Newspaper Page Text
6
THE MULLET OR THE CHILD
N one occasion Jesus Christ, the
greatest personality who ever
walked the earth, asked of His
critics the question, “How much
is a man better than a sheep.” He
had healed a man on the Sabbath
day and the Pharisees were
charging him with a violation of
the law of Moses, which forbade
—"' -
any work to be done on the sacred day. Turn
ing upon them Jesus showed that not one of
them, if he had a sheep to fall in the ditch
on the Sabbath, would fail to lift him out.
In looking over the local papers the other
day I was attracted by two scare heads in
opposite columns. The man who made up the
paper had no idea of the sermon he was
preaching when he put those articles in their
places in the form. One of them was headed
“Mullet Are Protected.” The other was
headed “Child Labor Bill Defeated.”
The articles told of what the Florida Leg
islature had done in two bills that were look
ed upon as being of great importance. The
lawmakers hearts had been touched by the
heartless manner in which the poor mullet
were being ruthlessly snatched from their
native element in season and out of season,
and they had arisen in their might and said,
“Thou shalt not harm the mullet.”
On the other hand all over the State little
children are being snatched from the schools
in which they should be receiving an educa
tion, from the sweet fields of the wide play
grounds where their little bodies should be
growing, but the lawmakers shrugged their
shoulders and said, “We cannot interfere be
tween a father and his child,” or words to
ths-t effect-
If Jesus Christ could appear before the
gentlemen who passed the mullet bill, and re
jected the child labor bill, I fancy He would
ask of them the question, “How much better
is a mullet than a child?”
Think of it for a moment! How pathetic
to jerk a mullet out of the water at the
wrong season! How harmless is this inno
cent creature, known all over South Georgia
as “The Pop Eye,” this creature that appeals
so forcibly to the palate of the black man.
If this awful practice of pulling mullet out of
the water at the wrong season is to be con
tinued what is to become of the fish dealers,
who are profiting from their sale. And what
a pitiful picture of the poor negro is present
ed as he wanders through the Sandy Bottom,
Beaver Slide and Ant Hole on Saturday night
and meets not the strong smell of fried mul
let in the air. What is life to a negro with
out Saturday night? and what is Saturday
night without fried mullet? By all means
protect the mullet and see that the African
palate is regularly tickled by this toothsome
inhabitant of the deep.
But what about the child ? That’s a differ
ent question. Suppose his father has fallen
into dissipation and can no longer get work.
He must be fed and who should be made to
feed him but the wife, whose life he has
wrecked and the unfortunate children he has
brought into the world.
Suppose he is a man of leisurely instincts,
not a lazy man, but one born tired, one filled
with an uncontrollable desire to rest early
and often. Who but the children of whose
being he is the author, should gratify his
propensity to rest?
What matters it that, while the poor unfor
tunate father, who has been enslaved by the
whiskey traffic, is incapacitated from work
while the poor ennui parent is cultivat
ing his propensity, that the child should grow
up in ignorance? And is it any wonder that
many of them grow old and pessimistic before
The Golden Age for June 1, 1911.
ALEX W. BEALER.
their time, become social Ishmaels as it
were, with their hands raised against every
man with whom they come in contact? From
this class of children come the anarchist and
other dangerous characters that infest the
land in which we live.
But, after all, is the child of as much value
as the mullet ?
If he is let him be protected from the shift
less parent as well as from the man who is
out after money, it matters not where it
comes from. If the child is better than the
mullet let the powers that be stop not with
passing “drastic laws” against the saloons.
It is enough to bring tears to the eyes of a
mullet to see how shamefully the poor saloon
keepers are about to be treated in Florida.
They will be forced to close at an early hour
and remove all screens from their doors and
windows. What an outrage this would be!
These poor fellows ought not to be interfered
with, all seasons and all hours ought to be
given to them.
— ....
Jw • h ■ F?? ’
t <
i.
>: ; s I
’Ki?
v
REV. ALEX W. BEALER.
Leaves have their time to fall. And flow
ers do wither at the north wind’s breath.
But they should have all seasons to ply
their trade of death. And how awful it is to
think of making the Greeks and the Italians
shut up their fruit stands and their soda wa
ter fountains on Sunday.
And the moving picture shows, with their
vaudeville attachment ought not to be hin
dered in their holy work. How uplifting it
is for the children, who are slaving during
the week, while the mullet are protected, to
attend these places on Sunday.
The errtbracing, the kissing, the drinking,
the shooting and train robbing, are so en
nobling to the children. What matters it
that God has said, “Remember the Sabbath
Day to keep it Holy?” They know better
than that, know that children and grown
folks ought to be entertained although men
are denied the rest that belongs to them on
this day of all the week the best.
What matters it that reverence is fast fad
ing away from the minds of the young, and
that Sunday is falling into disrespect. The
moving picture man does not make enough
money during the week. Let him run over
the commandments of God, trample the feel
ings of the best people into the dust and ruin
the minds of the young.
The child is the chief sufferer, but what
matters it, for “How much better is a child
than a mullet?”
This is a question of far reaching import
ance. There are thousands of good people in
Florida who believe that a child is better than
a mullet.
Many of them, alas, have not been as ac
tive as they should have been in asserting
this belief. They profess to be Christians and
yet they have not been working at their pro
fession. If every professing Christian in
Florida should live even half way up to his
profession, he would set a good example to
the children, he would be careful about his
vote and would only put into office men who
saw something more in Florida than a place
in which money could be made. They would
look to the future and see that its greatest
assets today are the children, who will soon
be men and women.
If the Spirit of Christ whose they profess
to be was in their hearts they would see that
one child was worth more than many mullet
and they would see that he was protected in
every possible way and that everything tend
ing to corrupt his better nature, should be
removed from his pathway.
Let every man interested in the future wel
fare of Florida ask himself the. question,
“How much is a child better than a mullet ?”
THE ALMIGHTY DOLLAR.
“Thou hast given a banner to them that
fear thee, that it may be displayed because of
the truth.”
What is our line of conduct?
Are we unfolding His banner to the breeze
and standing up for the colors, as loyal sol
diers of the King ?
The need is for brave ones who have the
courage of their convictions, like Luther,
when he said, before all the dignitaries of
Europe, “Here I stand. I cannot do other
wise. God help me.”
We hear money spoken of as the almighty
dollar; and it is almighty in power for good,
also in capacity for evil, depending on the
way it is used. Our part is to give the dol
lar propulsion in the right direction.
The stalwart old soldier Cromwell, on go
ing into a cathedral and seeing great silver
statues, asked what they were, and was told
they were the twelve apostles; and he gave
the order, “Melt them up and send them out
to do their Master’s business!”
That is an illustration of the right use of
money,—keeping it in God-directed motion.
We see what this means when one who holds
millions in his grasp finances some great un
dertaking which redounds to the benefit of
the country at large; also when he who has a
moderate amount uses it under the guidance
of Him who made all things.
“The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,
saith the Lord of Hosts.”
Even though one take the position that it
is his, he can only hold it temporarily, and
will later be called on for an accounting of his
stewardship.
“With us is the Lord our God to help ut,
and to fight our battles.”
But we must do our part. It takes money
to accomplish any undertaking worth while,
—and to the extent that those who profess
the name of Christ send forth God’s dollars
“on business for the King,” will the cause of
right and truth be prospered.
H. S. JENISON.
Jacksonville, Fla.
$1.50 brings you THE GOLDEN AGE and
six of these beautiful pictures. Renew to
day.
