p. 19 | Unpedigreed Children

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D.C. · Feb 25, 1915

Unpedigreed Children

I know a man who has a dog that's got a pedigree, An' he is just as proud of him as any chap can be, An' careful, too: he never lets him loose excep' he's there To see he doesn't run away an' lose himself somewhere. He never goes to bed at night until he's been to see His fifty-dollar dog is in the place he ought to be.

I know a chap who owns a horse, a splendid thoroughbred. He never eats his meal until the animal is fed; An' every minute he can spare, out to the barn he goes, To comb an' brush his glossy coat or gently rub his nose. No stranger's hands have ever tugged this horse's silver bit— They might abuse his mouth, and so he couldn't think of it.

I know a man, the father of three splendid, manly boys. But when he's home, they're not allowed to make the slightest noise; And they can roam the streets at will, and play with whom they choose, And he is not at all afraid that one of them he'll lose. In strangers' hands they're often left to do just as they please; For boys are not at all like dogs with splendid pedigrees.

Whene'er I see a man who owns a fifty-dollar pup, Or keeps a thoroughbred that he alone must harness up; Whene'er I see the care that's paid a bulldog or a horse, I always feel a touch of pain, of pity and remorse, Because I think of boys and girls about me everywhere Who really need, but never get, such tender, watchful care. —Selected.