St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-08-06
and the successful candidate had been

Master Irwin Jay Steininger now--pulled
up his ''galluses, looked again at MS
unfamiliar breeches, and marched onto
the platform, stumbling his big toe as he
went.
Ladies' and gentlemen" he began in
clarion tones, ''it is with feelings OF
pride that am enabled to make my first
appearance on the rostrum, in the pres
ence of my old neighbors, on this most
suspicious OCCASION
"Hurrah!' Richland township was
on its feet. The youthful orator rubbed
his sore toe gently against the ankle OF
the other foot, and then, with bowed
head and hands clasped behind his
back, walked the platform thoughtfully
until the noise subsidized.
1.-The subject of my discourse tonight
is of great Importance. embracing as 1t
does the questions, Whittier Have We
Come? Whence are We GoingP'
Another round of applause. He went
on for twenty minutes in this way, in
terrupted every moment by cheers.
none of which disconnected him. After
this introduction he gave them one OF
Murphy's temperance lectures.
The applause was tremendous. Rich
land township expressed the sentiment
of the assembly on the way home.
Rochester open her eyes, The enthuSi-
aSm was expressed by the unprece-
denied amount of the bet.
Jumping Into Celebrity.
The contest came off. The board
apologized to the audience in the opera
house for taking up their time with
sMr. Steininger's little boy" The boy
came on, and the scene In the country
school house was repeated, only the
orator had his shoes Oh and jacket.
He gave Mark Twain's address to the
army of the Tennessee. The house was
in an uproar, and demanded the tenn
perance lecture. The boy gave it.
When the audience was dismissed it
didn't go away. 1t staid and got &C
quainted with the orator. The orator
had his head behind his father and
sucked his thumb. He seemed to be
wondering what the fuss was all about.
''I'll bet you S. that boy will astonish
-Warsaw" remarked prominent
citizen. The "Hooser boy orator"
stock was going up.
Dr. Shaffer came around and got ac-
quainted. He already had scheme in
his head.
''Lets take up a collection" he said.
So a hat was passed around and S14
collected. Then DR.. Shaffer shook
hands with "Mr. Steininger's little
boy" and promised to come and see him
next day.
Who was the father! Nobody knew.
| Yet the SteiningerS had lived in our
neighborhood for twenty-five years,
within eight miles of town. Ordinary
farmers. They had lived. married and
died and been buried, and Rochester
didn't know it.
DIR. Shaffer's scheme was to spend the
| S14 for a suit of clothes and then take
the boy to Plymouth and Warsaw. 1t
was done. Local papers wrote him up.
| A little pile of money began to accu-
mulate in the Rochester bank-$500
in all.
Last Sunday he spoke to 5000 people
| in Lake Side Park, Warsaw. The boy
got $50; the gate receipts were $500.
| Next Sunday, if he will come again, he
can have half the receipts. DR.. Shaffer
is jubilant.
"Pll bet you $500 that boy will go to
Chicago yet and speak in the-Audi-
forum"
Stocks are inflated!
The Boy Orator at Home.
The boy orator himself is making mud
pies and shooting the "DominlckerS" Off
the porch.
The Tribune representative was
driven out to the farm by DR.. Shaffer
himself. The way to the house is
through lane chOked with dog fennel.
When you have waded your way
through that you come to an implanted.
Weather-beaten Shanty of two or three
rooms. and the whole family comes out
to meet you.
The father hitched up his Overalls
with one hand and held out the other;
the mother came forward from the yard
with her mouth full of clothespins and
her sleeves rolled up; the baby had on
one calico garment and SpraWled on the
floor. The whole family was barefooled
and happy.
The boy orator himself scattered the
chickens and called out cordially:
"Bowdy dop' He was barefooted and
brown-legged. His chubby face held a
pair of big round eyes. One toe was
tied up in rag.
"He amt lookin' IS nice as he ought
to-" said his mother. apologetically,
giving him friendly push out of the
"Well, hullo Doc!" said the father.
''He can say Talmage's new sermon.
Say it now for the DOCTOR"
But the boy orator was shy. He
wanted to know about Chicago, and lis
tened with his big eyes wide open with
amazement.
"Why,you can't put that many houses
all in one place." he said. He ex-
pressed his disbelief in cars without
horses or engines. and laughed the Idea
of the Auditorium to scOrn. He conde
scended to believe everything possible
of Barnum's animals. And then he
volunteered the information that he was
Grader of man than of bear"
"But | amt afraid of lot OF people
when get up to speak. It's just one
sometimes"
His father took him off and brought
him back dressed in his ridiculous lect-
ure suit that was got up by a cOuntr.
tailor, and with his short blonde hail
plastered to his beautiful head.
He is a beautiful boy-with heat
like a Webster and voice like
trumpet. He stood up in that drear.
little room and astonished the reporter
And reporters are not easily astonished
A Juvenile Wonder.
The boy is transformed when he de
livers his orations. He rolls big word
around his baby lips as easily as De
mosthenes chewed pebbles. 1t wa
Talmage's "Advice." He rose to eS
plain the mystery of the inequality O
people.
"Why do some people read tn
heavens as though the planets were bu
ornate lanterns?" he asked and paused
"Why are nearly all of our great me
those who have been nursed at the sa
but honest breast of poverty"
: 1t was amazing? His own lips wer
but little more than weaned.
. Then he compared Ouida to lobste
salad as a steady diet, and said tina
literary milk for babes was but chal
and water.
, When he got through the reporte
collapsed. and the boy orator dug hi
g toes into the hemp carpet. The docto
and the reporter drove back to town
e and, seeing the effect it made on til
: newspaper representative, the docto
remarked:
! .sPll bet you anything you may nam
there's fortune in that boy"
Stock is clear out of sight now for O.
binary spectators.