Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-10-02

all what you VIC. al ezEect OF a person with So
Cialistc views, aud, il fact, it IS not the social
lists GeraI Costume. IL was one he wore when
he sang quain. song at charity concert, ana
il WIS so becoming 10 his plump young body that
wanted a picture of him n II. Aud yet, not,
wlthstn nuiLg his rcULd, dlmpled Doy lace ana
his velvet coat and lace rufiies and brilliant
paste buckles, il : he Who is the socialist.
1t was in London at the beginning Of the last
season that found this out. ] had not been
aware OF it myself before. He come into my
room one morning, and the moment he entered
knew that he was filed to the brlm with some
new exciting ID ca which he must talk about. L
always know when he is in that conCltlon oe-
cause his face looks rounder and roster than
ever. and such lot of queer little dlmPIes
dance about his mouth.
dearest" he said ~ am a socialist. I Just
wanted to tell you | am q socialist, and he
thrust his hand into the very bottom of his little
red and black blazer and sat down firmly on the
nearest chair.
lreveT surprised at anything the socialist does
J have known him long enough TO be quite &C
customed to the cheerful activity OF his mlnd;
SO l only smiled and looked inteTested-as 1
felt.
''Are you, dear?'' answered. ''When did it
"Wen, you see, " he explained, delight and
eagerness making quite an illumination OF him,
81 have been reading the most beautiful book;
It is the most beautiful book ever read IN all
my life. 1t is by G. Edward Bellamy aud 1t is
called Looking Backward | have not q Ilte
finished II. and the only thing is, am so AFRAID
it will turn out at the END to be only dream.
/ want it to seem as if it was quite true
This interested me. had read the book
myself, and thC1ght l should like very much
to hear how it had Impressed sturdy twelve
yeaT-old socialist with his hands IN the pockets
OF a tennis Jacket.
girls think Of great problems-if they think
naturally sUd through simple spontaneous In
terest. They have all Of life before them; they
have the courage and hope that can believe ana
plan things, ana they have the years i'll which to
do the best things to develop plans. 1t was
quite exciting TO look at socialist, with his glow
ing face ard his strong little clenched boy
hands.
And the book made you a socialism said.
'.What sort of a socialism,
He was so full OF his subject that he could not
sit still. He is never n very stu boy. tie
Jumped M and began to walk up and down the
room, taking as he walked, and making the
most animated gestures.
1.-THE sort that could help to make the kind of
world there S in that buoE, he said ut made
me so excited tc read it. Why, if it were true
there would ~ nC more wrong or injustice, or
poverty or cuaeriag-there would be no more
beggars OF tyrsnts or idle people-just think OF
that! And every man would have his own work
TO dc, and he wouid do it. Oh, why can it be
true2 ] can't bear it 10 be only dream. -
One Of the charms Of the socialist is that he is
so tremendously IL earnest about everything.
He rides his bicycle, plays cricket or tennis or
foot ball, rows ami dances, or shouts over base
ball game. all with equal ardor. He is . boy
with an athletic appetite and strong, young,
growing body-.hat is the thing that adds to
ones interest in his strong, young, growing
heart and mind.
1t would be a beautiful dream, in which all
ever. wouldn't .t?'' l said.
He wheeled about and made animated
gesture with his clenched hand.
but it ought not to be only a DREAM" he
SAID. 1T ougr' to be real. y
wen, - 1 answered, ''of course all great
changes and improvements take time, and
peihaps even If the ends were accomplished,
1t would not be exactly in the Looking Back
ward wEy-hut il wouldn't matter how it was
done. And should think the best beginning
would be that all the people who read the
book-boys especially, because they have all
their years before them-should make up their
minds each TO do his part III trying to make It
real.
That delighted him He looked more aelow
than ever, and all his queer little dimples
showed themselves at once.
.'That would do it, he exclaimed, walking
up and down with new excitement. And
wouldn't like to try it! 1t would take years
and wears, / dare say-it might not come till
after my life was over-but oh! If could just be
one of those who helped to make 1t not DREAM
.'Thcn my life would have been worth liv-
mother OF one OF those who helped to make it
not dream. Sit down and let us talk it over
Then ne sat down and we talked ii over and it
was delightful. 1t would have been very inter
esting to have taken down the socialists re-
marks just as he made them in his vigorous, I'M
adorned, boy English. He wanted all the i'm
perfect laws repealed, all the rich people to be
generous, all the poor ones to be given work and
good pay all the weak ones TO be taken care of
and helped to become strong, everything that
was unjust to be righted, all that was bad to be
changed into good.
only how are we do it?'' he said. 'Such
lot of things would have to be changed,
wouldn't they?''
''Weu' - / said, ''you see all the great
changes for the better are always made because
a number of people make up their minds singly,
one by one you know-that they ought to be
brought about. 1t isn't q hundred thousand
people VINO do a thing all al once in mass-in
the first place a hundred thousand individual
minds have to work for themselves siugly.
You know q lot OF boys-how would it do TO have
q Looking Forward club, and let every boy be
determined to be the fairest, most straight
forward manly, reasonable fellow he can, not
only to the club and himself. but to any one he
has to deal with? That would be beginning
$50 it would agreed the socialist.
Boys have so much to give each other" |
said, ''if they only thought Of II. You know 1
have had two boys, know how interesting
their lives are. They are finding out things and
having new exper ences every day if they have
Quick minds For instance, there is your friend
Sam, whom I have such respect for. He
has always had 70 take care of himself. He
has sold newspapers and blacked boots all his
little boy years in the streets of g big city. Sam
IS il right you know. He has good heart and
kind feelings, and il did them no harm that he
ragged and barefooted, and even sometimes hun
gry, and think how much he must nave learned
about business, and self-dependence, and how
much he must have seen to touch his heart, and
fill him with pity and the wish to be able to help
and make things better Sam is the beginning
of an enc rgetic man, with his mind all alive.
And You are the beginning of another, hope, and
you have lived In an entirely different way, and
so each one Of you must have so much to tell the
other. Sam has watched baseball games have
no doubt. You have seen great cricket matches
at Lord. Sam has taken long tramps from one
city TO another to sell his papers, have crossed
tho Atlantic in big steamer year after year,
and have been on familiar terms with sailors
and engineers. Sam has sold papers at inaugu-
rations, you have watched the kings and queens
and princes and princesSes and all the grand
pageant of the jubilee Sam knows how to man
age boot black business and understands the
language of the boys who take care of them
selves. You can speak French and understand
Italian. Sam knows about conventions. - You
know about the carnival in Italy, and have
driven with your carriage buried in bouquets in
the Flower Corso, and have thrown Coriandole
and laughed at the Mascarati. and danced at the
great begloni ball. Sam has talked to keen,
clever American politicians, you know about
world renowned English statesmen. Between
you two boys it appears to me you have great
part OF the world and the most interesting sides
OF life TO discuss and compare notes about. /
really think, you know. that anyone listening
while you talked and told each other things
might gain quite a respectable education. And
think what one might gain from number of
boys all with different lives and different views
comfy, - saidthe socialist, 'sometimes a boy
can't express himself
''That is whEt you would have to think of in
the most practical way l answered ''Some
boys chance to have words, and some are, per-
haps. ready with them. If you are good Social
gax hat,