Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-14
Signal Honor for Boy Hero
Echoes Sentiment Of Nation

slight reason to fear that BRYAN v,ll
be ct all spoiled By this sins,,isr
tribute; that true heroes, vhafever
their age, seldom are" The MiIwaukee
Sentinel. however, with approval Tar Tie
1act that "the admirable PERFORMANCE
OF TINS lS-year-old youngster "a being
recognized" warns that at takes a
strong nature to withstand too treat
q measure Of adulation and praise. |"
while the Haverhill Gazette belieyes
that. after few days, "'the boys hard
eSS !oD, harder even than the action
when earned him fame, viii come
ordinary ways"
White House recognition. In the
opinion Of the Connellsvilie Courier,
VIII be q form OF honor that win be
more practical and more enduring than
20 confer medals or other awards" The
new Bedford Standard declares that
ne merits admiration and gratitude
no less than one who discovers new
worlds or conquers kingdoms" The
Aipany Evening News comments: at
Is small wonder that the President of
the United States was moved Ia honor
this boy. What boy he isl A bow
OF whom all America Is proud. he has
the right stuff in him, the quality of
leadership and the greater quality of
self-sacrifice to duty and to others. And
what Q story 1t is, the boy In the hos
pital the President OF the United
States calling him up by telephone and
asking him to come TO the White
House! This story is something that
makes every one happy"
+ y II
Recalling the climax Of the story. the
Erie Dispatch Herald gives the version:
Bryan covered them with his coats and
sweater, gave them all his clothes but
his overallsN and shirt. Then Bryan's
father and other parents reached the
snow bound bus, and Bryan said: I'm
all right dad. Take the other kids first.
can make 1t all right Five of the
other kids were frozen to death. All
the rest had badly frozen arms and legs.
AL had pneumonia. But they were alive
and are now recovering. President
Hoover read about all this. He, too, was
once o farm boy. And he said, There's
boy worth knowing He made ar
rangements for Bryan to go to Wash
1ngton as his personal guest as soon as
Bryan gets out of the hospital. There
he viii eat with the President talk with
him. sleep in the bed where LindberRh
slept. And then he'll go back home and
nelp plant the corn crop, help milk the
cows and feed the horses. A hero?
Certainly Yet only a tousle- headed
youngster and calluses on his boyish
LEFT IN charge and told not to let
any of the children go to Sleep" recalls
the Rochester Times Union, ''he did his
best. He slapped their hands and faces.
He started boxing and wrestling
matches. He sang. He was helped IN
all this by the girl, Clara. When their
enortS began TO fall and more of the
children died, he gave away his clothes
down to his underwear. Then he. too.
collapsed, unconscious. Thus the res
cuers found them. FIVE were dead. Il
seems almost incredible that this could
happen In . Nation as wen advanced
as the United States. Yet here &c Is, 4
STARK reality: The only consolation we
can md Is that Bryan and Clara are az
the 'stud' Of which pioneers and heroes
are made. They are the kind Of chill
oren that make . nation great"