Omaha daily bee., 1891-11-29
''GcntleDoyS.

Why not ''gentleboys' as we'll as gentle
men? For, after all, how the homeness of a
home hinges on what the big brother, the big
sister does not do or does do. Especially is
this the case in the common country house
mold where the father and mother are full of
care and work early and late for the food and
clothing of the family. In such a house the
big boy of IA who takes his baby sister 'out
of the way' and gives her a ride in the wheel
barrow, who takes little Joe along when he
goes for the COWS, who has patience TO let the
little ones help weed the garden beds, who
brings homo ''peppermints' when he goes to
the village, or "A funny toy, or a picture maya
zine, buying them out Of his own scantily
filled pocketbook, who spends part of his
evening showing slow little heads and uncer-
tam chubby fingers how to play a game when
he would much prefer to be reading Steven
son or Clark Russell-that boy is a very I'M
portant person In the family, a true home
maker.
The neighborhood boys may call him a
''girl-boy,'' IN ''apronstring %feller," a
'~'softy," and other blooG-curdling, fist
dou bling names, such as sometimes do make
a sensitive lad much ashamed OF being gentle
toward women and small children.
But nobody ever made Daniel Webster
ashamed of gentle acts; that splendid gil
gantlc American was always doing these
sou InlnBS. IL WAS tue way He ieSteu
himself when he was fatigued with a
big law case, a great speech in congress, or a
magnificent tilt with a political foeman. At
such a time he particularly liked to retire
into private life, to plan pleasures and sur
prises for the household, perhaps a visit to
his New Hampshire farm, ordering himself
the details of the meals, and seeing that pro-
visions of all manner of comforts were sent
up from Boston. In Washington 1t was his
habit to rise early and go to the markets to
buy fresh flowers to send to the
breakfast tables of his friends,
and another of his pleasures was to
surprise the ladies of his family with bon
nets of his own selection; Daniel Webster
had good taste both in ribbons and bonnets.
There was no place, no occasion too import
ant, too fine for Daniel Webster to secure a
pleasure, if no cared, for absent frienos, es-
pecially for the little children of his acquaint-
ance. When William Henry Harrison was
elected president and came on to Washington
q great public dinner was given and all the
distinguished wings in the city took part.
You have read that Harrison's was a log
cabin campaign; well, chief Of the table orna-
ments at that dinner was a beautiful log
cabin of rock candy standing on a Llateau or
yard of nougat about eighteen inches square,
and around this ran a fence of white and red
stick candies and a small American flag 10
Gated from the roof. When the dinner was
over Mr.. Webster begged this wonderful log
cabin for a child that he knew, and he carried
it to her, and it stood in her home, the delight
of all the children in the vicinity, until a
month later, when the president died, and
then the sugar candy cabin was draped IN
black.
Now, those gentle deeds did not make Dan
lei Webster a '~'softv,n we NIL know; nor will
any of the kindnesses or politeness that you
do stand in the way OF your becoming the
p,not trannanhpnS man nnESiDla '