The Washington herald., 1918-01-21


sation to his children, give them a
start. My father went to the war In
August and I was born the 18th OF
the following November. My father
never came home. He sleeps beneath
the palmetto trees of the South.
So, 1 have fought my war through
life since I was a little boy. six years
old. I know all about the dark and
the seamy side OF life, her battles an,
her struggles, sir.
I lived with my grandfather. Grand.
father was good, kind, had a heart In
went to church. but he always want
morning and hike me of to Sunday
school, but he never went.
He made wine out Of grapes and
dandelions and all that. but he never
wanted me to drink. He used to keer
it down in the cellar, and used to
go down and get a straw and stick
through there. or get a seed onion
and suck 1t through there.
Ny grandfather was kind-as said
and he used to chew. He had tobac.
CO Il forget what they used to call it.
1t looked like gum, mud and tar
pressed together). / think they called
it navy" or something like that.
One time we had some company and
randno T,tYIIad Ha III.
the northwest corner off and I said
GIVE me a chaw. grandpa"
He said, mo, sir! Don't ever let me
hear you talk about chewing tobac-
col"
said. II will when I get big"
He said, What's that?" He turned
me over his knee and his hand came
down and could see stars that big!
He didn't want me to swear, but he
did. He didn't want me to drink, but
he did. He didn't go to church. but
he wanted me to go. We all want
something better for our children than
we had.
Ethan Allen, one of the heroes OF
the Revolution, was an infidel, and
his wife went to a premature grave
because of his sneerings. He had one
child, a girl She clung to her old
hero daddy, like the ivy clings to the
oak, and she died from consumption,
One day. in her weakened condition,
she called him to her bedside. She
said, Papa, you say there is no God,
no Christ. no heaven. no hell; that
the Bible is not true, that death is an
eternal Sleep" Gle was a protege OF
Tom Payne).
You say that death is an eternal
sleep. Mamma says there is a Goo
that Jesus is the Son of God, that
there is a heaven. there is hell. She
says the Bible is true. Mother is
gone, but remember what she told
me. 1 remember what you have said
and you don't agree. WIT do you
think I'd. better do, papa. I haven't
got long to live. VIII follow you or
follow mammal"
Hero Recommends Jesus.
The old hero slipped his arms be.
meath the thin, transparent body. He
lifted her from her bed. He Rugged
her to his heart, while the tears rolled
down his cheeks. He said, Follow
your mothers way. 1t Is the safest
You want something better. All
right. see this young fellow over In
the 18th chapter of Luke. He walks
up to his daddy and says, Look here,
did. I am tired of milking cows and
hauling out manure. / want you to
divy up
81 don't understand"
IT want you to come across"
I don't know what you mean"
I want my share Of the swag and
simoleons. Come on with the dough.
Come on. How many bucks are due
me?"
Then the old man tumbled. He
said, "Oh, you want your portionT'
That's right"
So the old man goes and gets his
channels skin bag. dumps 1t out onto
the table and gives the young fellow
his portion, and he starts out.
He gets him an overcoat with two
rows of buttons on it as big as sau-
GERS. He goes down to Babylon and
Is introduced to the young men and
the young woman down the white
way Of Babylon. and he learns to
swear by the heather dieties. He
learns to buck the tiger. He has a
gold piece on a game of chance, and
he learns to swear on what sounds
nice. He swears like he'd heard men
swear when he was a little boy.
He'd heard prominent business men
He'd heard men In the lodges, per.
haps he'd heard his own father swear
and he would blush to the roots OF
his hair II his own mother had heard
1t. I want to say, sir, don't believe
a man can be good and swear.
don't believe q man can be a good IA
ther and swear. don't believe a
man can be q good husband or a good
son and swear. don't believe he can
be a good citizen and swear. 1 don't
believe he can be gentleman and
swear.
You can hang out your sign, an,
nouncing yourself as such, but when
you forget and leave out the booze,
take down your sign. for you cash In
your manhood, sir, from that point
There are three things that will
rend any city or town. sir, and give
1t q bad name and make it a stencil
In the nostrils of decent people all
over the land. Three! One of them
Is open license saloons. The other is
open stores and cursing, swearing.
and drinking of our men and wome.i
on our streets or in our hotels or res
taurants. my friends. oh, If you knew
how those things damn any commu-
nifty, whether 1t Is rural or whether 1t
be in a city.
sizxIes swearers.
oldkmen swear, young men swear;
boysj<swear: women swear What
daas = mar rya~t e. c,,r.o $50 49,