The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1911-02-11
Ana n . me naa6fiualg stern, Cpd

mtstc, uny1elolng ana academic par
emit who convinces the young Lad that
he knows nothing Of the fascinating
temptations Of boyhood. The spirit
Of compromise is allowed to perish by
such parent; the spirit Of rebellion
grows in the sons heart; spirit nour-
ished ON the decay of the respect and
love thrust aside by the father who
would not understand.
A certain lad of sixteen years found
life In bis New England home far
more circumscribed than was that Of
his companions of the same age and
same comfortable position. He was
not allowed to go swimming in the
lake because his young friend Tommy
Clark had narrowly escaped drowning.
The fact that Tommy Clark could not
swim and was taking dare" on that
memorable occasion when he verged
on death near the county line road
bridge and the fact that the lad we
are considering could swim very well
made no difference to the father as
well as to the mother. The son must
keep away from the water. That was
final.
The further fact that this boy as
pred to be a mining engineer made
no difference to this father or to this
mother 1t had already been decided
for him that he must study for the
ministry.
Three years passed The lad was in
college. The study of theology did
not suit his temperament or his de-
sires. He wanted, above. all things,
TO 60 out into the world Of action. to
battle with the might Of the strong
man he was becoming against big,
tangible odds; out in the open air I'M
der the open heavens, down in the
bowels of the earth or wherever there
were mines 10 be dug and equipped
and operated. He wanted to study
the problems that faced the men who
cretive Mother Earth, and he thrilled
with the idea that he could succeed
in this profession
He sat in his room in the college
dormitory one sunny spring morning
and wrote his father that he could
not continue his study for the minis
try; that he wanted above all other
things In life to enter the school of
mines at the university.
He waited five days. The answer
came. The same night there were a
vacant room and vacant bed In the
dormitory. Next morning came a
search Under a table was found a
crumpled note that the tears Of the
lad had blurred as he read. The letter
was taken to the president Of the col
lege. When this gray haired gentle
man adjusted his spectacles he pressed
the paper fat on his desk and read:
IF you do not continue your course
in theology l will cease to pay your
bills at college. should you discon-
where l will secure you position as
bookkeeper at your uncle's store"
Signed to this eloquent. brief episrle
| was the name of the young mans ia
ther.
Several years have passed since that
crumpled letter was picked up from
the floor of the college students room
Several years have passed since an
aged couple, soon to exc out their
need Of existence in a small country
town, have heard news from the son
who would not become a minister.
Several years, have passed since a
young college student appeared penni-
less and discouraged in a middle west
ern city and vainly walked the streets
for days. subsisting as best he might,
In search of any kind Of work that
strong hands and arms could perform.
So there should be tempered judg-
ment shown, say /, In dwelling on
the present fate of Jimmy Valentine
when 1t is considered that he was the
ambitious lad who left the crumpled
note lying on the floor in his bedroom
and set out to fight the world single
handed.
That Jimmy should have lost in his
first grapple with life should afford
no reasonable person ground for re-
proach. Those of us who have not
lost as yet quite humanity perhaps in
cline toward comparisons which favor
our own acknowledged virtues, but
at the same time the environment of
our fellow beings at critical periods in
their lives should always be remem-
bered when the final estimate is made.
1t is human to have human emotions.
tbs, human to have inhuman ideas
concerning some of our fellow men at
various times; but. after all. why not
adopt the optimistic philosophy of jim
my Valentine himself? For was 1t
not he who at the time Frisco Eddie"
bungled the 'inside job" of a safe
looting expedition in Omaha sought to
soothe the latter's feelings by saying
alphabetically:
Nobody is failure until he admits
It himself. You will never admit
you're a failure, Eddie. 30 cheer up.
You, therefore, can never be one."
Consequently Jimmy Valentine must