The Crittenden record. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1904-1907, 1906-09-28

a boy is boy, and boy is piece of
property, unique, rich, unpurchasable.
A Barnato might have boys of his own,
but if he had none, he could not buy
one of yours, or mine, for thrice two
hundred millions in yellow gold. And
so while we have no money in bank,
yet in our boys, our little boys, we
have wealth incompatible. If all the
sand of the sea shore was pure gold
it would not buy from us one kick of
that little fat foot, one loving glance
from his bright eyes, or one funny nod
of his little round head. And think you
now, of the millions Of homes in the
deep pasture lands Of fair Columbia
where these bright little, funny little
manikins are raising happy war, all
the time jumping and tumbling and
humping, jabbering comic English with
their funny little tongues; looking at
everything with their quick, eager eyes;
eating everyth ing they can get
into their mouths and always wanting
more; running furniture; tearing up
books; kicking holes in the carpet; plas
tering themselves with dirt; chasing
after and catching the measles, whoop
ing cough, and every available disease,
perfect bundles Of appetite; as full Of
electricity as eels, and as curious as
ever their mothers were before them
leading lives Of rollicksome, frolick-
some happiness, and keeping their par
ents on the borderand of insanity. As
| think Of these millions Of boys, and
all Of the love twined round them, ali
the proud ambitions Of which they are
the living centerpieces, and Of how
bright. how beautiful. how innocent
they are, and then think Of the rough
way 10 manhood which lies before their
chubby feet and little short crooked
legs, and Of the dangers which like wild
beasts and poisonous snakes. Turk along
the highways 10 tear and deface their
stout little innocent hearts. feel that
| need a voice like the voice Of heavens
loudest artillery, and an eloquence to
make my speech as the richest pick
ings Of the famous Klondike For a
boy can come nearer getting next 10
you than any other living thing He
has less sense. yet he knows more, con
sidering his parentage and the chance
he has had lie can make you madden
and gladder. and somehow seem TO be
able 10 get clear down 10 the bottom Of
your nature. and stir you all through
yourself. 4 man who has never owned
a boy Of his own, has never seen the
sun shine. nor the rain fall. He may
have heard music from a one-stringed
violin, but he never listened TO earth's
sweetest music in full diapason.
And how they grow. They swarm up
from millions Of homes, in all the high
ways and by-ways. They su iggle into
their knee pants and crawl out Of them
at both ends. In school and out they
are always at their lessons. learning.
eating, growing. pushing. crowding
building up brain and sinew. scraping
the bark of their shins. tanning their
faces and changing their plump club
biness into hard bone and strong mus-
Gle Of manhood with a rush that aston
ishes And for the sake Of this CON
stantly coming host Of sturdy
little fellows. who. since the days when
the earth was young. have been march
ing in constantly increasing numbers
up from the nurseries out into man
hood, into the great rush of the roar
. ing world. and on. on. out into unknown
worlds, we wish that all the evil could
be struck dead by the lightning II
heaven, so that all the men into which
these boys grow. would be-. as Tor their
loving and innocent hcarts. as these
boys now are.
I But they meet with evil OF cyuy
point. Millions Of ugly claws stretch
Ell out on every side to pull these boys
down. To ruin their rlddy health. and
stain their innocence. And this is a
sad shame. that the great dangers in
their way come from men who were
once boys, but now are simply bundles
Of disease, ruined morally and physi-
cally. and going on roller skates. down
hill into infamy And these wandering
stars, soon 10 be- lost in the blackncss
Of darkness. take a delight which must
be- kindlcd from the flames Of hell. in
teaching these oncoming boys the errors
by which their own lives have been
blasted. They take a package Of vile.
sinking cigarettes. and show the boys
the yilcr pictures And thcy show them
how to smoke, and how 10 blow the
horrible stygian fumes through their
J. n ia. ~