New Britain herald., 1928-09-29
Mother Willing
 Boy Should Co
Glad Son Has Chance
 With Byrd.

Erie. Pa.. Sept. 2s. @-American mothers anxiously locking for . tardy John or Mary ioitering on their way home from school might wonder what Mrs. Clyde Siple thinks a she waits for her boy. Paul. to return from the South Pole. The wait is only beginninS-and it's ike H to last for two years.
 Paul, tall, muscular lad of 20, is one Boy Scout among the nations hundreds whom CoMman- der Richard E. Byrd picked to ac- company his band Of men on their scientific invasion of the Antarctic wasteA
 As the tossing barque. the City of New York. blows through south- ern waters toward New Zealand and Antarctica, slowly widening the miles between mother and son from the hundreds into the :hou- sands, Mrs. Sip'e pastes clippings about the voyage into new scrap book and confides that she isn't one bit worried.
 No one read with more interest and anxiety of the careful prepara- tions that Commander Byrd made in outfitting the City of New York and it's crew than did Mrs. Siple. 4 mothers intuition told her that, or the six scouts selected for the final eliminations. PaM would be the one to go.
 While the final tests were being given in New York. friends found Mrs. Siple smiling.
 "Yes, we heard from Paul last night" she said. He came out first in the physical examination. We are very proud of him. If he gets to go it will mean very much to him."
 Then tho ne Hs of Paul's selec- ton, Mir. Siple. q machinist. took 1t Jovially. skipping Paul on the back On the way home. Mother Siple said little. She was too busy pack ing. Gifts poured into the home from organizations of the First Methodist church. where Paul was a worker, and Mother Siple looked after them.
 Not until mother and father were at the pier. waving to the fad ing figure Of their son did she con- fess to even a tinge of anxiety and then her words were more of faith than anything else.
 If he doesn't come back" she said to her husband. 'it will be the first time he has failed in any thing"
 She vas remembering when she said that of how Paul led in tests of seamanship while out in the troop boat on Lake Erie where he held q position equal to first mate. She was remembering the ease and confidence he displayed in passing those challenging tests that made him an Eagle scout.
 Now while Paul is moving south ward to the land of ice and mys- l tery, Mother Siple is planning for his futuve. She wants him to com plete his work at Alleghany col lege. Meadville. Pa.. and he has promised her he will. That will take year. Then he may follow his ambition to become a leader in | Scout work.
 Mother sipie believes in aiding | boy to realize his own life work. not to pick it for him. Her main job has heen in making home "a place where . boy likes.to be-"
 When the little family came to ! Erie from Paul's birthplace at Montpelier, Ohio, it was the mother | who saw to 1t that Paul became a worker in the church.
 We can hear him over the radio once week." she said. "He can write to us whenever they meet a ship coming in this direction. When | f1e gets to New Zealand We may | correspond with him. After that I don't know. Perhaps they will 1 relay radio messages. am not afraid"