The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-05-15

told that God made him, but replied with
incredulity, ssNo, indeed; God made me
about $50 big, and 1 grew the balance my
SELF
The only poetry in the Harmon family
was manifested when a little babe land she
grew out of it when she grew older; what
a pity the lannon's grow old y who, seeing
her mother peel a radish for the first time,
said "Mamma, undress my radish."
Yes, think Of the possibilities wrapped
up in these little lives. 1t would be great
task to write the biography of the Missis-
sippi river We would have to write the
history of every forest upon its banks. of
every city that battles its feet in its waters.
of every tributary stream that flows into
its bosom. Yes, it would take the omnis-
cience of God to write the history of the
Mississippi river, for it would be the story
of a continent. But a much greater
undertaking would it be to write the record
of the stream of these little lives taking
their rise here this morning; for when the
Mississippi itself shall cease to exist, these
streams will flow on, ever widening, ever
deepening, watering with the hallowing in
huence of their lives the shores of far-of
worlds.
Some years ago l met school girl who
had taken as subject for composition
the history of sunbeam. thought, my
lady, what gigantic task To write the
history of sunbeam we must write it as
it has tracked its way across $4,000, 900
miles of space; as it has painted the rain
bow upon yonder cloud; as it has kissed
the violet into bloom at our feet Yes, to
write the history of sunbeam an angel
had need to dip his pen in the sun, and
then it would require an eternity to do the
task. But when the sunbeams themselves
shall have gone out in the gloom, these.
little lives will live on, flashing their bright
ness upon other planets, mingling their
beams with the light of eternal day.
And now, I suppose, must address
myself especially to this, the prize baby of
the occasion. All the babies are prize
babies, and if you want to prove 1t, let
them utter yell at midnight, and it will
prize a strong man out of bed with
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 something
dangerous.
saw the other day where mother. who
had taken prize, poisoned herself and her
babe So who knows how many are here
who owe their existence to the fact that
they never took prize. l commend to
them the composition of the school girl,
who, writing upon the subject of pins re-
marked: "Pins are very useful. Pins
have saved the lives of multitudes of peo-
pie, by not swallowing them And you,
my little prize baby, 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 sorrow, so live that when
YOU shall pass out of this world, and all
around you shall be wailing with sorrow,
YOU alone will be smiling triumphantly
with JOY"
"Only baby" they may tauntingly say,
and answer back that Socrates was once
"only baby" that Jesus Christ was once
only a baby. Yes, that humanity itself is
only baby; that this world upon which we
now stand is simply great baby's carriage
pushed by the angel gravitation through
the fields of space, and that the grave it
self is only a cradle where the weary child
rem of God shall at last lie down to sleep
rocked by the angel of an immortal no 3
to wake on the resurrection morn in the
light of the Fathers smile God bless the
babies"