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The Commoner.
5
AUGUST 4, 1005
" THE KINGDOM OF NEVER-GROW-OLD
n
This Article and the Accompanying Verses are Republished by Request
That Iq a pretty scene in. Ethel Barrymore's
Blmple little play, "Cousin Kate' where the
liappy Irish lover throws open the gates of "the
Kingdom of Never-Grow-Old." This Irish lover,
a man who has learned, as Francis Murphy would
eay, that "it's time enough to be dignified when
you're dead," had ever kept himself in touch
.with the children and had not permitted himself
to become a stranger to the things that most de
light the children's hearts. By chance he meets
.with "Cousin Kate," with whom he falls desper
ately in love. He mentions the famous old tale
of the "Three Bears and Silver Locks," and
"Cousin Kate" aslcs him if he is interested in
Bitch stories. He confesses the truth and ad
mits that he has made it a practice to fight off
the ravages of increasing years by keeping in
touch with the simple things of life and mingling
.with the little ones. He tells her that it is
jjust such things as these that keeps men and
jwomen young, and he adds that these pastimes
are merely journeys to "the kingdom of never-grow-old."
"Cousin Kate" drops into a seat and
says: "Tell me the story of the 'Three Bears
and Silver Locks."' The young Irishman be
gins the tale and when its conclusion is antici
pated by his fair listener, showing that she has
a familiarity with such stories, her lover takes
a seat beside her and with a fine display of en
thusiasm, says: "You are one of us; you, too,
are of the kingdom!"
Stage folks have no monopoly in the touring
of this kingdom. There are many busy men and
women in this world today, as there have been
busy men and women in the past, who make
frequent journeys to those hallowed precincts.
"And a little child shall lead them" is not all a
prophecy; it is history. Some of the world's
strongest men have been led by little ones; not
led from the path of duty, but kept in that path
by the influence which the association with little
children had upon their lives. Several years ago
when Benjamin Harrison, then president of the
."United States, visited Omaha, he addressed a
great gathering of children on the high school
grounds. Always liappy in his speeches to men,
.General Harrison showed that he was,, as well, a
children's orator. He knew how to command their
attention; he knew how to touch their hearts;
and, president though ho was, he made the-bold
confession, then and there, that he had made it
, a practice to seek the company of little children
in order to obtain the relaxation necessary in a
busy career and that in the company of these
little ones he had vund the very best in life.
The man who confines his association to
grown folks ignores opportunities for developing
the mind, for rejuvenating the soul and for re
newing faith in mankind. In the marts of trade
there is selfishness and brutality; in the political
arena there is hypocrisy and insincerity; in the
social circle there is double dealing and lack of
candor; but in the temple of childhood there is
sincerity and truth; In "the kingdom of never-grow-old"
there is relief from the meanness and
the malice of the world.
He who would see!: rest from the toil and
the anxiety of a busy life may find it if he but
cast dull dignity to the winds and cultivate the
acquaintance of those concerning whom the grent
Dickens said: "I love these little people, and
it is not a slight thing hen they, who are so
fresh from God, love us." In those circles the
weary man of business re-ews his lease upon life
and warms the cockles of his heart; he is brought
closer to nature, closer to truth, closer to God
as he strolls in the sunbeams that dance among
the trees and flowers thriving about the palaces
of nature in "the kingdom of never-grow-old."
In the ballads and the tales of the nursery
there are lessons of life and or love; lessons of
philosophy and of logic lessons of truth and of
poetry; there is simple eloquence and real earn
estness. Those who have not accustomed them
selves to wander in this kingdom aro not 3
to appreciate these things, but many whose feet
are familiar with the ground will bear testimony
to these claims.
There are men who could not, with patience,
sit through an evening of Wagner; men who do
not know one of music's notes from another, and
yet, if one doubts that there is muBlc In tho
hearts of these men let him, some winter even
ing, peer through tho portals of "tho kingdom"
and he will be given a touch of the soul of music
compared with which the products of "the harp
that once through Tara's halls," are hardily
worthy of mention. Some of these notes may
grate harshly upon the ears of the Wagnerian;
the disciple of Thomas may Imagine that he de
tects indications of discord; the follower of Bee
thoven may assort that all Is not harmony; but
those wLo, like the Irish lover in "Cousin Kate,"
are "of the kingdom," -villi be able to grasp the
celestial character c' the melody. There is real
music in the "patty cake, patty cake" of "the
dtdtdtdtdtdidtdtdtdididtdtdididi
& THE BEAUTIFUL KINGDOM dt
di &
& There are faces alight with the glory of &
di love di
& In the "Kingdom of Nover-grow-old." &
dt There are hearts that are light as tho dt
& clear skies aboe dt
& In that kingdom of beauties untold. di
dt And happy is he who can dwell in that
dt land di
dt Where children are ruling with scepters &
$ in hand, &
& For youth is the monarch of one happy &
dt band, ' dt
dt In the "Kingdom of .Never-grow-old." dt
di di
dt No sorrows lurk deep in grim thickets of dt
dt gloom dt
dt In the "Kingdom of Never-grow-old."
dt But flowers of beauty are ever in bloom dt
dt And the pathways are shining as gold dt
dt The laughter of little ones borne on the dt
dt air
dt Is surcease of sorrow and care for all di
dt care,
dt For happiness reigns and has banished di
dt despair $
dt In the "Kingdom of Never-grow-old." d
dt di
dt The little hands wave a warm welcome &
dt to all ' di
dt In the "Kingdom of Never-grow-old." &
dt The sweet little voices in harmony call, & .
dt And their little arms wait to enfold. di
dt And Father Time pauses to taste of the
di joys, J
dt To join in the games full of romping di
di and noise
di That are played all the hours by sweet di
di girls and boys &
& In the "Kingdom of Never-grow-old." &
di &
dt Come, walk with me now through the di
di cool shadows deep JJ
di In the "Kingdom of Never-grow-old." di
di And backward the years of ou. troubles di
di will creep $
di While stories of youth are retold. di
di All burdens grow light and all cares we di
di dismiss;
di The gates are unlocked by a sweet baby jt
di kiss, &
dt And Love sits enthroned in the City of di
di Bliss
dt In the "Kingdom of Never-grow-old." di
$ WILL M. MAUPIN. di
'dt
jr s? r & dtdtdtdtdidididididididi
bakor's man;" In tho "Irot, trot, trot'" on tho
journey "to Banbury Cross;" in tho "Hoy, diddle,
dlddlo" of "tho cat and tho flddlo," In the "Sing a
song of sixpence, a pockot full of rye, four and
twenty blackbirds baking in a pie," or In "Onory,
orry ickery, Ann; Filllson, Folllson, Nicholas,
John; Queevoy, quavey, English navy, rlnktum,
tlnktum; Buck."
Those who aro "of the kingdom" can testify
that out of the mouths of babes como wisdom.
One of the best known of tho district Judges In
tho city owOmnha, long ngo loarned to leave u.ln
dignity upon the bench and to forgot it while
recuperating in tho sunshine of 'Mio kingdom."
Not long ago 3 Judge loft his homo In the morn
ing boforo his Infant child had awakened. Arous
ing from his sleep, the little one rubbod his eyes
and calling to his mother, asked, "Whero's my
daddy?" I was told that tho judge had gono
to his dally labors. "Did ho kiss me before ho
went away?" asked tho child.
Tho mother replied In the ufllrmatlve.
For somo time tho little cne lay still and
then called, "Mamma, como and feel my heart."
Tho mother, with some curiosity and con
siderable anxiety, complied with the request and
asked, "What's tho matter with your heart?"
The little one replied, "My heart's a bcatln'
hard."
"What is your heart boating hard for?" asked
the mother.
"My heart's a bcatln' hard for my daddy to
como homo!" replied the child.
The sweetest singer of all the ages gave to
men tho sweetest song of all tho years when ho
said: "Of such are the kingdom of heaven!"
As the forget-me-nots pf the angels, strewn
before tho foot-sore man, make life's pathway
easier to tread, these little "heart boats" make
themselves folt over the broad expanse that rop
arates the nursery from the counting room, spur
men to greater effort and Inspire them to nobler
purpose.
The man i.i the Kentucky hemp fields, who
had wandered in a maze of doubt and skepticism,
was so impressed with his new found affection
for a noble woman that he finally planted his
feet firmly upon "faith's foundation stones" be
cause he conceived that there must bo a good
God, else there could not bo such a holy lovo.
Within the radius of the child's pure affection,
within tho embrace of the little arms, within tho
fcvl of the little "heart-beats," there is no room for
doubt, there is no place for skepticism. The
purity, the love, tho faith of "one of the least
of these" points as unmistakably to divine origin
as the needlo points to the pole. Love and faith,
and hope and charity, all these, as well as rest
and recreation, await those who would make the
happy pilgrimage over hallowed ground In "tho
kingdom of never-grow-old."
RICHARD L. METCALFE.
A FAIR QUESTION
The Memphis News SclmaUr asks "If the
canal commission has a right to buy where it
can buy cheapest, why shouldn't tho citizen have
the same privilege?"
That does seem like a fair -question. But we
must not forget that the canal commission has a
record to make under the republican administra
tion; and, under the republican administration,
the duty and the privilege of the people is con
fined to the payment of bills.
A great many administration scandals are
leaking out, despite the herculean efforts to stop
the leaks. The leaks, not tho scandals, seem to
be causing all the worry.
a
