The Penn's Grove record., 1920-03-05
Child Welfare
A Moose Story
Your Orphaned Children Cared
For and Educated
The Best Insurance in the World

N4NOICJ-4l w ing dlIlClt was
taken from a special number of "The
Moosehearr Magazine and is repro
duced here by Penns Grove Lodge Of
Moose, NO. $40. 1t should appeal to
every man who reads it as a splendid
proposition In caring tor orphaned
children. Any GOOD citizen can be-
come a member OF the Loyal Order of
Moose and thereby feel assured that
his little ones will be taken care of and
educated in case they should be
thrown upon the world without father
anu luoCner. The insurance fee to
members is only $500 a year. The
lesson OF the story is-Join the Moose
and make provision for your little
ones.
In one of our American cities a
young man was walking down the
street one June morning, his head alb
normally high, his thumbs in the
holes OIL his vest and a gay whistle of
pleasure furnishing melody for his
promenade. The breast pocket of his
coat bulged with a quantity of good
cigars which he vas prone to insert
one by one into the faces of his pass
ing friends. He was thus engaged
upon this triumphant march because
since the afternoon before, there had
lain in the cradle at the humble cot
tage he called home, nine pounds of
pink, masculine humanity whom he
recognized as his first child. For the
first time in his life this young mar
understood what Fatherhood meant.
For the first time since his marriage
an entirely new conception of hus-
hardship was in his mind and heart.
Already was he painting pictures and
dreaming dreams about the future of
this marvellous child. In the fullness
of his ~prayerful heart he could see this
little fellow developing from child
hood to youth and from youth to man
hood, stepping higher and ever higher
upon the ladder of success, inspired
and sustained by the encouragement
and support of his own fatherly care.
And as this young father made his
way down towards his office he
CHANGED to see, on the opposite side
of the street, a miserable, no account
bum. In the hair of this wretch the
straw of the livery stable and on his
clothes the filth of forty unclean beds
as he staggered from lamp post to
water hydrant, clutching for support,
making his sad, uneven way up he
street.
The sight of this wreck of human
ity was like a slap in the face to the
young father.
"Mercy!" he thought, "there was a
day when that being lay in a bed by
the side of a hopeful and prayerful
mother, as M child lies today. There
was a day when a father, full of hope
and faith and love, walked down the
street full of pride and pleasure at
the thought of the future that that
thing would achieve. What can have
operated to have brought that once SO
clean and pure child to such an end :!
Which of the passions of social life
can have struck him down to dismal
failure ? Ignorance must have been
at the root of the downfall OF that
youth. 1t is not possible that he
could have had a good home. 1t is
not possible that he could have had a
school course by which his mind would
have been developed and habits OF
thought and study come to him. 1t
must have been that his home was
DESTROYED when he was very, very
young.
"And poverty must have been pres
emf in his case. There could not have
been a good home in which he was
surrounded with a fathers and moth
er's love. Perhaps his parents died
when he was a baby and he a to
take to the garbage cans IN the Alleys
for ~sustenance. He must have been
a gamin in the streets. The cold, re-
lentless hands of Poverty must have
been clutching at his heels all his lie.
Eyes, it was poverty and Ignorance
that drew him down. If it had not
been for these he would have gained
in his youth a self-respect that would
never have permitted him to reach the
depths to which he has sunk.
"Oh" said the father to himself
eff I lust knew today how | could as
u myself that no matter what hap
pens to me and no matter what hap
pens to my wife, that my little BABY
will never know the pain OF poverty
or the ignominy of ignorance. II l
could only insure myself against this
danger"
And as the young father was th1nk-
ing of insurance in this connection ne
bumped into his friend, John, whom
he knew to be a salesman for a great
life insurance company. He said'
John, you are just the fellow | -.
looking for and he told him about
the baby. Il was just thinking as l
came along and saw that human
wreck how much l would give if !
could know beyond the possibility OF
a doubt that my little baby would be
saved from the dangers of ignorance
and poverty no matter Wha' might
"Why," said the insurance man., Il
am lust the fellow you are looking
for. Let us see, Jim, you are thirty
Ave a DID," and he pulled out his
rate book. "Here you are, ordinary
life, $40, 100000, age t~hirty-fve,
s153.5O. | have it here for you, jim;
here is my proposition: You pay me
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