Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1928-12-21
PRESIDENT ELECT HOOVER RECALLS HIS
BOYHOOD In PAPER BEFORE IOWA GROUP

(from an address made by Herbert
Hoover before the Iowa Society,"
| prefer to think OF Iowa as I saw
" through the eyes Of a ~10-year-oId
boy-and the eyes Of all ~10-year-old
Iowa boys are or should be filled
with the wonders Of Iowa's streams
and woods, Of the mystery OF grow
ing crops. His days should be filled
with adventure and great undertake
ings. with participation in good and
comforting things. | was taken far
Their west from Iowa when | was 10,
to Oregon, and then to that final
haven Of Observation-Disclosures
l have chung ever since.
Some say that these recollections
OF Iowa are only the illusions of 40
years after, but | know better-for
l have been back and checked them
~. | was told that when 7 went
back everything would have shrunk
up and become small and ordinary.
For instance. there was Cooks
Hill-that great long hill where. on
winter nights, we slid down at ter
rifle speeds with our tummies tight
TO homemade sleds. I've seen il
several times since; it's a good hill
and except for the older method Of
thawing out frozen toes with ice
water the operation needs no mod
ern improvement.
The Ole Swimmin' Hole
The swimming hole under the will
lows down by the railroad bridge is
still operating efficiently, albeit
modern mothers probably compel
their youngsters to take a bath to
get rid Of clean and healthy mud
when they come home. The hole still
needs to be deepened however. 1t r.
hard to keep from pounding the mud
with your hands and feet when you
shove off for the 30 feet Of a cross
chanenl swim.
And there were the woods down
the Burlington track. The denuda-
tion of our forest hasn't reached
them even yet, and I know there are
rabbits still being trapped in crack
er boxes held open by a figure four
at the behest Of small boys at this
very time. ! suspect, however. that
the conservationists have invented
some kind Of a closed season before
now.
One Of the b~itterest days or my
life was in connection with n rabbit.
Rabbits fresh from a figure-four
trap early on a cold morning are
wiggly rabbits. and in the lore of
boys Of my time il is better TO bring
them home alive.
Ny brother, being older. had sur
re~ptitiously behind the blacksmith
shop read in the Youths Compan-
ion full directions for rendering
live rabbits secure. | say "surrep-
~titiously," for mine was a Quaker
family unwilling in those days TO
have youth corrupted with stronger
reading than the Bible, the ~encyclo-
pedia. or those great novels where
the hero overcomcs the demon rum.
A Herbert Hoover Failure
Soon after he had acquired this
higher learning on rabbits, he pro-
ceeded 20 instruct me 10 stand still
in the cold snow and to hold up the
rabbit by its hind feet while with
his not over-sharp knife ne proposed
TO puncture two holes between the
sinews and back knee joints Of the
rabbit, through which holes he pro-
posed 70 tie a string and thus arrive
at complete security.
Upon the introduction of the OPP
Grafton the resistance of this rabbit
was too much for me. I was not
only blamed for its escape all the
way home and for weeks afterwards.
but continuously over the last forty
years. I had thought sometimes that
| would write the youths Compan-
ion" and suggest they make sure
that this method is altered. For |
49, uc- -~LL.A 4--f- A.
snowy fields that I do not have a
painful recollection Of il all.
! mentioned the Burlington track.
II was q wonderful place. The track
was hallasted with glacial gravels
whore on industrious search you
discovered gems of agate and fossil
coral which could with infinite back
aches be polished on the grindstone.
Their fine points came out wonder
fully when wet, and you had 20 lick
them with your tongue each exhibit.
| suppose that engineering has long
since destroyed this inspiration to
young biologists by using mass
production crushed rock.
4 Campaign on HooveF's Youth
My earliest realization of the stir
Of national life was the torch parade
in the Garfield campaign. on that
occasion, / was not only allowed out
hat night. but J saw the lamps filled
and lighted. There was no great
need for urging voters in our village
there was "A democrat in the vii
lage. He occasionally fell 20 the
influence of liquor, therefore in the
esteem Of our group he represented
all the forces OF evil. AT times he