kites. High against the blue of the sky, the kites stood out, floating on 42
the breezes which kept them aloft, guided by strong cords, held in eager little hands. One of the boys spied me as I stood watching them, and called out, “Oh, Mr. Talbot, do come over here and feel how these kites pull!” I went over to where the boys were and took the cord out of the hand of the one who had called me. I could feel the strong pull of the kite as I held the cord. It leaped and tugged like a live thing, and do you know, boys and girls, while I was holding that string, the kite seemed to be talk ing to me. What do you suppose it was saying? Why, it seemed to be begging for liberty — and as each fresh gust of wind blew it from side to side, and higher and higher, it seemed to be saying: “Oh, Mr. Talbot, why don’t you let go of the string? You think I am high up in the sky, but if you would only let me loose, and give me freedom, I’d show you how high I could go!” So the kite talked to me. And as it
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