deck. Let them be well trained, for we are going to leave a big contract
on their hands. Among the three or four million cradles now rocking in
the land are some which this nation would preserve for ages as sacred
things, if we could know which ones they are. In one of these cradles
the unconscious Farragut of the future is at this moment teething think
of it! and putting in a world of dead earnest, unarticulated, but
perfectly justifiable profanity over it, too. In another the future
renowned astronomer is blinking at the shining Milky Way with but a
languid interest poor little chap!–and wondering what has become of that
other one they call the wet-nurse. In another the future great historian
is lying–and doubtless will continue to lie until his earthly mission is
ended. In another the future President is busying himself with no
profounder problem of state than what the mischief has become of his hair
so early; and in a mighty array of other cradles there are now some
60,000 future office-seekers, getting ready to furnish him occasion to
grapple with that same old problem a second, time. And in still one more
cradle, some where under the flag, the future illustrious commander-in-
chief of the American armies is so little burdened with his approaching
grandeurs and responsibilities as to be giving his whole strategic mind
at this moment to trying to find out some way to get his big toe into his
mouth–an achievement which, meaning no disrespect, the illustrious guest
of this evening turned his entire attention to some fifty-six years ago;
and if the child is but a prophecy of the man, there are mighty few who
will doubt that he succeeded.
OUR CHILDREN AND GREAT DISCOVERIES
DELIVERED AT THE AUTHORS’ CLUB, NEW YORK
Our children–yours–and–mine. They seem like little things to talk
about–our children, but little things often make up the sum of human
life–that’s a good sentence. I repeat it, little things often produce
great things. Now, to illustrate, take Sir Isaac Newton–I presume some
of you have heard of Mr. Newton. Well, once when Sir Isaac Newton–
a mere lad–got over into the man’s apple orchard–I don’t know what he
was doing there–I didn’t come all the way from Hartford to q-u-e-s-t-i-
o-n Mr. Newton’s honesty–but when he was there–in the main orchard–
he saw an apple fall and he was a-t-t-racted toward it, and that led to
the discovery–not of Mr. Newton but of the great law of attraction and
gravitation.
And there was once another great discoverer–I’ve forgotten his name,
and I don’t remember what he discovered, but I know it was something very
important, and I hope you will all tell your children about it when you
get home. Well, when the great discoverer was once loafn’ around down in
Virginia, and a-puttin’ in his time flirting with Pocahontas–oh!
Captain John Smith, that was the man’s name–and while he and Poca were
sitting in Mr. Powhatan’s garden, he accidentally put his arm around her
and picked something simple weed, which proved to be tobacco–and now we
find it in every Christian family, shedding its civilizing influence
broadcast throughout the whole religious community.
Now there was another great man, I can’t think of his name either, who
used to loaf around and watch the great chandelier in the cathedral at
Pisa., which set him to thinking about the great law of gunpowder, and
eventually led to the discovery of the cotton-gin.
Now, I don’t say this as an inducement for our young men to loaf around
like Mr. Newton and Mr. Galileo and Captain Smith, but they were once
little babies two days old, and they show what little things have
sometimes accomplished.
EDUCATING THEATRE-GOERS
The children of the Educational Alliance gave a performance of
“The Prince and the Pauper” on the afternoon of April 14, 1907,
in the theatre of the Alliance Building in East Broadway. The
audience was composed of nearly one thousand children of the
neighborhood. Mr. Clemens, Mr. Howells, and Mr. Daniel Frohman
were among the invited guests.
I have not enjoyed a play so much, so heartily, and so thoroughly since I
played Miles Hendon twenty-two years ago. I used to play in this piece