The courier-index., 1921-03-18
BOYS ARE GUESTS
 OF LIONS CLUB
SPLENDID ADDRESSES DELIV- FRED AT FATHER AND SON" BANQUET AT ELKS HOME FRIDAY NIGHT.

FRIDAY NIGHT.
 The Father and Son" banquet given by the Lions Club on Friday night of last week, at which were present about fifty members of the club and as many boys, was be- yond question the most profitable feature session the club has ever held. It was an occasion for bring ing many of the business. men of Marianna into sympathetic contact with the promising boys who will, within few years, assume responsi- bilities of citizenship. The real purpose of the meeting was to warn the boys of the many pitfalls that face them and to suggest ways for avoiding them. This idea predom- mated all of the addresses that were delivered-not to the extent that the boys were lectured but that they were taken into the confidence of their sires and told some plain truths that will be helpful to them in the future.
 A splendid dinner was served by the ladies of St. Andrews Parish, and very inspiring music was furn- ished by the Marianna orchestra.
 D. s. Hummer presided as toast master and, after some preliminary remarks, introduced the speakers of the evening, the first of whom was R. D. Smith who spoke on "Op- portunity." While MT. Smith was suffering from a severe headache, he nevertheless delivered a most excellent and inspiring address that was punctuated with frequent ap- plause.
 He was followed by Hugh Hixon, who spoke on "Toil and the Mo- ments of Decision" He related sev- eral incidents in his experience, par ticularly those that marked his transition from boyhood to man. hood, chief among which occurred in a cotton, patch near Searcy when, as a tender city school boy he at tempted to match physical sturdi- ness with a hard-boiled country boy who could hoe two rows of cotton while Hugh was getting blisters fxcm his efforts to divorce the grass from the cotton in half row. He concluded his address with the fol- lowing poem entitled, Father" by Edgar A. Guest:
 Used to wonder just why father
 Never had much time for play. !, Used to wonder why he'd rather
 Work every minute of the day. Used to wonder why he never
 Loafed along the road an shirked, Can't recall time whenever
 Father played while others work
 ed.
 Father didn't dress in fashion,
 Sort of hated clothing new, Style with him was not a passion,
 He had other things in view. Boys are blind to much that's going
 On about 'em day by day, And 1 had no way of knowing
 What became of fathers pay. All I knew was when I needed
 Shoes I got 'em on the spot; Everything for which l pleaded
 Somehow father always got. Wondered, season after season,
 Why he never took a rest, And that I might be the reason
 Then never even guessed. Saw his cheeks were getting paler,
 Didn't understand just why. Saw his body growing Trailer,
 Then at last 1 saw him die. Rest had come. His tasks were end
 ed,
 Calm was written on his brow; Fathers life was big and splendid,
 And I understand it now.
 William Lawson, on behalf of the boys present, made an appropriate talk on how the fathers can be helpful to their sons. He laid spec ial emphasis on the necessity of encouraging athletics, and said it was not enough to, merely contribute money for the promotion of manly sports but that the men should at tend the games and encourage the boys with their presence and com mendation.
 Dr.. 70. l.. Williamson was an nounced as the next speaker. His talk was on physical cleanliness of boys and how to properly take care of themselves to avoid some of the common diseases that wreck the lives of so many men and boys. The nature of his talk was such that the boys under thirteen years of age were asked to retire while he spoke. His address was most inn pressive and unquestionably will re- suit in keeping many of the boys free from those diseases that are now so prevalent among the youth of the land.
 Major Rutledge Smith, of Cooke vile, Tenn, who was here visiting his son, Albert Smith, associated with the law firm of Daggett & Daggett, concluded the program with a happy address in which he emphasized some of the most sa- lient points brought out by the other speakers. Major Smith is one of the most prominent citizens of East Tennessee. He is the indus trial commissioner of the Tennessee Central railroad. During the war he served as aide to Gen. Crowder,