Daily Kennebec journal., 1902-08-28

eusta. this morning. Your Legislature
only meets every other year, and only
stays in session about two months.
Quite right. You do not need too many
laws. too much legislation. What We
need is stability of laws, fearlessness
in applying legislation to new evils,
when the evils spring up, but above all
common sense and self-restraint in ap-
plying these remedies and the fixed
and Interchangeable belief that funda-
mentally each mans salvation rests in
his own hands. All of us stumble at
times.
There is not a man here who does
not at times need a helping hand
stretched out towards him. Shame
upon the man, who, when the oppor-
tunity to help is given, fails to stretch
out the hand. Help the man who stum-
bles. Help a brother who slips. Set
him upon his feet. Try to start him
along the right road. But if he lies
down. make up your mind you cannot
carry him. (Applause). If he won't
try to walk himself he is not worth
carrying That is so among your
neighbors, that is so in your own fami-
lies.
Every father of large family-and
being an old fashioned man, / believe
in large families-knows that if he has
to do well by his children he must try
to do well by themselves. Now haven't
you in your experience known men
and / am sorry to say even more often,
women-who think that they are doing
a favor to their children when they
shield them from any effort? When
they let the girls sit at ease and read
while the mother does all the house
work? Don't you know cases like that?
l do. yes: when a boy will be brought
up to be very ornamental and not play
useful? Don't you know that, too? Ex-
actly.
Now those are not good fathers and
mothers. They are foolish fathers and
mothers. They are not being kind,
they are simply being silly. That's all.
1t is not any good that you do your son
or your daughter. for by teaching him
or her how to shirk difficulties you do
him or her good, only if you teach him
or her to face difficulties and by facing
them to overcome them. Isn't that
true? Don't you know it to be so in
on a larger scale in the state
The only way by which in the long
run any man can be helped is by teach
ing him to help himself. OF course
there may come sudden cataclysms
where you have got to extend help with
a free hand.
Think only of the immediate need
not of the ultimate results OF course
new conditions will arise here and
there and especially in the complex in
dustrial life of great cities where you
must shape the legislation Of the coun-
try on a new basis to meet the new
conditions. But fundamentally its is
true that the only permanent better
ment in the condition of any nation is
to better, to raise, the standards of in
dividual citizenship throughout that
nation.
The brief visit closed with a delight
full little incident. A good many had
noticed that Mr.. HaineS carried some
thing in his hand carefully wrapped in
chamOis during all the ceremonies. A
few knew what it was but they kept
their peace until the President himself,
standing on the rear platform of his
so carefully covered was a little hunt
ing axe, beautifully made and polished
but withal capable of all kinds of work
in amp. Everything was as perfect as
it could be but not at all fancy-just
an everyday hunting axe of unusually
fine quality.
The little axe was made at Oakland
by John King especially for the PreSi-
dent and presented by Mr.. Haines after
the President had finished speaking.
The President was apparently delight
ed with the novel little gift and stand
ing on the platform of the car ex-
plained how he had sent to an Ameri-
can consul in Canada for a Hudson
Bay hunting hatchet and how he never
expected to find one in Maine. The
way he pulled the little axe out of its
covering and held it up where every
one could see it and deilghtediy told
them all about it made him the firm
personal friend of every man, woman
and child in the crowd
The people We're just getting ac-
quainted with their President when the
time came for him to go. If Watervilla
could have had her way she would
have let the whole Maine Central
train schedule gone to the dogs. side
tracked the special and had the Presi-
dent down to dinner and then shown
him over the city and given him one
or the best times of his life But Ban
gor had first claim and Waterville had
to submit as gracefully as she could
and let the train roll away up the yard
and over the bridge to the fair.
AS the train pulled out of the station
the President stood on the rear plat
form of his car, constantly bowling to
the people who crowded in as closely
as possible on either side of the track.
There was more cheering. waving of
hats and handkerchiefs and a hearty
Godspeed as the train disappeared
Waterville has seen the President and
he's Just Teddy" genial. sensible
hard-hitting Teddy" who capture1
the city and made it all his own in less
than 10 minutes
There have been various estimates as |
to the size of the crowd that was pres |
ent. but the more conservative place if |
az about 1000. one of the largest if not |
the largest that ever gathered about |
the station A large number declared |
positively that it was the largest crowd |
ever collected in the city at any time.
Some estimate as high as 10000. but il |