The Republican., 1932-09-22
The Man Who Wanted a
Son

Practically everyone has heard of
the Order of DeMolay with its 160,-
900 active members and its alumni of
100000 all over the world. Few per-
haps know that its inspiration was
due to the longing of typical Ameri-
can for a son. That man was Frank
Sherman Land, of Kansas City. In
writing of the organization of the
Order of DeMolay in the current issue
of the National Republic, George B.
Sykes says in part:
"In 1919, Frank Land was 29-
year-old tired-eyed secretary OF the
social service department of the Scot
tish Rite bodies of Kansas City. But
he was still good man and an able
one. It is important that he was
good. Professional social service
workers too often are made cynical by
their experience. He was good-but
that was not enough. He was lolely.
He wanted a son; he wanted a boy
who could say Frank Land is my
father
"It was in that year, 1919, that Mr..
Land met Louis G. Lower; Louis was
16 years old then-right on the
threshold of life. Mr.. Land likes to
talk of that night when he found Lou
is. 1t was a tragic night, however,
for the boy. His mother was sobbing;
friends of the family were arranging
the funeral of his father. There were
younger children in the Lower family;
they would have time to get adjusted.
But there was Louis, just at the age
when a boy needs, more than at any
other time in life, the guiding hand
of a man. That was right after the
World War, remember, when the
youth of the country stood upon un-
stable ground.
"Mr. Land reached cut his hand to
the boy.
"'Come to my office tomorrow, Mr..
Lower said he. 4 want to get ac-
quainted with YOU
"Louis looked up in surprise. He
was Mr.. Lower, was he? Frank Land
always treated grown-up boys as II
they were men.
"Louis Lower was Mr.. Lands first
son. He found that boy in a home
where a dead father lay. How Mr..
Land glowed! He could take the place
of the dead man. He could do what
he always wanted to do-bring up
son. Here was clay for an artist;
here was son for a man. Far INTO
the night, time after time, Mr.. Land
talked to the boy. The trafticway un-
der the Office window was deserted
bv everything but wind-blown paper
and lettering policeman. The boy
should have been in bed long before
but Mr.. Land had been sixteen years
without Louis. He had moulding to
do. That is how Louis received EX-
caliber, the blade that every man can
give to his sons. That is how Frank
Land made his first bid for that i'm
mortality which father can make Tor
themselves upon this earth.
"Louis brought eight other boys OF
his age to Frank Lands office. He
talked with them all. He sent for col
fee and sandwiches. He chatted with
them about their work, their parents.
Thev learned to confde in him. They
even called him Dad in quite nat
ural and manly way. Frank Land was
no simpering, loving fellow. Not at
all. He was a man of the world VINO
knew the stuff that life was made OF.
And he knew, too, the stuff that men
must be made of.
"It was through these nine boys
that Frank Land discovered himself.
He realized for the first time IN MS
life that his wanting son had made
him father, not to one boy, but to
any boy. He perceived with aston
ishment that boys loved him immedl-
ately that he held them, fascinated
them. Here was a gift. He could
have stopped with Louis Lower, but
here was a gift. He could have stop
ped with nine boys. But Frank Land
was one to hold torch high and light
the faces of the multitude. So ne
said, on the night of March "a, 1919,
Bring in all your pals next Wednes-
dany night and We'll make club OF
it,"