The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1896-03-08
CONCERNING PEDIGREE.
Sam Jones Diseusse the Heritages of
Rlcod

greed horses, pedigreed dogs, pedi-
greed cattle. and so on. But blue blood
is not selling now Mt the premium it
did several years ago in neither folks,
nor dogs, nor cattle. Occasionally an
American heiress will pay good price
ior an English blooded animal called
a lord, or a duke, or baron; but in
the average American marts of trade
blooded stock brings but very little
more than the common stock, so
called.
And yet there is q great deal In blood
] don't mean blue blood, but good blood.
When we go back over the history Of
| pedigrees we find that pedigree in a
horse or dog generally starts some
where. Yet very few know the grand
sire or grand-dam of Dexter, or Flora
| Temple, or Brown jug. So it is with
| folks. l have never heard much said
of George Wasnington's progeni,ors.
John Wesley was pedigreed by his
mother, who was famous for having 10
| children. Two of the number changed
the history of the religious world for
all time to come. l nave not heard
much of Martin Luther's grandfather.
Folks are different from animals. The
sire and dam pedigree the colt, with
animals. The son or daughter pedigree
their father, among the genus homo.
y boy of brains and industry and fidel-
| ity will pedigree any father and mother,
and they will become famous because
they were the parents of such boy.
1t is impossible for parents to pedigree
a boy. Where are the sons of Caesar,
of Napoleon, of John Wesley, of Spur
geon, of George Washington, of Daniel
Webster, of Henry Clay? And Grover
Cleveland's boys are all girls. regard
it misfortune to be the sen of great
sire in the human family. 1 never saw
boy overly proud of his daddy that
his daddy was not ashamed of him.
We have got gang Of money pedi-
greed people in America. Their hun
dreds of thousands have stuck them up.
They have organized themselves into
the Four Hundred, or into the select
society of the towns and cities. They
run the boxes at the theaters, the round
dances at their homes. They organize
practice low morals. But as soon as
any of the company burst or lose their
fortunes they are kicked out from
among the gang.
know southern cities who have mem
bers of their swell clubs and societies
in both state and national peniten-
tiaries. They went under financially,
and went with a crash. l wonder what
the swell crowd would do with their ex-
members when they returned from
their prison life. They will be the same
fellows they were before, minus the
money. But money makes erything
go that wears hair, and it will move n
bald-headed man tolerably well.
We have put gold above God, chattels
above character and mammon above
manhood. And no matter who he be,
jew or Gentle, pig-tailed Chinaman
or an Esquimaux, his bank account will
determine his status largely in Chris
tian America, whatever 1t may do for
him in other climes and countries. If
he stands well in banking circles he will
stand well in social circles; he will
stand we'll in the church circles, and
stand fairly well in the home circle. |
have contempt for q dude, but nv
contempt is mingled with sorrow. |
sympathize with any human being who
has no more scnSe than to be dude;
but brewers and distillers and stock
gamblers who have made their millions
ana thrust themselves upon the good
people of any community as leaders of
society, II my dog were to follow in
their procession i would swap him off
for two pups, aud if they followed in the
wake of my old dog, l would give nv
pups away and go out of the dog bust
ness.
One man of sterling character and
scrupulous honesty and industrious
hapits VIII impart more Of real worth
TO any community than 10000 purse
proud brewers and distillers and stock
gamblers and money sharks. Our chill
dren must live after we are dead and
gone. Their chilrdcn must live. A
sterling man like Col. j. j. Howard of
Cartersville, Ga, or like Judge Richard
CIarke, of Atlanta, who has lately gone
to his reward, or like Bishop Pierce. of
the Methodist church, or like PhillIns
Brooks, of Boston, will add more wealth
OF example and character to the genen.
tons which follow us than thousand
miliionaires with their ill-gotten gains
and swell families. Margaret, of New Or.
leans, lived and loved and worked for
!, orphan children, and to her monu-
ment has been erected on the streets Of
New Orleans. When her body was
borne through the streets of New Or.
ieans to the cemetery, lawyers and
bankers and merchants stood on the
streets bowed their heads in silence
with hats Off while her body passed nm
the street The man or woman whom
uoo honors are the My real aristocrats
OF this country. They can truly sing:
m the child Of n king,
n, tent or cottage, why should Icare,
iheyt re building for me a mansion ovsr
A woman like Miss Frances Willard
who is giving her life to redeeminp the
MONIES of our land from the curse of