Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1862-02-13
THE SONS OF POOR MOTHERS.


seeming with its aristocratic nose, like
a genuine pointer. the well-dressed and
well-connected persons Of her acquaint-
ance. The young man referred to, trod
the ground like neither prince nor lord,
but like man conscious Of his power;
like an American citizen every way
worthy Of the name. He had trampled
under foot the sneers of the scorniul
and pretensious, stood before the world
with his foot upon the neck Of their
nneanness. Step BY step he had dispu-
ted the ground with adverse circum-
stances, and they had yielded step by
step, till he now stood where he could
look down upon. and use every obstacle
that had striven TO hinder his progress,
and make it slave to his bidding. He
had taken calumny. and pride. and envy
BY the throat. and flung them from him
with such force that they covered at
his glance, nor dared so much as to
lih their skinny fingers at his shadow
when his back was turned. Through
weary struggles against frightful OBJ
stacles that the poor alone know-bat-
Ting with the tide of oppression, buff
feted by the waves Of adversely, still
upward he rose, onward he went, till
to-day no man is acknowledged with
louder acclamation-no man bowed
down to with deeper reverence-no man
whose recognition is a greater honor,
than this son Of q poor woman.
His mother was poor womani
Look over the list Of earth's mag
nstes-her royal kings of intellect
her lords of genius--patents Of whose
greatness originated in the courts Of
the Most High, ere this little world
brought forth its mock nobility, and
tell us what proportion Of those great
ones were the sons OF rich mothers?
Very few. The best statesmen, the
proudest poets, the holiest divines-
those thunderers by whom the earth
was shaken to its center--men who
have dethroned kings and founded ma
tions--the masters OF rhetoric and elo-
cution--the most profound philoso-
phers--the bravest generals--the mob
lest authors, were nearly all the sons OF
poor women, some of them widows
who suffered in loneliness and sorrow.
In our own day, our best and bright
est names have been given TO little ba-
bies BY the lips of poor women. their
heads Graded upon coarse pillows,
their little bare feet trained over car
petless floors.
Daniel Webster was the son of a
poor woman. The first grandeur he
knew was that Of the hills that lifted
their granite brows in eternal worship
toward heaven-the only splendor that
of majestic clouds and leaping torrents,
the triumphal entry of the sun through
avenues OF golden glory, and his west
ern march like that Of monarch
wrapping robes of crimson and ermlnt
about him. And yet for greatness, in
tellectually speaking, the world hatf
scarcely his equal. Who knows if the
babe, Daniel Webster, had been rocked
in a rosewood cradle and lulled 10 sleeI
with silver rattle in his hand, reared
in the midst of city street, with nc
wild anthems of the forest--no thun-
der lesping from crag to crag to bring
out the stronger element Of the mind
no birds in the branches and no silveI
streams 10 waken the more ethereal and
picturesque characteristic Of his intel
lect and group them into harmony; who
knows but the world had sighed owe
greatness born TO blush unseen, L
droop, to die in comparative solitude
Sons Of poor mothers! What hos
of them have scaled the summit Of i'm
mortality! They have left their i'm
press in the hand of the idols, an,
many a dark-browed heather hs
learned the way Of salvation throug
their almost superhuman exertions.-
Everywhere throughout the world, ho'
Go they stand forth and challenge ou
homage! Not with glossy kids an
faulIless coats. patent boots and sler
der canes. do they go forth, the ad
mired whiskerandoes OF thoughtle'
girls. but with sturdy steps and cloute
shoes--with signs OF the much use
needle here and there seriously SHOW
ing--with patched knees and elbow
and with many an evidence beside
that they were the sons of poor motf
ers.
All honor TO the sons OF poor mott
ers! To them the nation looks for statei
men and defenders. For them thel
will always be vacancies in the halls {
science, seats in the temples OF our les
islstures. and pulpits in cur churches -
For them the doors of the White Hous
have sprung wide open, and shall agsir
while the people gather in crowds /
do them reverence. b-il
"He was the son Of poor uomanl
Let It never be spoken with the sne.
OF seff.suficient shallowness, for it
in the hearts Of poor women that Il
noblest resolves have birth. The
make sacrifices that would put to blu,
the Incidence and negligence of Il
purse proud. Over their humble bom
shine the stars that heralded the adve
of heaven-born intelligence. 1t h
ever been so since the stars of Bethl
hem blazed above the spot where Chris
the King of heaven. lay upon the
som Of poor woman. While tn
toll with tears, and struggle with
yersity, angels whisper the destinatl
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