Omaha daily bee., 1916-12-14
On Being a Boy Again

| And what would you like for Christmas? The
question was addressed by our charming hostess
| to my friend Liberals, and without moments S
| hesitation he answered: my dear lady, the gilt
| am really signing for is a pair OF copper-toed
| shoes" But but'-the hostess almost stam-
mered-"is that the latest stylel Do they make
| boots for grown-up gentlemen with copper at the
toes'" Liberals smiled as he replied 1T is Just
boys pair that | desire-with the appropriate
changes that will make me fit to wear them MY
dear madam, am asking to fit the receiver to the
gift | am growing old, and | am weary OF
maturity. want to empty my mind OF Judg-
ments and conclusions. | want to try lies ex-
periences and adventures all over again. would
cease to be groWn-up man and put back my
whole stature OF body and of mind to ft the cop
per-toed shoes saw trudging sturdily along the
pavements this morning | want to be rid OF the
morning news and the noontde gossip and the
evening stock quotations. to empty my mlnd OF
huge mass of unnecessary and burdensome IN
formation, to attain to the happy irresponSiDiity
OF boy OF TO-"
That is clear enough" answered our hostess,
"and now | understand exactly what you mean
You are idealizing childhood as the poets and
story tellers of your own generation did. You
think that II you had your life to live all over
again you could make better use OF it than you
have done. Your friends will hardly. agree to
that. They are pretty well satisfied with you as
you are. You are deceiving yourself, my triend
| fear. Without fatter, you will allow me to say
toed shoes and might make worse use OF the
long and busy years Childhood has risks as well
pleasures let me tell you,
Il have often wondered Liberals took up
the conversation, how much we bring over to
our life experience from former existences. 4 he
question goes with the problem OF whether we are
made out of nothing or simple go round and
round 1t is one OF the strange things in
riI thaf all he nj
generations throws no light upon that question
1t daunted the imagination ofSthe Greeks in the
heroic age. Homer could imagine the scenery
and characters Of the Iliad and the Odyssey but
he could not imagine anything for the shades OF
his dead heroes except aimless living IN world
as shadowy as themselves. And some Christian
thinkers are just as helpless. They have given the
boys just graduating from copper-toed shoes
the idea that heaven is continual harping and
hymn singing. You can not feed the imagination
which is the undeveloped soul of l2-year-old
American boy-on such monotony OF occupations.
He does not believe it, any more than he believes
any other unpleasant fact which contradicts his
irrepressible activities of mind and body. The
boy of Asia, who is taught that his present lite is
lust the fruit OF lives which he has passed through
previously, and that he is reaping only what he
has sown, has more rational if less hopeful, view
of the universe than the Greek or the copper
toed American boy who is taught that what fol-
lows on the ending of this life is what seems to
him today perpetual boredom .H
al understand the risk of going back to boy
hood" he went on, "and | am not ungrateful for
your kind appreciation Of my career in life. But
u am thinking OF the gerat opportunities which
open on the copper-toed youngsters OF today. |
am also vain enough to think that the inherited
qualities which have made possible that small
success of which you do me the honor to remind
me, are fair insurance that with new beginning
| would not make failure of my new oppor-
tunty in life. | know you would be kind to the
boy to whom you brought the chance of new
venturng with your magic Christmas gilt OF the
copper toes, so should not lose your friendship
altogether. But think of the relief of having all
the anguish OF this war dim recoection of ones,
childhood and all its heroisms inspiration in
the fresh and grateful memory Of mankind Think
OF the new knowledge pushing down into the
primer lessons and even the talks around the
family tablet 1t is SO much a bigger world that
| am emulous Of its opportunities and adven-
lures"
Consider, | put in at this point, all the i'm
proyements in games and shows. In the days of
your youth there was no golf too little tennis and
no movies. Foot ball was an amusement and not
heroism and social rallying point for the very
rich. The whole development of the motor car
was in the future you did not even have bicycle.
You learned your lessons by kerosene, or by
hckering gas burner which our grandchildren
WOuld SCorn All the mare ana glare OF eieCtTlCdl
advertising was in front of you, You had your
news of the doings of the world by steamer ar,
rivals and the wars of the world not the first
thing served with due havoring of horror at the
breakfast table. No wonder, Liberals, you
envious of your grandson and are signing to get
into his shoes
"That is all true enough" Liberals answered.
but superficial. A boy puts his whole heart into
his occupations, whether they are of the old time
or the new. But there is certain amount Of
truth in what you say. would like to know how
the rich world of today looks 10 the boy Of today
| am not afraid OF the dwarhng of the human by
any amount of machinery. The elaborate arrange
ments for securing good time no more overawe
the modern boy in copper-toed shoes than the
lesser arrangements did in my own day. Human
nature does not dwindlc in any tool shop or place
of play But what interests me is that the boy of
today stands on the threshold of such different
world and has so great chance OF seeing it shape
itself into the measure Of his dream. That bring
ing OF the world together which puts the sorrows
and the triumphs of all nations on your break
fast table is setting us face to face with some of
the ultimate problems OF right living, of peace and
good relations in the four quarters of the earth
may be wrong in thinking that the boys of to.
day will be far nearer to final questions and sou-
the conclusion OF what you call wisdom, which
am asking to put off with the gift OF youth-return-
ing shoes. crave the great adventure which
seems to make so little appeal to the boys OF to-
day" x 4 a ..' 3