The Portland daily press., 1890-03-13
CHILDREN AT CITY HALL.
Mrs. Laura orn,iston Chants Ad-
dress.

Fully 5000 were in the audience at c;tv
han yesterday afternoon, the mjority being
chiidren, with judicious sprinkling Of
teachers and parents to listen to the address
OF Mrs. Chant. 1t was given under the ans.
pieces OF the Children's Christmas Club. The
children sang England and America" af-
ter which President Bailey of the Club in
treduced Mrs. Chant, who said before she
preached her little sermon" she would sing
song OF her own composition, which she
ala with fine effect, singing in pure, sweet
tones MY Skylark's Lesson"
Mrs. Chant then said this was the largest
audience OF children she had ever addressed,
although she once talked to some 14Oo CHI
dren In Scotland, and as they all wore co
per-tipped shoes and sat in wooden pens,
there was a. great rafting. She has four
children OF her own, very like other child
I fsa they augh, great deal cry something's
but she thinks, like all mothers, they are the
best and most beautiful children In the
world. Her only boy, aged 7, proudly wears
the Stars and Stripes, and declares that he is
halt-American. He evidently knows more,
at that tender age about America than the
oxford student who, when asked in his ex-
animation, where America was, said that it
was an island, somewhere in the Atlantic
WutIc ptdCutS anu canned lODSLefS
came from. She told the children that they
should not only be proud of their country
but make their country proud of them by
becoming good citizens. They could all be-
come great men and women.-great inside.
Habits are formed now that will last through
the years of manhood and womanhood. Live
fer Others Make little sacrifices to helm
children more unfortunate, and live in such
way as to become good examples for
your faces SnsS like a Inflow AGAINST Sst
all cruelty to animals. Characters are made
up Of habits. Don't tell lies. She told the
boys If they wished to grow up and make
perfect specimens. of manhood they must
never indulge in cigarette smoking. Besides
being a bad habit, smoking was dirty
habit. Sisters by their influence could help
their brothers abstain from the use of tobac-
co In any form. She also pointed out the
evils OF intemperance. and asked the boys
and girls to be tetOtalers.
&Mrs. Chant interspersed her address. with
stories which interested children of a
larger growth" as we'll as the small children
She said 1t was great help to her to be a
public speaker. When she had ANYTHING to
say to her children she would take them to
where she was going to speak and there give
them large doses sugar coated.
When she had finished speaking the chill
dren sang "The Red, White and Blue" after
which Mrs. Chant sang, to her own accom-
paniment "a Sleighing Song" which she
composed for her children before she had
ever seen sleigh or heard the jingling of
the sleigh bells.
President Bailey then called for three
cheers for Mrs. Chant who had so kindly ad-
dressed them, and to the school board for
Diminishing them, and the cheers were given
with hearty GOOD will. A beaut full basket
Of roses was presented Mrs. Chant.
Mrs. Chant not only knows what to say to
children. but she has the happy faculty of
knowing how to say it in such an entertain
ing way that she can keep them interested
and quiet-a thing which few people can un-
dertake with any degree of success.
The beautiful furnishings of the City hall
stage was provided by Walter Corey & Co.,
and the Stag decorations were arranged by
Mrs. Geo. c. Moore, Mr.. Stewart of the Al
Ian line kindly loaning the bunting.