Dodge City times. [volume] (Dodge City, Kan.) 1876-1892, 1882-12-14
I" Are the Children In?"

care the Children In?''
There is sad story with this title.
for it is the story of an old. old woman
who. deaf and blind, with palsied limbs
and faltering speech. lay diving. Her
friends gathered around her. looked in
vain for any tosen OF consciousness; the
aged partner of her life sat holding the
chilling hand while he searched in her
worn face for some token that she
knew him; but her thoughts were away
away back with the years passed over.
CROPPING dimly among homely house,
hold duties. holding converse with
those who had long slept beneath the
daisies. At last look of intelligence
frightened the aged face. the sightless
eyes were turned in the direction of
the feeble old man who sat there
mourning. and as the last smile faded
and fiickered on the thin lips. the dying
woman asked in the voice of her youth:
"Are the children all imp
Yes. they are all in, safe in the fold
above long years before; but when all
was dead in that woman's heart that
could die, the mOtherlove still lived to
assert itself. She had never slept
night since 1.-THE children" had been
given to her without knowing that they
were safely housed under the parental
roof. safe from the powers of evil that
stalk abroad at night to degour our
youngest and fairesr ones. safe from
the tempter who shows them world of
gilded splendor and lures them away to
it. How can mother sleep when she
does not know where her children are?
Is it not strange that when they are
infants and their little feet cannot
guide them into harm-when they are
too young for evil to assail them-that
mother will watch their infant
slumbers and ginever for q moment
leave them unguarded; while in the
tender years OF dawning knowledge,
when their young SOUS are craving ex-
element and they have not the ,udg-
ment to discern between good and evil,
they are allowed to choose their own
companions. sleep away from home and
imbibe draughts of sin which can never
be fOrgotten? Where are the fathers of
these children at night, who do not
know whether the boyish head is laid
upon the pillow of innocence or housed
among the evil and corrupt? Business
is no excuse for them. aud if they claim
that these are the hours Of needed
recreation then are they eluding the de-
mands Of sacred duty. Mothers are
easily deceived by their children; some
times they let them 90 of with thought
less companions and trust to the in
tegrity Of the boyish heart, forgetting
that a disciple fell, and Christ Himself
was tempted. And BY and by there is
a fearful awakening! What were the
boys dong? Reading the detestable
literature which manufactures pirates
and thieves. Learning that it is no
harm to deceive good, kind parents in
order to commit the impossible heroism
Of sacking cities or staying red skins.
They are taught that it is manly to
chew. smoke. swear and carry revolvers
while they are tender infants, and
many . boy who. If lett TO himself,
would be home with his moi her. cutting
paper dolls for his little sister, swaggers
about the vestibule of sensational thea
Ter, that he may enact in private the
baleful dramas set of BY red fire on the !!
stage, How many graves are green to-
graves that cover much that
was promising - because at nightfail
there was no one to ask ..Are the chill
dren in?'-Detroi Post and Tribune.