Wit, Humor, Reason, Rhetoric, Prose, Poetry and Story Woven into Eight Popular Lectures

eams dance and play or frost fiend rules the air, there's no place like home. At the World's Fair in Chica

h, the flowers, the green grass,

fair and not return to your land of ice and snow," she shook

ur, or in the east surrounded by mansions of millionaires, my heart goes back in memory's aeroplane to the old Blue Grass town, where six generations of my family sleep, the dearest spot on earth to me-"home, sweet home." When years ago I was nearing the end of a three months' lecture tour in California, a friend invited me to join him on

ow about that. It seems to me a little nearer heaven is the home where husband and wife have lived long together, where children honor pa

erson, my

ere first

were like

ie brow w

ur brow is

s are lik

gs on your

derson,

erson, my

the hill

a cantie

d wi' on

n totter d

in hand

thegither

derson,

nspired by love of home and love of country, the history of the past

a brick." Suppose a battery, planted on some eminence outside this city, were to send a shell through some building every hour; how long until your beautiful city would be one of crumbling walls and flying populati

bit, and it grew upon him until at times he became intoxicated. When under the influence of liquor his reason was dethroned, and one night in a brawl he killed a man. He was given a life sentence. Asking permission to speak he said: 'I have no complaint to make of the verdict, but beg the privilege of saying, God who knows the secrets of all hearts, knows I am not a murderer at heart, for I don't know how nor when I killed my friend.' A few days after he entered this prison his wife came to visit him.

ffic. I hate it for its arrogance; I hate it for its hypocrisy; I hate it for its greed and avarice; I hate it for its domination in politics; I hate it for its disregard of law; I hate it for the load it straps on labor's back; I hate it for the wounds it has given to genius, for the human wrecks it has wrought, for the alms-houses it has peopled, for the prisons it has filled, for the crimes

ot a barren tree, but far worse than barren. Its branches bend with the weight of its fruit, but not a pint, nor a quart, nor gallon, nor barrel from its boughs ever benefited a single mortal by its use as a beverage. Its leaves drip with poison and the bones of

or advocates are taking refuge behind the Bible, and claiming that He who cursed the tree that was barren, planted the one whose root and heart, bark and branches are poisoning the blood of the nation. They pervert scripture, take isolated passages and present an ominum gatherum of quotations to prove the Bible indor

hen a boy in school nothing so vexed me and made me want to fight, as for a boy to mock me. I remember when one of the prettiest girls in school made faces at me and mocked me; from that hour I could never see any beauty in that girl's face, nor have I quite forgiv

nd face bloated, he stands with the last vestige of manly beauty swept from the shattered temple of the soul, it stands off and mocks him. It goes to a home, tramples upon the pure unselfish love of a wife, enthrones the shadow of a drunkard's poverty upon the hearth-stone, makes the empty cupboard echo the wail of hungry children for bread, with its bloody talons marks the door lintels with the death sentence of an immortal soul, and then stands off and mocks the home. It goes to the Congress of the United States and says: "Put upon me the harness of taxation and I'll pull you out of the mire of national debt, and make the administration of the party in power a financial success." Then with a government permit, it proceeds to take out of the pockets of

bubbling spring and laughing brook. In the door of this home I would place an American mother with the youngest of four children in her arms; the oldest son driving his tired team to the barn, the second one the cows to the cupping, the daughter spreading the cloth for tea, and the h

is humble home, gentlemen; the

gate the home life of the country and would like t

l my husband. We feel honored by your visit and

the welfare of the republic, the head of the house says: "Gentlemen, we are trying to keep our home pure; it is our purpose to make our boys patriotic Am

acrifice would this home be willing to make

larm us by your question.

f the Old World are nearing our sh

've decided. Take our oldest boy, who is eager to go. Take him to the battlefield; if he falls in defense of his country's flag, come back, we'll kiss the

with all the power of police, all the majesty of law, and any evil that attempts to destroy these homes ought not to be licensed,

cradle homes of our country today. If a mother could keep her boy in the cradle she might rule the world, but the trouble is, the boy gets too big for the cradle and jumps out. In the cradle he's mama's child, coos if mama coos, and laughs when mama laughs; b

carrier over a route in the mountains of Virginia. One day, when in a lonely spot, two robb

es; you touch dis darkey and you'll have de whole

y to the saloon: "You touch my home and you'll have the poli

was informed the government was not there. At the Capitol he was informed the people are the government. He returned home, called the voters of his county to a meeting in the courthouse and said: "Gentl

eper was questioned by the judge, who said: "Mr. Dolan, what have yo

uldn't tell ye. I was blind, stavin' drunk on

skey of any kind,

meself. Ye license men to sell the stuff; ye ought to taste the stuff ye lic

urt and repeated the question, "Are

nk. Jist thin three other thirsty ones came in and I took a drink with thim; thin they took a drink with me and we kept on drinkin' till we thought we were back in auld Ireland at Donnybrook Fair. Whenever we saw a head we struck it and I suppose this gintlemin's head came my way. Now h

vil built. Strong drink is the fuel that feeds the fire the devil built. Distilleries, breweries and saloons are the axes that cut the fuel that feeds the fire the devil built. License laws are molds that cast the axes, that cut the fuel that feeds the fire the devil built. License

however; the drink is linked to the saloon. If you have the saloon, you have the drink, you have the drunkard. This is not all of the chain; you have the license law. If you have the license law, you have the saloon, you have the drink, you have the drunkard. There is yet another link; the license law is linked to the license voter.

cial life and by reform be forgiven, but when that other life involved in his sin, is seen in after years, walking the streets in painted shame, reproducing the consequences of that man's sin, memory and conscience will combine to give him waking hours while the world sleeps. A man may never enter a saloon, never take a drink o

thered from the drunkards' ho

, and several arms were sticking up out of the

children cursed by inheritance, who are not living but merely existing by scraping the moss of bare subsistence from empty buckets in wells of poverty; and

woman who fills the holy office of wife and mother has a right to a home. The sumptuary law of the saloon says to hundreds of thousands of such women: "You shall not have a home; you shall live in a hovel. You shall not order your home, your food, your drink, your clothing, according to your conscience, but according to the best interest of t

tunity. You shall go to the streets and sweat-shops to earn bread. You shall live in ignorance and mid evil environment that we may gather in the wages of your fath

n woman, who has suffered so long in silence, goes near where the welfare of her home is at stake and out of the sore, sad sorrow of her heart appeals to men for protection to her home from the ravages of the saloon, she is not paid the respect given to a mother hen or bird or bear by the advocate of the liquor traffic. When the niece of Cardinal Richelieu was demanded by a licenti

o heaven and prays. This picture represents thousands of women tied fast to their doom within the tide-waves of the ocean of intemperance. The ship of state passes by, bearing its share of the ill-gotten gains of the liquor traffic, but heeds not the moans and cries of struggling, strangling, dying woman. Oliver Cromwell said: "It is relative misgovernment that

ballot will provide that influence. Having proved her dignity in every new field of activity she has entered, I believe the same flowers of refinement will adorn the ballot box when she holds in her hand the sacred trust

m his brain, blood, bone, muscle, nerves and whatever manhood he has left in store, while his long rest from active toil has given him a reserve force for active, useful business. When the saloon puts a man out of business, he goes out with shattered nerves, weak will, poisoned blood and so unfitted for service no place

nd prosperity crowned his practice in the courts. In drinking saloons he lost his clientage and in penniless poverty he died-unwept, unhonored,

goes and h

ws and nob

ption of whiskey means more consumption of cornbread and that means more corn. Less consumption of whiskey means greater consumption of bacon, and more bacon means more corn to feed hogs. Whe

rawls; more clothing, less cussedness; less heartaches and more happiness. Turn saloons into bake shops and butcher stalls, distilleries into

struction because of too much gold or too little silver, too much tariff or too little tariff, but always because of the vices of its people. The na

est fleets o

her conqu

umbia keep

hearts of

ed to death. When the news reached the ballroom the music hushed, the dance halted, and "Poor Constance! Poor Constance!" went from lip to lip, but soon the music started and the dance went on. While I am talking now the youth, beauty and sweetness of American life is in peril from the flames that are kind

hristians in the name of the church, bleeding at every pore because of the curse of drink. If everyone whose name is on a church roll would step out in line of duty on this question, very soon God would stret

step; but in light harness in the shafts of a race cart he will pace a mile in two-thirty. We have too many Christians who a

l hunch-back member of his church, a dwarf in size but an earnest worker. Crossing a certain stream

g preacher

id: "No, let that little fellow

l, came upon twelve silver statues. Turni

are the twelve apostles, l

ilver apostles? Melt them down into money and

he effect of the censure he was then receiving day by day. Addressing the Senate he said: "I suppose what I shall say in this address will cost me many dear friends." A reporter said: "He hesitated as if choked with emotion at the thought of losing his friends." Then with the majesty of greatness and magnetism of manner he proceeded, saying: "I am charged with being ambitious. If I had listened to the soft whisperings of ambition I would have stood still, gazed upon the raging storm and let the ship of state drift on with the winds. I

ng storm clouds says to the forked lightning, "Strike me!" but grander is the man who can stand 'mid the allurements of th

hat's that

an ox-

o God, and go slay

t's that in

d a little stone

em to God, and go

ad, what's t

aves and two

they'll feed thousands and yo

d home and native land, go cast it against the licensed liquor traffic and your life will bear

future use nor do they intend to use horses or cattle or dogs, but boys. If I could announce that on the evening before the vote is to be taken I would present to the public the future victims of the saloons in this county. If I had a prophet's eye and could select these victims, how many homes I would enter where I would not only be an unwelcome but an unexpected visitor. When the hour would arrive for the exhibition, what an audience I would have! N

my son. Don't talk to me about regulation. Come, you fa

aughter. I never dreamt she would be a drunkard's wife. I have said prohibition won't prohibit,

the future as in the past, let the fathers who vote the curse on the county furnish the victims." I do not offer up any such prayer, but I do say: "O God, give to the home the protection

e of a daughter who was hopelessly ill. Hurrying to the nearest railroad station she said to the conductor: "Sir, do y

with trains on that road. The train will be gone

you a Ch

I'm a railro

ristian man wi

claims to be a Christian, and I think h

e read this message and tell me if you

: "I'm sorry, madam, but that train go

train and let me see my

's wages if I could," said

he train fifteen minutes till we get

n do anything,"

to hold that train?

r said: "Ye

d on than usual and at the next station the train was two minutes ahead of time. At the next station two more minutes had been gained. It was in the early days of railroading when rules were not so strict as now; the conductor knew there was nothing in the wa

When the engineer said to the conductor: "What are you waiting for," the reply was: "Someth

u'll go on when this godly mo

do His part, and the end will be vict