Metropolis weekly gazette. (Metropolis, Ill.) 1???-19??, 1916-06-30
MYSTERIOUS YOUTH.
ONE CANNOT TELL WHETHER
BOY WILL MAKE GOOD OR NOT.
What Becomes Of Most Of the Bright
Lights OF High School Days?-
obscurity Takes Many In
Later Life.

What has become OF Blanchard
Ripley James? Long ago he was
| high school classmate of mine out In
| Ohio, and now he is lost. The other
day found that they were advertis-
| village paper back home. It seems
that for years and years he clerked In
a store In Grand Rapids, after which
he frightened up bis belt strap and
made a dive into the great West
with what success nobody knows,
says sid" In The American Magazine.
We'll. sir. / could not believe it.
Blanchard Ripley James lost? Never!
Why, he was the boy we voted as the
one among us with the brightest flu.
ture. The 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 tho 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 tho fact /
that for the moment our names were
printed on the program with his and 1
we were going to receive just as good /
an imitation sheepskin diploma as he. |
But OF course We expected that on 1
the morning after graduation the gulf 1
between him and Us would begin to /
widen, and would increase until he I
would be talking on the floor OF the 1
United States senate, and we. with 4
our wives and children. would be sit
ting in the visitors gallery happy in
our membership In she '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-
tiyes. and you won't find him. He IL
not there. blanchard simply did not
come through with the wailop.
What ia the answer The answer
is that youth Is always a 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,
Weak and the strong. -rrtsyigiRasu
and the seryile. the ambitions and the
complacent. Youth Is a period OF I'M
certainty and hope. This is one rea.
son why fathers and mothers are 40
happy OVER their children. Nobody
knows wilal great surprise is in store.
The sloWest.appearing child In tho
family may tmay. mind you turn out
TO be hoyiing genius At any rate.
the neighbes had BEST not point the |
finger Of sctn-nu yet. not YET For |
IL they do icy may have TO take IL /
back.
And so, car up to the commence
ment night, ld for some time after.
fathers and pthers can claim great
things for esiy child in the family |
and nobody dare dispute them. or |
course the Nld VIII finally call for
show-downlut when IL does those
who might opterested in the result
are themseiY lost, or scattered so
far that II Nld take an explorer to
find them arcarry them the news
Some boyse in youth-fhus pre-
serving foreI the mystery as to
their hidden lents. Usually 1t is
said of such they were bright and
remarkable. ; a great future be.
fore them. all Worship sueceaa
even going FAR as TO worship 1t
where It doebt exist.