The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1913-01-09
THE POOR BOY

when JCSeDh IuuNZtIi eultoi aHe
owner Of the New York World, died
last year, the press Of the nations paid
tribue to his memory. Paragraph af-
ter paragraph appeared in the weekly
newspapers of the country, in the
larger .dalies and in the monthly mag
azines and weekly publications. The
story of his life reads like that Of
some wonderful fiction. He dropped
to sleep one night in the chair Of a
hotel barroom in New York. The bar
keeper kicked him into the street.
Later he returned to the great metrop-
oils and purchased the hotel building,
razed it and erected the World building.
Joseph Pulitzer was genius. II was
the goal of his ambitions TO be power
ful. lie attained the goal by indomit-
able work.
Whitelaw Reid. another great editor
of the time, statesman and ambassador
to the Court of st. James, who was
buried Saturday amid honors greater
than most men may even dream Of.
started life at the very lowest rungs Of
the ladder. Whitelaw Reid represents
a class. Many Americans Of contem
poraneous period have risen from the
homes of a rugged frontier to positions
of power. Jospeh Pulitzer, truly gen
ius, with his unending endeaVor TO at
tain his purposes, we may place in a
class all by himself. Professors OF law
schools would call him "sui generis.
An editorial in the Portland journal
in speaking OF MIR. Reid's death said:
"Mr. Reid's Use in life is an example
of the old time American opportunity
for the poor boy. They say the boy on
the lower levels doesn't have the same
chance now. II not, the American |
people should insist that we 90 back to
the life conditions in which rail split
ter, canal boat driver or tanner |
could ascend to the highest rung on the
ladder of fame"
And again.
at was a rich age in American life
when the rise Of the poor boy WAS pos
sible. If concentration, combination
and monopolization shut the doors of
opportunity now, concentration, com
bination and monopolization should be
displaced. The old time was a splendid
time. 1t was a magnificent testimonial
TO American institutions.
1t is very doubtful as to whether or
not boy of modern days will ever be
able to attain such wealth as was laid
up by poor but ambitious boys born
during the period in which Mr.. Reid |
was born. No age has ever seen such
a succession of the events of the evolu-
tion Of industrial life as took place just
prior to and following the Civil war.
No matter how ambitious or how well
fitted il will be marvellous If any man
ever has such an opportunity as existed
during this period to amass fortune.
Because Of the opportunities that
were offered them the ambitious lads of
those days were able to build up the con-
centrated and monopolized businesses
that are often declared a menace today
The ambitious poor boy of today. Twill
never be privileged to construct such
industrial mechanism, nor do we think
many will place before them as their
ideal goals such positions.
Yet the poor boy of today has just as
great opportunity of reaching the high
planes of life as he ever had. Every
boy should be ambitious to reach the
top. As the journal says: "The old
time was a splendid time. 1t was a
magnificent testimonial to American
institutions. And the Journal is cor.
rect.
Different conditions seem to exist
now in every phase of life. The youth
of today has different attitude toward
life, Indeed we would be a stronger
nation if all of these newer conditions
could be replaced and the rugged stol-
idity of the earlier days could take
their place. The boy of today has an
easier time than the lad of the days OF
Whitelaw Reid An education is more
easily attained and the appreciation Of
it is in just such degree lessened Foi
the most part the youth Of the land are
surrounded by luxuries unknown .ir
boyhod days Of the great Statesman
journalists
Men are fortunate wlo have beer
reared in such periods, Those VIII,
reach the highest pinnacles are mcst
often those who face the hardest cir
cumstances and conquer them. Suct
onditions seem to make the ambitions
OF youth all the higher.
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