The Washington times., 1935-08-19
BY JAMES E. BROWN
Copyright. 1875. by international
News SerVicel


NEW YORK, Aug. 10 QN.S0.
Nothing so stamped Will Rogers
as q fitting representative Of the
typical American as the fact that
his parents wanted him to be a
minister.
Every American boy grows up
with his parents fondly indulging
in dreams of him thunderlng
from the pulpit either as a min
lister, priest, or rabbi. 1t seems
to be an inevitable part OF the
American scene: it happened to
me, and it probably happened to
you.
In the case of Will Rogers
lovable predecessor, Mark Twain,
the same was true-until the time
when he ran away from home, at
ich occasion a relative some
what profanely predicted that he
would be hanged as a horse thief.
Had HOmely HumOr
great many Of Rogers biog-
rS4herS make the mistake Of call
ing him a typical American; he
was not. He was an excellent
representative, a sort OF super
spokesman, but he was not typical.
He had the homely humor OF
the Southern ,cracker-barrel artist,
the shrewd penetration of the New
England farmer, and the breezy
indifference to rank and wealth OF
the Western plainsman.
AS one who has lived in all those
communities. I know the type.
We had a boy in college who
hailed from Oklahoma, Wills
State. Getting tight regularly
and raising the devil, the boy
nevertheless had a straight "A'
average in all his studies. His
favorite expression was, II mean
we careth mott"
Maybe he didn't care, and
maybe Will Rogers was just a cow
boy, wistful and friendly, who
stumbled on the "big time" by ac-
cident, but he, too, had a straight
"a" average-not in college, but
IN the game OF life.
Born On Election Day
Born in Colagh, Indian Terri
tory, on November 4, 1879, he had
a flair for doing things. With
that characteristic for the unusual
and the significant, he was born
on election day. What better day
could the man who knows Presi-
dents, Senators, ambassadors ana
kings have chosen!
Yet he was a noisy baby. When
he cried, there was no ignoring
him. That same nasal tone was
evident as child which later en-
abled him to initiate Calvin
Coolidge with such accuracy. He
once said to Mrs. Coolidge.
'WelI, Grace, you can imi:
tate him better than can.
But look what you had to go
through to be able to do It,"
He was educated at the Willie
Hassell School at NeoSho, Mo-,
and at the Kemper Military Aca-
denny at Boonville, Mo.
ut didn't do me any harm
much"
He claimed to have gotten the
main part of his education from
McGuffey'S Fourth Reader. He
remarked afterwards:
II studied it for 10 years."
He learned to rope and ride
while he was a ranch hand in
Oklahoma, and he made his first
public appearance when he was
IA years old in a riding contest,
which he won.
Went to Argentina
He grew up on horseback, be-
came a cow-puncher when he was
II and soon owned small herd
of his own, which he sold to a
neighbor and, with another
youth, bought third class tickets
to the Argentine to seek his for
tune.
Down there, they punched COWS
across the pampaS for 81 a month
American money. Soon they
became tired of this, but they had
only enough money for one pas
sage home, so they flipped a coin
to see who would go. Will lost.
His pal returned to the United
States, leaving Will stranded in
Buenos Aires.
He could have worked his way
home, but he decided to stick it
out and see more of the world.
SO he worked on the pampas,
mixed with the gauchos, and
learned a great deal. He said
afterwards:
II thought I knew something
about rOping, but I didn't. Those
Argentine vaquerOS were ShO'
the most wonderful experts with
. rope that / have ever SOOn."
Here again we have an example
that he was not the typical Amer
ican-the typical American has
not roped steers on the Argentine
PampaS.
Missed BOer War
Then Will heard Of the Boer
war. He Immediately got q Job on
o cattle boat transporting mules
from BuenoS Aires to South Africa