The San Francisco call., 1896-05-31
opportunity to speak in the interests of

the society.
Esther Mossbacher had been instru-
mental in bringing punishment on man
who was cruel to his horse. HE was
driving up big hill and the horse couldn't
go any further, so the driver got out and
beat the horse awfuIly. screamed to the
man to stop, but he went right on hitting
the poor horse, so I ran into blacksmith
shop and told the blacksmith and he ran
out and called a policeman and had the
man that beat the horse arrested"
Katie Donovan had seen a haif-starved
and very weak-looking dog on the street
with a sign on its back-"For Sale"
al had just been to the baker, for loaf
of bread" said Katie, land the baker had
given me doughnut, but 1 had only
begun to eat it when 1 saw the poor dog.
1 went and gave the dog all the doughnut
had left, and took the sign off his back,
and the dog licked my hand. He was
weaK and lay down by doorstep, and 1
thought I would go and ask if could
bring him home. When 1 got back 10
where 1 left the dog he was gone, and
never could find him."
"But you had reason to be satisfied and
pleased with the kindness you showed and
with your efforts to do still more for the
beast that had, no doubt, been greatly
abused by some heartless person." OBJ
served the principal.
There were recitations and more expert
ences, and Arthur Anderson, prodigy of
years, read a few paragraphs from a
daily paper and was loudly applauded. A
! little colored boy asked the principal if the
band couldn't sing the ''Mockirg Bird. !"
The request was granted, and it is as good
as listening to the average concert rendi-
ton to hear Jefferson School singing the
Knocking Bird" The chorus is really de-
lightful, the girls singing on one side
while the boys on the other side whistle
| the air and trill. Little Boy Blue" is an
other favorite song, and that was also given
in appreciable style. Then the $50 children
marched down the assembly hall in per-
! feet order, according to the piano signals
for the fire drill.
Miss Murphy said the children brought
into her Office little kittens or dogs which
| had been saved from cruel treatment.
There are some ludicrous features about
| the actions of the children in carrying out
the objects of the band. For instance, one
| boy nearly had a fight to prevent another
| from chopping long worm in twain. The
| defender of the worm took it up in his
| fingers and carried it into school, where
he frightened one of the teachers who mis-
took il for snake. But, of course, the
boy had to be commended for his act. He
was simply following out the Band of
Mercy idea.
The Jefferson School Band of Mercy
register is wonderful collection of curious
hieroglyphics, for 6-year-old children have
affixed their autographs here and there,
and some interesting studies in the chirog-
raphy of the young is the result. although
some of them sign their names about as
| plainly as Shakespeare or Horace Greeley
used to do. There is plenty of evidence to
the fact that these children are doing good.
| Strong men will hearken to the voices of
tender little girls when they would not
heed the words of elder people, and there
| is an example where man who was beat
ing his horse was called to by child,
"Please don't whip him, SIR"
"What is 1t to your" laughed the rough
! fellow.
! II belong to the Band of Mercy, sir. -
| was the response. "Please don't whip the
horse any more"
swell, child" said the man, lowering
his whip, "since you ask me to stop, I'll
be gol-darned if 1 don't stop. For your
sake, child, r IL not beat him any more"
When children are taught the creed of
kindness at the start, the odds are strongly
in favor of their making better men and
women.