Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1886-03-04
Witty aud Humorous address on Babies
BY REV. JOHN HANNoN, D. D.

was awarded to Robert Owen Boze, son Of
Capt. W. w. Boze, whereupOn Secretary
Mcdonald introduced Rev. John Hannor /,
d. d., who delivered the following inimta
BILE address
Who does not feel to-day like singing
the old ballad, make me child cnce
again. just for night"-one nights plen-
ty; who does not feel that we are here in
cavalry, must surrender their laurels forev-
er; the heart Of the boldest of these caya
iers, and even the heart of the gallant Fitz
himself, has thrilled with terror, when, at
midnight, with yell, the light infantry
have charge me breasilcorks throughout the
the presence of the true heroes of the occa-
sion? Even the gallant Fitz Lee, the iu-
ture Governor of Virginia, with his gallant
homes of this land Yes, Fitz and his cav
airy must retire, for we are all going to
Zine" the infantry They tell Us that the
glory of the Old Dominion is n thing of the
past that old Virginia is like potato
vine-the best part of it is under ground
when | look upon scene like this, feel
that the glory of the Old Dominion is here,
and in lhese little faces shines the light of q
glorious future. The whistle of the loco
motive along our hills, the clash of machine
ry along our streams, and the yell, Of the
baby among our homes tell that the manu-
featuring interests Of old Virginia are BOOM
ing. Wendell Phillips lectures on the
Lost Arts" but, as / wander through this
old Commonwealth, down by the seaboard
and over her hills to the homes of the rich
and of the poor, and meet babies every
where, bow my head reverently and thank
Heaven that the art of making Presidents
is not yet lost art in old Virginia.
There is nothing which more gorifes our
civilization than the status of the baby
Greece could boast her Olympic games
where manly strength was crowned ; the
middle ages bowed worshipfully at the feet
of beautiful woman but it was reserved for
the nnete nth century to have its baby
shows. and to apotheosize infinite weakn Css
and infinite possibility. A few years age
little child in dolls letter TO ~ nclc
Larry" in our Adrocate, asked if therewerC
any baby clothes in heaven. Perhaps she
was thinking of the little new made grave
in the battle-ground, and Of little brother
who lay there. Revelation answers her
question Heaven is full of baby clothes
, and. thank God, the Sunday Schools anc
Orphan Asylums are the baby clothes found
now everywhere in this world. Bicker
r stith, among the greatest Of our modern
poets, has sweetly said that heaven would
be a dreary place without children-tha'
there are wanted there not only the Paul
and the Wesleys, those goody cedars Of
/ Lebanon, but there are wanted, too, the-,
! little violets that bloom around our hearth
stones, and ill our homes with fragrance
+ and ioy.
= 1t is true that every now and then We
hear the expressions, "oab baby" Why
my ear sir, everything great was once a
baby. Lynchburg, sitting here in her beau
/ ty, with her lovely homes, cliuging like
2 pearls around the neck OF her hills, with th'
electric lights flashing like the eyes Of o
ballroom belle Lynchburg, who has grown
so large as to have all this Justie we see a.
q round US they tell US that all ladies, when
they are grown, have a great deal Of bnstlC
around them, Lynchburg was once but o
baby.
Why, the churches, those strong-limbed
angels, walking to and fro in the world and
lifting the nations up to God, were once but
= babies. The Baptist Church, grand old
church as she is, star ding yonder npon
Court street in her neat suit Of brick and
mortar, was once but a baby; and there is
one thing about this baby-it would alway'
plav in the water. The Presbyterian Church
with her theological institutions, like bump'
on her head that would make an angel pbre'
nologist wonder-the Presbyterian Churc
was once but baby, but was always an old
fashioned child and took 10 books carly
The Episcopal Church, with her beautiful
robes Of ritual, her sparkling gems Of ru'
brc was once but baby, though she has
. been kept 50 straight by her nurses that she
has never tumbled around and grown al
healthy and big as We would have liked
And Methodism, the youngest and biggest
in the family of congregations, is still a lit
tie more than great, laughing, crying
shouting baby, whose Father is God, whose
mother is Humanity.
Yes, we will have to Danish to the pa
the barbarous expression, "only baby p
Political economy recognizes in the baby
; the true wealth of State. The forests Of
our land are being exhausted, but when
r look upon the living forest Of this audience
and upon the great forest Of life in the teem-
ing populations Of our cities, and when
see Death, the axeman, ever busy cutting
down these forests and leaving only the
graves in the graveyards, like stumps, feel
no dependency; for in every home these
thiekets of the little underground Of bu-
manity tell Us that the forest Of manly and
womanly life will never be exhausted.
The soil of our Old Dominion Is worn
= out and exhausted We cannot raise such