Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1916-07-12
MYSTERIOUS Youth
ONE CANNOT TELL WHETHER
BOY WILL MAKE GOOD oRNoT.
What Becomes Of Most Of the Bright
Lights Of High School Days?-
Obscurity Takes Many In
Later Life.

Ripley James? Long ago he was a
high school classmate of mine out in
Ohio, and now he is lost. The other
day l found that they were advertis-
ing for his postof1ice address in the
village paper back home, 1t seems
that for years and years he clerked in
store in Grand Rapids, after which
be frightened up his belt strap and
made a dive into the great West
with what success nobody knows,
says sid" in The American Magazine.
We'll, sir, I could not believe it..
Blanchard Ripley James lost? Never!
Why, he was the boy we voted as the
one among US with the brightest fu-
ture. TIE greatest things were predict
ed for him. He looked like Daniel
Webster, kept his hair brushed, beat
US all at our studies, took more inter-
est in school than anybody-and,
above all, how he could wag his jaw?
He was the best speaker Of pieces
that ever walked up the steps Of the
rostrum of the Second Congregational
church. On graduation night he was
our prize exhibit. The rest of US
looked foolish beside him, and felt
foolish. Our only pride lay in the fact
that for the moment our names were
printed on the program with his and
we were going to receive just as good
an imitation sheepskin diploma as he.
But of course we expected that on
the morning after graduation the gulf
between him and us would begin to
widen, and would increase until he
would be talking on the floor of the
United States senate, and we, with
our wives and children, would be sit
ting in the visitors gallery happy in
our membership in the "I-Knew-Him-
When" club.
But the whole thing has shifted.
You can page the United States SEN
ate, and even the house Of representa-
tives, and you won't find him. He is
not there. Blanchard simply did not
come through with the wallop.
What is the answer? The answer
Is that youth is always mystery. You
simply cannot pick winners that early.
You cannot distinguish between the
able and the stupid, the slippery and
the honest, the playful and the vicious,
the initiative and the original, the
weak and the strong, the aggressive
and the servile, the ambitious and the
complacent. Youth is period of I'M
certainty and hope. This is one rea-
son why fathers and mothers are so
happy over their children. Nobody
knows what great surprise is in store.
The slowest-appearing child in the
family may (may, mind you) turn out
to be a bowling genius: At any rate,
the neighbors had best not point the
finger Of scorn-not yet, not yet! For
if they do they may have to take it
back.
And so, clear up to the commence
ment night, and for some time after,
fathers and mothers can claim great
things for every child in the family
and nobody will dare dispute them. OF
course the world will finally call for
a showdown, but when it does those
who might be interested in the result
are themselves lost, or scattered so
far that it would take an explorer to
find them and carry them the news.
Some boys die in youth-thus pre-
serving forever the mystery as to
their hidden talents. Usually it is
said Of such that they were bright and
with great future be-
fore them. We all worship success
going so far as to worship it
where 1t does not exist.