Furniture, Wood and Cabinetry Finishing - Old Cherry Staircase Railing/Newel Post/Spindles

Hello all,

I have a 150 yr old cherry wood staircase I am in the process of refinishing.
I working on the railing, newel post and spindles, stairs were rebuilt out of red oak with the riser painter white and tread was left natural, coated with poly.

The railing looks a little lighter then the spindles and newel post, and I want to try to even it out. I was hoping for some advice about staining and topcoating...

These staircase elements are old and I guess a certain amount of unevenness could be considered just part of the character of them, and therefore maybe I should just go directly to topcoat.

I realize it is a subjective thing whether or not to try to add some stain or just clear coat them, but was wondering if anyone has had a similar experience with older wood, specifically cherry....

Also, the topcoat...I am a beginner at this and was leaning toward Tung oil with some kind of protective wax applied because it would be easier to apply....That vs Lacquer. What are the opinions about the 2 or is there another kind of topcoat one would recommend?

I was thinking lacquer, but I would have to brush it on, someone suggested a brush on lacquer made by Deft?

I have 2 small children who would use the railing quite a bit over the years....

Any thoughts or comment would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,
Patrick