The Ward County independent. [volume] (Minot, Ward County, N.D.) 1902-1965, 1917-06-14
Why They Trained
Their Boy to Be
a Soldier
BY r. A. mitchell

was a little fellow he said very smar
things, and they confidently expected
that he would some day turn out to be
Il leader Of men. When he was not
| saying smart things he was eating
| candy. AS soon as he had eaten enough
candy to upset his stomach the house
hold was upset by his wailings and
complaints. Then his mother put him
to bed and spent most Of the day try
ing to persuade him to take medicine
When julius passed into boyhood he
developed taste for athletics. He
hausted. Then he must be treated with
all the consideration due an invalid
At fourteen lie was fairly strong boy
An excellent skater, a fearless rider;
indeed, everything boy should be,
except for an extreme repulsion for
work-that is to say he could neither
bring himself to do drudgery nor could
he be driven to it. If his mother told
him to weed the garden, he would
argue the point with her as to whether
or no it was worth WHILE taking
ground that vegetables could be bought
cheaper in the market than they could
be RI Used.
AS Julius grew older and more was
expected of him, there was proportion
ate additional disappointment. Instead
Of developing taste for things useful.
he turned his whole attention to things
ornamental, lavishing all his artistic
taste on his own person. His habiG-
ments absorbed his entire attention
He was good looking and quite ia
vorite with the girls, but since they
were about his age and corresponding
ly light headed, their liking for him
was no great compliment to him.
This is brief resume Of julius first
sixteen years in world which he had
come to consider had been created for
his comfort and pleasure. The outside
world liked him. He had droll way
with him that usually renders one pop
ular. He was considered intellectually
above the average. But
According to his own estimate, he
knew more than his father, his mother
and every other human being the
world contained. 1t was next to i'm
possible to get him to assist In any
household duty not only on account of
his repulsion for work, but because he
would assume the entire direction Of
what was to be done. Once in awhile
some of his suggestions Of way were
excellent This was unfortunate, for
it convinced him that he was especially
fitted for leader.
julius parents on his seventeenth
birthday had a conference upon their
sons worthlessness.
II don't know what's the matter with
the boy?' said his mother. I'm afraid
he is physically weak"
"They don't take weak boys for foot
ball." objected his father. 81 know
what's the matter with him very we'll.
lie has never been broken. Do they
expect colt to be of any use until he
has been broken to harness?"
What do you mean by that?'
Both colt and human being are
auimals. Both need training, but of a
different kind. We educate our boys
intellectually, but not practically. Nei-
ther you nor am competent to break
in our son. l have a plan. The ma
tional guard has become liable to a
call from the United States. l have
heard it rumored that they are about to !
be ordered to the Mexican frontier.
From the moment Of their departure
they will begin to become soldiers.
They will learn to obey and to endure.
propose to put Julius into the nation
al guard"
"How will you get him to joinT'
Buy him uniform"
The youngster was tempted into the
national guard by the splendor of his
uniform, and q week after his enlist
ment lie was on his way to Mexico.
What he endured there, how he got q
knowledge of his real worth in khaki
as private soldier, what respect was
paid-or. rather. not p8id-to his opin-
ions by his officers, the contempt with
which his comrades treated any shirk-
ing-all these are too voluminous to be
detailed here
One day in the following spring
Julius, soldierly young fellow,
straight as an arrow, whose uniform
sat we'll upon his stalwart figure, en-
tered the gate Of his home, hurried up
the front steps and into the house His
father was engaged in taking down q
stove. Julius Rugged his mother, who
was looking on; put his arms around
his father. drew him away from his
work. threw OFF his coat and. taking
the stove on his shoulder. carried it to
an clubhouse and deposited it there for
the summer.
"Well. my boy" said his father, II
think you're broken in
yes, dad. | am. 1t was an awful ex-
perence ut first, but after got the
new run Of things liked it. don't
know as much as did. but I've taken
step backward to make several steps
forward
julius had very little time in which
to fall back into his former habits,
even If he had wished to do so. 1t was
not long after his return from Mexico
that his country was caught in the
maelstrom Of the worlds war, and the
young grardsman was again ordered to