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2 A Distinguished Southern Family When Dr. Robert Stuart McArthur, the great New York preacher, was filling Chatauqua engage ments in Missouri last summer, he met one day Mrs. H. B. Folk, the venerable mother of the famous re form governor of that state—and mother, too, of a whole half dozen sons who are distinguished as men of great ability, character and achievement. Bowing before her with that genial suavity of man ner which the dominant Scotch blood in Dr. Mc- Arthur makes beautiful everywhere, he took the good woman’s hand and said: ‘ ‘ The Mother of the Gracchi was ‘not in it’ compared with the mother of the Folk boys.” And verily the record verifies the sweeping dec laration. In the order of their birth the inspiring story, simply told, is this: Dr. Edgar E. Folk, Baptist preacher, editor of the Baptist and Reflector, a wise and honored leader of the affairs of the great Baptist denomination in the South; and president of the Anti-Saloon League in Tennessee, leading in the campaign which has closed hundreds of saloons during recent years. Henry Folk, first honor graduate of Wake Forrest College in the class of Thomas Dixon—acknowl edged to be the brightest of all the sons, when death cut short his brilliant and promising career. Reau Folk, formerly editor of the Nashville Ban ner and now State Treasurer of Tennessee. Carey Folk, President for years respectively, of Brownsville Female College and Boscobel College, Nashville. Joseph W. Folk, now Governor of Missouri after the bravest, most startling and inspiring prosecu tion of prominent grafters and boodlers the world has ever seen—and—just as sure to be President of the United States as he keeps on doing like he has been doing—and the Lord preserves his life. Humphrey Folk, Baptist preacher, a young man of not only splendid promise but of present “per formance.” And besides these six remarkable sons, this more than “Mother of the Gracchi” has two queenly, cultured, consecrated daughters, Misses May Folk, Gertrude Folk, who are active workers in church and literary circles. Governor Folk. It is natural, however, that special interest should gather about that one of the sons who has startled all America by his brave and successful efforts in political and moral reform in Missouri. So much has been written and printed about t*he remarka ble young District Attorney who “just did his duty” in St. Louis that details are unnecessary in this brief sketch. All the world knows how the honest, fearless manhood of Joseph W. Folk caused him to attack wickedness in high places until un scrupulous millionaires were hurled from their pe destals of ill-gotten gain and grafting lawmakers from their thrones of corruption and power to crouch beneath the searchlight of Folk’s faithful investiga tion and reek at last in prison and in chains. The slumbering conscience of America awoke. The law, long impotent and inactive, took heart again. In a dozen states and more waves of moral and polit ical reform are sweeping everywhere. They are saying: “If Folk can do these things in Missouri then we can put down grafting and coruption here.” Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been of fered him to form great law firms in other cities; the vice-presidential nomination was offered him by the leaders of the Democratic party before the last National Convention, but to all such offers this young man of only thirty-seven, quietly smiles the answer: “No, my duty is in Missouri now.” A Christian Governor With a Christian Wife. But after all, the most beautiful thing in the sight of Christian men and women is this: Joseph Wingate Folk is a devout Christian man From the lofty position where his trueness and greatness have placed him he bows at the foot of the Cross with the faith of a little child. Converted at sixteen and baptized by Rev. L. M. Trotter, then pastor of By WILLIAM D. UPSHAW. The Golden Age for May 10, 1906. the Baptist church at Brownsville, Tenn., Joseph W. Folk’s religion has been a part—indeed, the su premest part of his brave, conquering life. He is the kind of Christian man (lawyer and governor now to the rear( who believes it is fashionable to go to prayer meeting, and he does not believe that a man should graduate from the Sabbath school until he gets his diploma from the skies. When I saw him at Lexington, Ky., last week, where he stirred and blessed three thousand people at the great Educational Conference, he was as genial and approachable as when I met him at Brownsville ten years ago where, in addition to vis iting his parents, he was casting wistful glances to ward the nearby home of a lovely neighbor girl— Gertrude Glass, who has just enough culture, com mon sense and old-time religion to fit her for queen of the Governor’s mansion now or the White House by and by. When I took this great young Christian statesman by the hand as he was ready to step into the carriage, I could not help being personal: “God bless you. We believe in you. We love you for what you are, for what you are doing and for what you are meaning to the cause of God and humanity.” And he answered something like this: “I thank you. When a man is being hammered and ham mered all the time for doing his duty, I confess 'it is rather refreshing to get out among the people and find that somebody loves him.” Thus spoke the truest type of modest but stal wart Christian statesmanship in America today! The Parents and the Old Homestead. How natural that we should like to see and know the childhood home of men and women who have be come justly famous! The picture of the Folk homestead which we give to our readers this week looks very like it did when I was a fortunate guest there for several days in the spring of ’96, when 1 lectured in Brownsville. Judge H. B. Folk, the honored father of these honored sons was living then, having preached the gospel and practiced law until the -weight of years had brought him to a grand old age. How companionable he was! What fellowship we had together! For though the snows of winter were on his head, the beauty and gladness of springtime were holding a glad carnival in his royal heart. And the mother of that homelike home—the con sort of Judge Folk’s rich and fruitful life! I can not tell the story of her. She was the stranger’s mother then as nearly as one not my own could possibly be. And lam think ing of those beautiful words of Charles Nichols written nearly half a century ago before his gifted pen grew still: “My mother, 0 my mother! How can I speak thy worth ? Thou dearest, purest emblem Os Jesus here on earth!!” Verily the truest meaning of mother found and yet finds in this mother “the perfect touch.” I can never forget how gentleness, so wondrous and sweet, reigned in that home everywhere and all the time. Between husband and wife, between the lovely daughters of the home, between the visiting sons—from parent to child and from child to par ent—gentleness, gentleness everywhere! Such confidence in each other! Such unvarying devotion to Right! Such incense of Faith and Praise around the family altar! No wonder every child of that home became early by Faith a “new born” child of God. “Joe has done nothing except his duty,” said the dear old mother, “All of my boys and girls have been taught to be true to God whatever comes.” Verily. “From scenes like these, old Scotia’s grandeur springs. And from a Christian home like this springs the safety of America and the hope of the world. News of the Week. The Marathon race was won by William Sher ring, of Hamilton, Ontario. By a vote of 153 to 58, the house, May 1, decided to continue the free distribution of garden and flower seeds. “The Guardian,” Manchester, England, states that Father Gapon, the former leader of the St. Petersburg workingmen, was hanged by revolution ists April 10th. A dispatch from Berlin says several villages in Saxony experienced four earthquake shocks April 28th. No damage was done, but the inhabitants were greatly alarmed. Spiridonova, the girl 21 years of age who shot five bullets at the officer, Lugenovsky, has been courtmartialed at Tamboy and condemned to be hanged. The report of another royal marriage between Princess Patricia of Connaught and the Crown Prince of Portugal soon to be announced is credited in society. The prince is nineteen and the princess is a month or two older. The statue of Benjamin Franklin, presented to the city of Paris by John H. Harjes, and which stands on the Place du Trocadero, was unveiled April 28th. The British garrison in Egypt is being strength ened at the suggestion of Lord Cromer, the British agent there, who considered the action advisable in view of the unrest of the Turks over the Tabah boundary incident. Charles F. Francis, of Troy, N. Y., who succeeds Ballamy Storer, an ambassador to Austria, was a passenger on the steamer Deutschland last week sail ing for Hamburg. Mr. Francis is editor and prop rietor of The Troy Times. Great anxiety is felt in German official circles over the gloomy prospect for the German estate owners in the Russian Baltic provinces. Many of their dwelling and farm buildings and a great part of their grain and other stores have been devastated during the insurrection, and even their capital funds are quite unrealizable. Announcement is made that former President Grovjer Cleveland has accepted the position of chairman of the board of advisors of the Jamestown Exposition. The advisory board consists of 100 persons, prominent in their respective professions. King Edward, Emperor Nicholas and Emperor William will meet at Darmstadt, Grand Duchy of Hesse, during the first week in September, ac cording to The Pall Mall Gazette, which adds that the Russian Emperor and Empress will leave Russia at the end of August for a long visit to the Grand Duke of Hesse. Recent dispatches from Berlin state that the government introduced in the Reichstag a project for a law obliging automobilists to pay life annui ties to those dependent on persons killed by their motorists and to persons permanently injured by ac cidents, amounts to be assessed by the courts, and the owners of the machines and not the chauffeurs to be responsible. The measure was referred to a committee. Another disaster has occurred in the Vesuvius region. On April 28th great torrents of rain fell accompanied by a stiff gale of wind, causing a heavy avalanche of mud, sand, ashes and cinders to fall over Somma and Santa Ana Statia, destroying bridges, blocking roads and flooding habitations. The terror of the inhabitants was extreme. No loss of life is reported.