The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1910-01-13
8 you think the Santa Claus myth -
a good thingY'
Eyes. it's a great convenience to have
some imaginary person to take the re.
sponsibility when the children are disap-
pointed Christmas morning.

help it. OF course, he lies once in q
while and feels comfortable till
he's taken his licking for 1t and started
clean again. But that's the M mighty
fine difference between Yankee young
sters and foreign boys. The little shaw
ers abroad will lie like the very devil
and never think twice of 1t. An Amer
lean boy may not be half 80 much a
little gentleman, but he ,has a pretty
ungrammetical and brutally frank, but
he'll talk straight as my Indian
friends put 1t.
Out in my country we're apt to take
1t pretty much for granted that q man
will be brave enough to shoot. What
he'll shoot straight-wing his bird, get
his man, pull down what he aims for.
Any man can aim-it's the man who
hits that counts. He's the chap that's
made deputy sheriff in a wild cattle
country, OF evenue officer among the
big, wicked city. So that's what I'm
going to see that my boy knows how
to do-shoot straight.
I'm a way, 1t is much harder to get
the game you're after today than 1t was
80 years ago because SO many other
people are hunting in the same woods.
And there are SO many sorts OF game
to distract attention from the partic-
ular bird you've picked out as the right
lining for your bag. I don't know which
is worse-a hunter who misses his kill
because somebody else gets ahead Of
him or one who misses because he him
self roam off on another trail. In the
first case, he lacks strength against
others; in h second, against himself.
The American boy has got to learn how
to beat other people and himself, too.
THE boy who isn't democratic isn't
American. I might almost say he isn't
a boy at all-really; For it's just as
plane as it is for q girl to choose an
inclined plane as her abiding place.
Boys are born just boys-they are
made into snobs and sweil-heads.
But you or I or any grown-up per-
son don't need to worry about aristo-
cratic tendencies In our boys. All we
need to do is to send them to school
working in the case Of my grandson-
the rest Of the school 10 just showing
him he's not TT until he proves 1t by
some act OF his own Just the same
process goes on everywhere else when
a crowd Of boys gets together: The
with the family have to play second
fiddle to the chap with the goods
the boy who's the fastest runner or the
captain OF the football team or the
highest jumper. We older folks may
differ from the boys on the actual val
n thing we've got to admit-each
boy has to win his WI spurs, even II
we think the spurs are tin instead of
silver.
And. finally, while he is fighting
beside the other fellow'-his comrade
every boy ought to realize the one
big thing all battles. his comrades and
his own. should be waged for-his
country. It isn't necessary to go into
the army to fight for America. Some
old Roman said once that it was sweet
to die for ones country. That is true,
but it is a might a thing to live for
ones country-and sometimes a blamed
sight harder than dying.
Every time an American boy gives
a square deal he is giving a wave to
the Star Spangled banner. Every time
he tells the truth, when it would be a
lot easier not to. he is telling
body that America is the best ever.
their children? And IL a boy works
hard and is on the level and helps the
next fellow n behaves like a good sort
generally, he's serving his mother coun-
try in just the way he can. He may
grow up and go to West Point and
into h upholstery business and sell
carpets. but whatever he does he can.
give no better exhibition Of patriotism
than a simple, straightforward adher-
ence to the ideals OF energy and honor
which have given America its great
place among the nations.
There are one or two more things
I want to a right here. and the first
is that boys ought to do some fighting
real rough and tumble scraps, /
mean. OF course I don't believe in q
boys being q chronic scrapper, always
in a row with somebody, but I do claim
that he should know how to use his
fists on occasion. The occasions are
sure enough to come-when some big
ger chap is teasing his kid sister, per-
haps. or some fresh little .a%ristocrat'
feels his oats too much. Oh, there
certainly are times when boys ought
to get out behind the barn or the
schoolhouse and just have It out. Per-
haps it's wise to ~reprehend fighting in
general. admit there might be too
much Indulgence IL 1t wasn't frowned