The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1924-11-04
ByH. G. SALSINGER

Ty Cobb as boy learned what he
regards as his most valuable lesson IN
life during a summer vacation. He had
planned to spend the vacation-as his
previous ones had been spent-in play
ing ball, fishing and swimming. One
evening his father called him aside-he
would have to go to work, the father
said. Young Tyrus did not like the
idea. His father was insistent. He
told him the time had come when he
must find out something about earning
livelihood, something about the de-
mands of work and the rewards of work.
He was old enough said the father, to
learn about the more serious things
in life.
The plan still did not appeal to Cobb.
He had been eagerly waiting for spring,
and then for summer He had counted
the days until school closed, until he
would be free to play from morning I'M
til night. He yearned for the compan-
ionship of the ball fields, the swim
minghole. And now all he had planned
for, all he hoped for, all that he vi
stoned, was taken from him in a full
sweep of parental command.
Tvs Ten Acres
II have ten acres near here" said
the father of Tyrus. This 10 acres
1 have been holding for several years
until you grew old enough to work it.
The soil will produce cotton, and i
want you to produce 1 acres of cotton.
1--WE will go about the thing IN !;
regular manner, the same as If you
owned the land and were cotton
planter. You will keep books and su'
pervise everything. 1t will be up to
you entirely; l am putting the whole
thing in your hands.
Tomorrow morning we will go out,
you and /. We will make all the neces-
sary purchases, acquire all the neces
sary equipment. We will put down the
cost of everything. Then you must
keep in mind the cost and learn to make
up all the cost and get the investment
to earn money
They started out the next morning
young Tyrus and his father. They
went to a hardware store for n pillow
to a harness shop for harness, and to
seed store for seed.
Ty Is Given A Mule
The Cobbs had several horses. Ty-
rus suggested that he take one of those
horses, and he asked his father which
one he could have for use on the 10
acre farm.
"You can't have any of them" re
piled his father. THAT would be Dor
rowed equipment. / want you to be
entirely on your own. A horse is toe
expensive. 1t would raise the invest
ment too high. We can not afford Il
buy horse to pull the plow on the IL
acres. A mule is less expensive and il
will do the work required out there
| We will buy mule"
They bought a mule and the elder
Cobb took the mule and the pillow, the
harness, the seed and the other equip
ment to the 10 acres and told Tyrus
to get to work.
was also distasteful work. Tyrus went
manner. He loafed on the job. Al
day long he saw visions of the baseball
diamond, of the swimming hole. HI
heard the call of youth and he was
figuratively shackled to a pillow. How
he hated plows! Hated mules HATED
cotton! Hated farming!
But his father made him stick. HI
was routed out early each morning anC
sent to the 10 acr-s. He hitched III
his mule and started on his job. i
was hard work and he did not see thu
use of it, anyway.
A Hit In Cotton
Then, slowly, change came over him
The cotton stalks began peeping abov'
| the surface of the ground. He became
interested. He watched over his farm