As soon as they learn
about them, they begin to agitate and say, 'We must have this thing
stopped. Where is the remedy?'"
"And what is it, what is it, madame, in your opinion?" said the old
gentleman, pawing the floor with impatience.
"Just the remedy that I would propose for the great evil of
intemperance," said the old lady, smiling at him. "Legislation and
education. Legislation for the old and hardened, and education for the
young and tender. I would tell the schoolboys and schoolgirls that
alcohol will destroy the framework of their beautiful bodies, and that
cruelty to any of God's living creatures will blight and destroy their
innocent young souls."
The young man spoke again. "Don't you think," he said, "that you
temperance and humane people lay too much stress upon the education of
our youth in all lofty and noble sentiments? The human heart will always
be wicked. Your Bible tells you that, doesn't it? You can't educate all
the badness out of children."
"We don't expect to do that," said the old lady, turning her pleasant
face toward him; "but even if the human heart is desperately wicked,
shouldn't that make us much more eager to try to educate, to ennoble,
and restrain? However, as far as my experience goes, and I have lived in
this wicked world for seventy-five years, I find that the human heart,
though wicked and cruel, as you say, has yet some soft and tender spots,
and the impressions made upon it in youth are never, never effaced.
Pages:
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153