The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-01

for of such is the kingdom of heaven" The
man who does not thrill responsive to the
smile of child is twin with him who
is not moved by concord of sweet sounds
and is fit for treason, strategem and
spoils. When the gray mists settle
about me, when the air of life is chill.
when the burdens laid upon me seem
greater than I can BEAR when love and
truth and goodness seem but abstract
IDEAS, and 1 doubt the rectftude of my
own aspirations, the responsive smiles
Of the children whom 1 meet on the
street, warm the cookies of my heart as
nothing else can.
The kindly glance, the friendly nod,
May interest show or craft conceal;
Not all the penitents who kneel
Before the altar worship God
A man may SMILE and smile, and be a
Villain. SO also may a woman. But
a child smiles only in response to some
subtle sympathy that we are glad to
think springs from no sordid interest.
Children loved Hawthorne; they made
friends with this big. silent, dreamy man:
there saw semething-they knew not
what. butt was close akin to their child
ish yearnings.
have sometimes thought that / am
not altogether bad-that the mark OF
Cain is not stamped in living letters of
shame upon my forehead, for children,
shy or bold, greet me with confiding
trust, and dogs take it for granted that
I am their friend as they rub their cold
noses against my hand.
1t was not many years ago-a bright
morning in early June. had fingered
longer than usual in the garden among
the radishes and peas. 1t was not far
from 8 o'clock when started for the
office. In my way, on either side of the
street, were three or four vacant blocks
On which, near the sidewalk, were a
number Of cows quietly grazing A few
rods before me, daintily dressed, walked
little miss of six years-the daughter OF
q neighbor living some blocks away.
Casting furtiye chances over her shout
der she slackened her pace until 1 came
UP, when smiling into my face she said:
i know you. You are Mr.. -. I ana
Mr.. Sterling's little girl. ] am going to
the Kindergarten. Next fall I will be
promoted to the primary With this,
she took my hand and tripped along by
my side, the very embodiment of sweet
childish Innocence and beauty. rnnst
confess that my heart swelled and 1 felt
the better man for this gratuitous exhi-
ihitien of childish interest She told me
of her teacher and of the games they
played and of the songs they sang. l
was interested in her prattle and compli-
mented by her confidence. We had pass
ed the vacant lots. The chatterer became
silent; she released my hand s sdl rr ran
ahead with a '.good-by' Are YOU go
ing to leave me now!' said I, feeling
that perhaps I had failed in some way to
interest her. 20, I must hurry; we are
past the COWS now" and on she went
like an apple blossom blown by the wind.
We had passed the cows She had no
more use for me-. The old, old story I'M
consciously demonstrated by one so
young. Was it the impellant force of
heredfty-the diplomatic training of CEN
turtles? Others have deserted me when
not second thought is one of those
things which I expect But this reyela-
ton from an innocent child made an i'm
preston which 1 would gladly erase. It
hurt my vanity, and yet it is something
to be chosen even as the guide of a child
while we are passing the COWS.
Tomorrow is Labor day. For few
snort hours the hammer and anvil will
cease to ring out their challenge to sloth.
The fire in the furnaces will smolder
and the looms will be idle. The great
American people IN respect for those who
toll, will leave their work and their en-
ployment" and pause for a day.
We are told that life is a struggle be-
tween the forces that tend to build and
the forces that tend to destroy. So even
ly balanced are these agencies that labor
and rest have become the law of our
being.
Whether 1t is because of the sentence
passed upon Adam, or whether 1t is the
result of evolutfon-the result of the
struggle for existence-labor has become
necessary to the development of the men
tai as we'll as the physical man
In the sweat of thy brow shalt thou
eat thy bread" is everIastingly true-it is
the declaration of heaven given law.