Evening star., 1927-09-28

Continued from First Page)
answered the champion, Il am still
far from millionaire. Out of this
money will come my managers end
expenses for training and numerous
other incidcntalS. And the State and
Government will take a considerable
percentage of my earnings. 1t will he
while yet before | am in the million
aire class
And then he gave expression to his
desire for financial independence and
what the possession of a million in
money meant to him. 1t was some
time before | could get him to reveal
what was in his innermost thoughts
Finally he turned the light of his pale
blue eyes straight into mine and said
What l want to do more than any
thing else is TO conSecrate my life to
the welfare of youth
What is your plan of service?"
wanted TO know.
ITO teach our youth the value OF
clean living. chastity" was the an
swer. 1T is hard to talk about~thesa
things without seeming priggish. and
my work in the ring has put too much
demand on my time and my strength
to give full thought to just what
have in mind. ! know it will take
much deep thinking before l can ar
rive at plan for the thing l have in
mind. and I would rather not talk
about it until / have ended my ring
career. From present indications this
will not be for years.
Something Missing in System.
"But l feel that there is something
missing in our educational system.
That this last should help youth to
advance spiritually tand ! mean this
more in physical than a religious
sense). as well as mentally. Maybe
I am hitting at certain sex problems
which are rather delicate to discuss.
But these matters can be touched on
with proper educational value so that
it will not seem of a piece with what
we have to read along this line in our
pornogra phic tabloids and magazines.
II have certain ideas in mind of
things that are wrong in the educa-
ton of the very young among our
boys and girls. also things that might
be corrected in the scheme of co-edu-
ca ational work. but until I have de.
voted my thoughts to these things
more fully. until my life interest is
not otherwise taken up. the time has
not come TO talk on my aims to any
considerable extent. l am sorry you
prevailed on me to talk thus far on
the subject.
How | will go about carrying
through this message to youth that
have in mind is something that l can
not fully conceive as yet. 1t is mat.
ter thae will require much thought
and working out. 1t may be that in
some way a post can be created for
me that will be part Of our education
system and that will call for me to
lecture before the youth throughout
our country. as we'll as through the
various seats of learning. this import.
ance to ones self of clean living,
chastity and kindred subjects on
which I feel there is such a strong
need for enlightenment.
Sure Of Doing Good.
Somehow, / feel that 1 can find a
thought of genuine value to give to
the growing generation. Somehow, !
feel that / will find the way to bring
this thought to the clear understand
ing and appreciation of our youth.
Somehow, / feel that my success as an
athlete has been fated as merely step
ping stone to the more important work
that there is still before me-"
Gene Tunney is the perfect athlete.
He has lived anr sacrificed in ways
that has no other athlete that l have
ever known. The head of the little
parochial school where Gene Tunney
received his early religious training
has described him as:
An athlete of Christ"
An caid fhof he 10 q
stined to live up to al THAT he words
athlete of Christ" can be taken to i'm.
ply. 1t may we'll be said that he has been
ordained to prove of higher service
to youth than the most Of us can now
conceive. Only those who know him
closest can know what his religion
and his ideals of service really
are. Religion is a most serious
part of his existence as a few of us
can appreciate who happened to play
a part in a certain little incident that
occurred during Gene Tunney's train
ing for his last contest with Jack
Dempsey.
Has Mass Said for Victor.
1t was Sunday afternoon a few
weeks ago at Lake Villa. Nearby was
an ancient chapel Of such diminutive
structure that only few could wor-
ship within it's interior. And there
early in the morning Of that sunlit
day Tunney had gone quietly. And
there a mass was said that he should
come through victorious over his COM
ing opponent.
And because it happened that this
little chapel had come into existence
on a certain September % many years
ago. the very day on which Gene
Tunney was to fight in defense of his
title, certain Of us newspaper boys
wanted to weave little story about
it. And the thing came to Genes
ears and he sent for us and he told
US in a tone which none of us some
how thought of disobeying that he
did not want this TO be part of our
stories.
Leave religion out Of this" he
said. 1T means too much to me-
tCopynght. 1927. by Press Publishing Coz
mi lNr CTTK Nlnl sc