The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1898-07-21
Better Than Shotguns.
(ChicagO RecOrd.)

Senator Mason, in his Fourth Of
July address at Binghamton, N. Y,
after discussing the affairs of the
Nation, and after speaking of the
people at large, made a new depart
ure, and, in taking up the home as
the foundatian of government, spoke
of wives, husbands, and babies, en-
phasizing the point that the man
who was lover of liberty at home
was safe citizen. He made plea,
with some humorous references, for
liberty to the wife and husband, but
when he spoke of liberty for the chill
dren there was earnestness and
pathos. He would have no room in
the house too good for the children.
He would give them the opportunity
of having plenty of company at home,
all the fun the boys and girls could
bring in, and then have no fear that
they would spend their nights in
saloons or worse places. He had
heard men speak of the expense of
rearing children as though they were
raising pigs for the market instead of
developing souls for eternal life. He
would make the memory of kind,
broad, loving, liberal home so strong
that it would save boy from any
temptation.
He made plea for reverence to the
old, urging boys and girls to give to
the father and mother the respect
they are entitled to. Beginning with
the remark, "To me there is no more
arfo TO Of
womanhood than to see love and de-
votion toward the parents" Mr..
Mason said: 1.-The President of the
United States has travelled hundreds
of miles to be with his mother on
this national day. His life, from the
private soldier to the chief executive
Office of the Nation, has been one
continual act of industry and bravery,
yet in all this life no one thing speaks
palmer of his worth than his devotion
to and pride in his mother. Surely
such man can safely be intrusted
with the affairs of our great Nation"
In further exalting the home, Sena-
tor Mason said: "There is much that
is beautiful in life besides music and
flowers, but nothing compares with
baby. The baby, more than any
thing else, is the great civilizer and
great humanizer. The baby has
more power in one of it's little dim
pied fingers than there is in dozen
shotguns."
If Mr.. Mason had said nothing else
in his Fourth of July Grafton than
this last sentence he would deserve
the thanks of all the home makers in
America. He simply gave striking
expressions to a common sentiment
to a truth that every one has an
illustration of every day-''that there
is more power in baby's dimpled
fingers than in dozen shotguns."
1t is significant thing that a
United States Senator brings into
discussion of public questions the
family as the seat of power, as a
potent factor in our public institu-
tions, as the unit, we may say, in
working out the great problems of
American life. The formation Of
character, the direction of thought,
the training of the person, the shap-
ing OF all things that 90 to make a
+ citizen, have the start in the home.
Where there are commonplace, prosy
homes, there are commonplace, prosy
citizens; where there is high senti-
ment in the home, the proper in
tluence exerted, and an atmosphere
of sympathy and harmony prevalent,
there are high-grade citizens who
take interest in whatever is for the
good of the people.