The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-12-12
Barlow Man Discourses on Part
Children Play in the World.
HASY OF OUR GREAT MEN CHlLDLESS
LFttlo Ones are a Heritage From the
Lord, and Their Proper Raising
ls ihe Biggest Thing In
This Life, Says Arp.

hostages to fortune and lmpedlments
70 great enterprises. lie had none to
trouble him and no doubt found more
time TO study and become a great man.
but his philosophical attachments did
not save him from disgrace Perhaps
come children would have saved him,
even though the world would have lost
his philosophy. Shakespeare had but
one son, and he died In early youth,
and the family name became extinct In
the second generation Neither DR..
Johnson nor Charles Lamb nor Hood
nor Tom Moore left children. and
Burns only two. Sir Isaac Newton
was never married. nor was Pope or
Goldsmith or Whitfield Byron had
one child, a daughter Calvin married
q widow with four children. but died
without any Of his own. John Wesley
married a widow, but she ran away
from him three times. The last time
he wouldn't let her come back, but
wrote: Il did not forsake her; | did
not expel her; l will not recall her"
Martin Luther married a nun, as he
said: ITO please his father aud tease
the pope and vex the devil" l have
noticed in my reading that almost all
the great thinkers, philosophers and
statesmen died chlldless or left but
one or two children. Washington had
none, nor General Jackson nor Pope.
Pierce had only two, but they died be-
fore he did. Neither Jefferson nor
Monroe left any son. Webster left one
He was killed at Bull Run. and the
family name dropped out John Ran
dolph was never married, and Poe left
no children. Neither Toombs nCr Gov
ernor TFoup left any son. and Alexan-
der Stephens was never married. DR..
Miller died childless and the family
name dropped out. There is some
thing sad and melancholy in noting
the dropping out Of a nobLe family
name for lack Of children. Now 1t Is
more than probable that these great
men would not have acquired fame or
left to mankind the benefit Of their
great achievements IL numerous chill
dren had been born to them and they
had to scufle to maintain and educate
them. If father does his duty by
his children, he will hardly have time
to acquire either fame or fortune. We
know from experience at our house
that it is an anxious, earnest struggle
to raise ten children in a way that
will make them love US and love home
and cherish the memories OF their
youthful days. 1t Is sad for a man or
woman to have to look back to hard,
unhappy childhood. But which is hest
for "a man-children or great enter
prises? The one is a compliance with
nature and the divine law, the other
a qualification of mans selfish ambl-
ton. The proper raising of a family Of
children is the biggest thing In this
life. In many cases marriages are I'M
happy and the children O curse, but
there is no good excuse for the aver
age man not seeking mate. Of course
there are exceptions, but the univer-
sal law is that woman was created for
man and that her highest duty is to be
a mother to his children No wife is
happy without children.
Children are a heritage from the
Lord, and nobody but the Lord knows
where they came from or why they
came at all. David says: BLESSED is
he who hath his culver full" A child
should be taught early that he or she
was created in the image Of God. The
Bible says so 1t will begat self
respect and perhaps prevent intemper-
ance and bad conduct. When King
Henry was making tour of his king
dom, his subjects met him on the way
and gavS him great oyations and made
presents to him and his courtiers. but
one humble peasant came and brought
nothing. Count Abensberry said to
him: What have you got to present
to his majesty, the klng?" Nothing,
said he; nothing but my children, y
and then he marched them out and
caused them to salute him. There
were twenty-five Of them. and he said:
sMay it please your majesty. these are
my treasures-the children of two
mothers. They are all farmers and
raise produce for your subjects in
peace, and viii defend you in war. .
The king gave him a goOdly present
and his blessing and said to his cour-
tiers: This poor mans gift is the
richest that have yet found"
But / don't believe in twenty-five
children in one family. Ten are