Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1884-10-02
So With the World.

saw young babe in its cradle. 1t
smiled in its sleep, and the mother
knelt and kissed its soft cheek and
prayed God that her baby boy might
live to good old age. 1t opened its
eyes and smiled, and the children soft
ly whispered to each other: "See! The
angels have been talking to him, and
he is glad?'
saw youth as he looked long
ingly up the path leading to fame and
glory.
There was q proud flash in the faith
er's eye as he saw the boy come and
go, and the mother looked after him
with swelling heart and whispered q
prayer to Heaven to keep her boys
footsteps from wicked paths.
saw young man as he stepped ov-
er the threshold and met the grim
world with a smile of self-reliance.
The father was now wrinkled and
gray, but there was fonder flash to
his eye us he listened to the applause
of the multitude. The mother was aged
and feeble, and tears came to her eyes
as she murmured: ''He is moving the
hearts of thousands by his eloquence.
but l pray thee, o, Heaven. to keep
him pure of heart and free from SIM
The children who had whispered before
were no longer children. They had
also grown to mans estate. Some
joined in the applause-some felt NAL
ice and envy commanding them to si-
lence.
saw strong man in his prime. He
had fame and wealth, loving wife,
happy children, beautiful home. Men
bowed before him. Men fattered him.
His voice echoed over the land and
stirred the pulses in city and hamlet.
The father and mother were dead,
and their last prayers had been for him.
He stood alone, but he had the support
of a nation and the homage of world.
So it seemed to him, but down in their
hearts men feared and envied and hat
ed him.
l saw an old man as winters night
settled gloomily down over the DESC
late land.
He was old and weak and hungry
and poor. He was thinly clad, and he
shivered in the raw air. He stood at
the corner, his trembling hand held out
in mute appeal to the passers-by, but
no one gave him aims. Some had
their vision blinded by the falling flakes
Others Knocked at and cursed him.
For long hour he hungered and shiv-
cred and asked only for what would
buy crust of bread, and then he bow
ed his head still lower and dragged
himself further away into the bitter
darkness. And men called after him
in heartless tones: ''The County House
is the place for beggarsr'
l saw stiff, frozen corpse at the
morgue.
1t was that of an old man. There
were snow and frost in the gray locks
the thin fingers were clenched-the
tears had frozen as they welled up to
the poor old eyes. They had found
him dead on the streets-dead and fro
zen. A shadow stood beside the mar
BILE slab-it bent over the dead and
kissed the cold cheek-it sobbed and
grieved as only mother grieves, and
and we seemed to hear the words:
"This was the babe in it's cradle-the
youth painting for renown-the young
man winning his first crown-the strong
man at whose feet the nation bowed
like slaves-this was my son!"
And men handled the poor old body
as if it were a faggot, and they mock
ingly cried to each other:
IA pine coffin-a grave in potter's
field-and tomorrow we forget that
he ever lived!'-M Quad. IN Detroit
Free Press.