15 



upon them. The very presence of a 

 pistol in the pocket of one of them 



the age. With the pistol has come 

 an avalanche — an inundation of rob- 



creates a desire to use it. The more bers. They bear the ear-marks of 

 he thinks Jibout it the stronger the pistol paternity. It is the revolver 



desire becomes, until it deadens the 

 moral sensibilities and as a final re- 

 sult developes a new fledged enniiiiftl. 



that arrests the railway train, goes 

 through the express and mail cars, 

 appropriating their contents, and ri- 



Yo»in<i' nian, if you should ever have fles the pockets of innocent passen- 

 a lucid moment of reason, I beg of I gers without regard to age, sex, or 

 you to throw your pistol into the mill condition. It is the chief reliance of 

 pond and b« a man among men. I the assassin. It st«^als into the apart- 

 There is also the blood thirsty villian | ments of decrepitude and old age at 



who by nat'ire or habit is insensible 

 to all the nobler impulses of our 

 common humanity, and to whom 



the still hour of midnight and leaves 

 them stripped of their valuables and 

 occupied l>y death. The imprints of 



nothing is sweeter than human gore. | Colt and Wesson figure in most ca- 

 When he is armed with a pistol he j ses of suicide. By the way, the pis- 

 becomes a very scourge to society, ml age is the age of suicides. Sin- 

 He seeks every possible pretext to I gularly enough the presence of the 

 satiate his corn)orant appetite for j pistol begets in the human mind all 

 blood, and that too without regard manner of evil thoughts and intent, 

 to age or condition. And as to the j Indeed, it seems to be a fruitful 

 old hardened criminal from wbasc i source of the mania for self-destruo- 



soui and heart crime has obliterated 

 all sympathy for the good elements 



tion. Nor does it rogard age or sex. 

 Now cast up in your mind the im- 



it is not so straiige that he carries a 

 revolver, because ho expects to meet 



at every turn either the stern hand j the innocent and httlpless on its ac- 

 of jasticfr! or retribution and conse- count — the sad weeds of widowhood 



quently he prepares to sell his life at 



and orphanage, with which the once 



of human society and deadened every ; mense dcstrnctioti of human Jife in 

 lie that binds man to his fellow man ! which the pi:?tol has been the most 



potent instrument — the woe and ;.ti- 

 guish that have settled down upoi 



the 'learest possible price. What I happy domestic altar has been 

 think you of the contrast between i shrouded, and the many school-house 

 yht'. piist and the present ? j doors which have been thereby closed 



I' is, dear reader, an open ques-t against helpless orphans, .and tell m<^ 

 tiou as to whether Colt, Wesson and | what this infant industry has done 

 others with their patented inventions i for the nation. It seetns to me that 

 and manufacture of pistols have not | a little prohibition along this line 

 been the greatest national scourge of | might do the nation some good. 



