The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-01-13
AMERICAN BOY BOUND
TO READ mum TALES
Bill" Express His
Opinion About the Bringing
UP of Young America.

Nick Carter has been ~dramatized in
Europe and has made a hit. The week
that brought the news has brought
also the startling tragedy of a boy of
16 who had been reading dime novels.
and who walked into a bank, a pistol
in each hand, killed a man and
smoke or drink. The thing he had
desiss to hold foaabo SR , s;gmebody and If
Here follows certain theories about
and about his reading. by Colonel viii.
has in recent years figured more fire.
Sesnt o{ W SRaa Vest Sny G '5fs4s, man as the
Colonel William F. Cody careering at
the head Of his bucking bronchos is a
fine, spectacular figure. But Colonel
Cody in his quiet little room at the
Hoffman house, with his streaming
white hair wound in a tiny, pinned-up
queue, and his army. cape exchanged
for ordinary store Clothes" was less
spectacular-and very human. When he
was asked to talk a little bit about the
American boy, past, present and future
10. and behold!-it instantly devel-
oped that he was a grandfather, and
was already nightly interested in n
American youngster,. present, individ-
ual and all his own.
So that's how he began to discuss
the American boy-by telling OF his
own grandson, a second William Cody.
"Oh, that boy OF mine!!" he began,
whimsical ruefulness over the top OF
his white head. do you know what's
the matter with him? It's because he
a had al 1.-The things that I haven't
had. Don't think for a minute that he
Isn't all right at bottom-he's a bully
vnYInOutoy mud yot1y ~, l{-ns - ~
Guess that's maybe the trouble-we've
loved him too much.
Hes the only grandson I'VE got, and
I suppose I really have petted him too
much, I put him in this military school
Mhere ne now is II get in training for
west Point-of { Sc he'll go into the
army Before ht ent away to school
n we'd made him pretty near COM
mander-in-chief. When I sent him off
] gave him one of my best horses, like
an old fool had no business to do
1t. Now what do you suppose he writes
me! That he ant a bicycle, because
he has to keep his horse at a livery
stable there. and a bicycle would let
him get In so much quicker. He says
he can get a good one for about $50
II I'll send hin that.
Meanwhile I get a letter from his
mother saying she hears he's getting
some hard. knocks and that they're do-
Buffalo Bills grandson and the cock
OF the walk, I guess. Now he's learn
ing that there are other BOYS in the
world besides himself, and that won't
hurt him a darned bit!
-, NY daughter also writes me that
careful not to put any VS. in my let
tiers to him for a while. You see, T.
we'll, I kind Of to slip a fve-spot
in between the last pages Of my yarns
to him. At least I'm apt to get an
answer pretty quick then, so that I,
seems the little rascal has been reg
ularly ~overrunning his allowance. and
evidently my vs. haven't quite held
back the army of !uns. So his mother
thinks it will be Use for hin to learn
to get into debt nan to get out Of it.
established he'll b. apt to keep it.
Nov this boy of mine isn't one
blamed bit worse than a whole lot Of
American boys today. He's simply
suffering from the disease that's both
ering all of 'em-ingrowing spunk.
They've mad so much done for them
tina the energy they would naturally
employ IN overcoming external diff
culties they nave used internally in
polishing up their self-esteem. Instead
OF going out and chopping woed and
working in the garden and milking the
cows, the boys today see servants
building the fires. the vegetables bought
IN the market n the milk taken off
the doorstep.
They have practically nothing to do
for themselves. What the servants don't
atteno 20 the parents look out for. It's
oh. he must have a happy childhood.
I don't want to have him work as 1
did. He'll grow up o enough and
have to 20 out into the world and make
while he's young All the modern
fathers and mothers seem to believe
that way.
Fine! It's partly true, too! Boys
did use to have to work too hard some-
times. They didn't have the advan-
tages. educational and otherwise. which
were their due as children. But the
trouble with the boys Of today is that
they are in danger of being denied the
biggest advantage m one in the world
can have-the advantage of Knowing
how to work. z
II believe that every boy in America
should know how to work and work
hard IL he's going to grow up into the
kind of ma America wants and needs.
And ! believe that no boy in America
is really afraid of work ii he gets a
fair chance-it's his parents who get
cold feet on the employment question.
II shouldn't say there was as much
danger of our boys not playing hard
the football field doesn't look that
way. No boys worth anything IL he
doesn't go in for a game for all it's
worth-and with q good healthy desire
to win out. It's all very we'll to talk
of the game for the games sake. Just
the same, II somebody didn't want to
beat there wouldn't be any game.
Nobody has to tell the American boy
~ rk@r< - H. 3AA
T 7 -