Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1886-03-04

called. Well, that it was, and if there are
other old bachelors here to-day let them 90
and do likewise, hang themselves in matri-
mony to the first pretty woman they meet
or to the nearest lamp-pOst.
called attention to-day TO the courage of
the baby. History sings the praise of Pr
zarro and of Cortez, who, coming to the
shores of this New World, carved out for
themselves vast empires. Great was their
courage, but what was it TO compare with
these little pilgrims of eternity, who, COM
ing to the shores of this planet without
quartermasier or commissary stores, conquer
for themselves an empire in every home,
and rule with an absolute power, such as no
crowned monarch on earth ever knew. Even
/ the mother-ip- -law--that hoary headed des-
I pot, is in her turn dethroned, her scepter
broken, and herself crushed beneath the IL
ny heel of this little despot. Yes, the cOur-
age of the baby.
You may legislate to shut the Chinese and
the drftwood Of Europe out of this goodly
land of ours, but defy all your legislatures
TO blockade our ports against the baby.
They are coming You may lombard them
with your paregoric bottles and your catnip
tea you may spank them and stick pins in
them, but the baby is going to stay. Lo !
the conquering hero, he comes
] | tlatt o. eel fttr af
the baby. | dare say there are old bache-
ors and spinsters here TO whom all these
little ones are only collection Of milk cans
of different dimensions. All my dear sir,
there is more in these babies than milk =
Think of the philosophic mind of that babe
in the far south THE remarkable babies are
all at a distance, il won't do TO get too close
to them who, when grandpa was planting
egg-plants, asked, grandpa, who is going
to cackle when the eggs Gomez" Think
of the enquiring mind of that baby, who,
looking, it may be, upon the live stock here,
when seeing the calves, asked if il was not
the little COWS which gave tho condensed
milk? Think of the theological acumen Of
that babe, who when asked who made him,
and confessing ignorance, was told that God
made him, but replied with incredulity;
mo, indeed God made me about so big
and grew the balance myself"
"The only poetry in the Hannon family
was manifested when little babe land she
grew out of it when she grew older; what
a pity the lannon's grow old , who, seeing
her mother peel radish for the first time,
said Mamma, undress my radish."
Yes, think Of the possibilities wrapped
up in these little lives. ltwould be a great
t!fk to write the biography Of the Missis-
sippi river We would have TO write the
history Of every forest upon It's banks, Of
every city that batbes its feet in its waters,
of every tributary stream that flows into it,
bosom. Yes, it would take the omniscience
Of God 10 write the history of the Missis-
sippi river, for il would be the story Of =
continent. But a greater undertaking would
il be to write the record of the stream Of
these little lives taking their rise here this
morning; for when the Mississippi itself
ceases to exist, these streams will flow OIL,
ever widening, ever deepening, watering
with the hallowng influence Of their lives
che shores Of far-of worlds.
Some years ago met school girl who
had taken as a subject for a composition the
history of a sunbeam. thought, my lady,
what a gigantic task To write the history
IF a sunbeam we mus. write it as il has
racked its way across 9j,0OO,OO0 miles Of
space as it has painted the rainboS upon
yonder cloud as it has kissed the violet in
TO bloom at our feet. Yes, 10 write the his
tory of a sunbeam an angel had need TO dip
his pen in the sun, and then il would re-
quire an eternity to do the task. But when
he sunbea ms themselves shall have gone
out in the gloom, these little lives will live
on, flashing their brightness upon other
planets, mingling their beams with the light
Of eternal day
And now, suppose, / must address my
! sen trpttIdlig w tui1t tut piiNf bAbg VI bho
occasion. All the babies are prize babies,
and if you want to prove it, let them utter a
yell at midnight, and it will priz> 4 strong
man ont Of bed with a rapidity that would
make old Archimedes and his lever ashamed
Of themselves.
To those who did not take prizes, may
remark that taking prizes is sometimes dan
gerous.
saw the other day where a mother, who
had taken a prize, poisoned herself and her
babe So who knows how many are here
who owe their existence 10 the fact that
they never took a prize. ! commend 10
them the composition Of school girl, who
writing upon the subjec. Of pins, remarked /:
Pins are very useful. Pins have saved the
lives Of multitude, Of people, by not swal-
lowing them.' And you my little prize ba-
by, | breathe over you the prayer Of the
Hindoo poet, That as when you came into
this world, all around you were in smiles
Of joy. and you alone were crying with sOr-
row, so live that when you shall pass out Of
this world, and all around you shall be vail
idg with sorrow, you alone will be smiling
I 1 81.