SUMMER MEETING. 47 



as soon as they can speak and tell their wants and the reason of it, 

 they become more gentle. In adult life culture does for us what speech 

 does for children. Men and women talk vehemently, blunder and 

 quarrel, but with culture things are cleared up a little ; they desist from 

 weak vehemence and explain their meaning in detail. If the tongue 

 had not been framed for speech, man would still be a beast in the 

 forest. 



What are the red-letter days in the whole calendar for our boys? 

 Most of them would say Fourth of July or Christmas. Who can scent 

 a fire-cracker without visions of juvenile celebrations rising before the 

 mind — burning incense to this country of ours? Yet all this roar and 

 smoke is in vain if it does not each year burn into the boj's heart a 

 fuller sense of patriotism. Must we await a war or actual threatening 

 of danger to feel the thrill of patriotism, which puts a man on bis metal 

 to do and give his best to the country — honesty of purpose and hon- 

 esty of action f 



'Tis not the foreign population that is to blame for the muddle 

 affairs are in, but some of our best citizens who have lazily withdrawn 

 from all responsibility and boasted to their shame that they have no 

 part in politics. But the wave of this reform is in its infancy. This 

 generation has started it ; the next will guide it. Study it. Teach it 

 to your boys. Read history. Show him how Napoleon, with his vast 

 talent and power, of which no one can read without admiration, but 

 without conscience or principles, left France poorer and feebler than 

 he found it, and the whole contest for freedom to be done over again. 

 Portray this in sharp contrast with our honored Lincoln, who, posses- 

 sing those qualities i^apoleon lacked, rests in our heart in gratitude 

 and love. 



Prepare the boy with all in your power to take his place in this 

 reform. England is a magnificent country; she is solid, as they say. 

 Why ? An honesty of purpose marks her whole state and municipal 

 government. Their power rests on their national sincerity. They con- 

 fide in each other; the English believe in the English. On a return 

 trip to America the United States officials meet you out on the ocean 

 and compel each person to solemly affirm their property subject to 

 duty, and then place the lie on the whole transaction by having every- 

 thing searched when you land. Is this the status of our national con- 

 fidence? We have the English national song to different words ; we 

 have the same national colors arranged differently ; we have finer pos- 

 sibilities in our land, but, I grieve to say it, we lack honor in our gov- 

 ernment. 



