Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1882-09-08

B thC tothtt, III WulCu lllc Ttu
sonableness of total abstinence is taugh
illustrations. The childrens reading il
largely Supervised in the interest O
temperance, and the triple pledge (agains
intoxicating liquors, tobacco and swear
ing) intelligently made, while the Sun
day school is earnest clear and system
attic in its teaching.
June, Mrs. Goode had issued military
Order No. -" to her Band of Hope
namely, that sat Q n. m., they should
meet at an appointed rendezvous, wear.
ing their badges, and carrying flags and
banners, and should march through the
streets with band of music ut the head
of their battalion, singing near the polls,
their cold water songs, giving three cheers
for the amendment, ard returning in
good order to the starting place" These
young folk were not raw recruits,
n time had they marched before. They
day. "The Constitutional Amendment
Catechism" had been so carefully studied
at their regular meetings, that little peo.
pie, eight years old, knew the difference
between constitutional and statutory law
first They knew the facts and figures
having them illustrated by diagrams and
pictures. "How much grain is used in
our breweries ?" "What is Iowa's an
nual drink bill ?" "What proportion of
our taxes, crime pauperism. iunacy,
comes Of strong drink in our State p
These ami a score of such subjects had
been thoroughly set forth in the Socratic
mathnl and faxv hatt -,
formed than these boys and girls. They
had also been urged to repeat all this at
home, and to plead with fathers and
tact, Mrs. Goode had told them that at
that the father represents "the people" in
the people of Iowa." will vote on these
So she urged the children to get papa to
to the polls to represent not himself only,
but his constituency.
1t is well known in Iowa that the child
rem did vast amount of delightful and
most effective electioneering at their own
home hearths and on the final day bare
footed urchins went timidly up to we'll
dressed business men, and said, "Please,
sir, won't you vote formy mother and me
my father is a drunkard" Little boys
marched up and down through the crowd
Of voters with banners wreathed in ever
green, whereon, in tleecy white letters,
cut from cotton batting, were the words,
"Please vote for the home" or "Tremble
King Alcohol, we shall grow up" or
"Onr guns are ballots, our bullets are
IDEAS. Little girls went out two by
two, with baskets heaped with button
hole bouquets, and while at little dis
tance, fond motherly eyes watched their
proceedings they said to voters won't
you put in ballot, sir, for the amend
ment 2? And if they said they had, or
would, the little fingers handed up Il
dewy bunch of flowers. I gained new
hope for poor humanity MS I saw rou gh
men carefully pinning childhood's sweet
est gift of ''posies" on their checked
shirts; Germans and Swedes fastening a
sprig of mignonette in their old hat
bands ; and colored men, with cleaning
worries, tying n full blown rose to the
only button left upon threadbare coat,
and saying, "ies, honey, dis chile is fur
lie 'menment every time
In one Of the river towns, the mayor
brought i'll II bloated German beer. drink
er to vote the ''whiskey ticket" when the
Germans children, fresh from the Band
OF Hope procession, hurried forward, the
little girl throwing her arms around her
fathers neck, and saying, with tears
Papa, please vote for us Mt home" and
the boy, who was cripple, taking him
by the hand. with the same plea. Zach,
mien Gott, dis vas too much p exclaimed
the German, breaking away from the
man who had counted on him, and going
up to the ballot-box with the vote his lit |
tie daughter gave him, while she held one
hand, and the lame boy hobbled on the
other side as guardian. Not an eye that
looked upon the group could see it clear
Iy because of tears.
Truly 81 little child shall lead them"
Truly that little child is "the fortress of
the future" standing away out on the
frontier of time. Let lis furnish the for
tress with provisions, weapons, ammuni-
lion. and eager hearts shall "hold the
tort when we grow weary. God bless
"Thc little soldiers newly mustered in"