The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1920-03-12
THE GOLDEN STAIRWAY


the farmer boys in whose homes this
paper is a visitor. And don't get it
into your head that / am trying to
"preach" to you, for / am not a
preacher and perhaps coald never
qualify for so high a calling. But l
want to tell you some things--just a
few-that will cut pile of ice with
the kind of man you are to be with
your success in life. In the first
place, if you have formed the swear
ing habit-stop it. / don't mean that
you should talk like a "Sissy"-but
cut out the big oaths which so many
addle pated boys seem to think make
them appear more manly and "grown
Iup." Remember that any fool can use
! big cuss words-and most fools do.
And if you nave any doubt on this
score, do little sleuth work on your
own hook. Listen to the first dray
driver or railway brakeman you meet
end then listen to the town banker,
| the leading merchant and the other
successful citizens of your commune
|ty. 1t won't take you long to find out
that if cussing got a man ahead in
/ the World the dray driver and the
| brakeman would be headed for the
White House at a so mile an hour
clip. OF course ell dray drivers and
/ brakemen are not alike and ! am
| therefore using them as horrible ex-
amples for the mere sake of illustra-
! ton. And along in the same category
with the senscless practice of using
big cuss words is still viler practice of
using obscene words or words of OBJ
scene implication. 1t is my good for
tune to know some big men--men who
draw salaries running as high as S5O,-
600 per year, and others who stand In
positions of eminent power in the pub
, lie life of the nation-and as ! turn
! them over in my mind, don't recall
that | ever heard single one oil
| them use a vulgar or obscene word
for only big men are not built that
way. because this habit is unmlstak-
able evidence of a diseased or abnor-
NAL mind. And men with that sort OF
minds never climb very high on the
ladder of life. And remember, these
are not SISSY" men. On the con-
trary, they are as rugged and vital
las tie tail oaks of the forest-but
/ tney keep Their minds and bodies as
clean and wholesome as the frost on
Ia winters morning.
Another thing-don't say anything
about another boys sister that you
wouldn't like to hear that boy say
about your sister. If you will observe
tlis rule, you can't go very far
I wrong-for of course you believe your
sister is one of the best and purest
] A Unnh
in all these matters is not to do or say
anything that would bring look OF
sorrow into the eyes of your mother
for in all this world, my boy, you
haven't another friend like her. Nine
out of ten men who have become great
lay it to the influence of their moth
ers, while nine out of ten men who
wear the stripes of convict usually
admit that their careers of crime be-
gan when they strayed away from the
kindly teachings of this tenderest and
sweetest of all friends. a.,
And no, given a clean mouth and a
clean mind, there is one other thing
: "a sort of cap shetland that is the
determination to amount TO something
in the world. And now let me tell you
secret: A great many boys think
that great men are "born great
but in 80 cases out of 100 this isn't
so; on the contrary, they become
great-that is, they excell-because
SO few other men are really trying to
excel. This is the real secret-and If
} YOU will put this under your hat and
keep it there, some day when you
come back to your old home they VIII
say with pride, 81 used to know him
when he was just kid" And now to
test what | am saying, just think
about your boy friends. How many
of them are really trying to amount
to anything?" How many of them
take pride in standing at the head of
their classes? How many of them
have hitched their rope to star ?
And here is another secret-a boy
can't become great by taking run
and jump or by just sliding into great
ness. But the way to "skin" the
other fellows is by working harder
than they do--by being on the jon
while they are fooling around having
good time. And don't think that
. the city is the only place where the
boys can do big things. If you like
i life on the farmland the farmers job
. Just now is about the most important
on earth--I would make my father a
proposition to Ego halvers" with him
. on the pure-bred live stock and the
, first thing you know they will come
. miles to see your herd. But remember
that a clean mind and body and 9
willingness to work harder than the