| Show i A Wishbone in Place of a Backbone BY JV Y JOHN A. A JAYNE JY E. E llo might aught have boon been but he t lIe Jle 10 Ic could have havo done but ho lie He 10 ought to 1 have havo a 0 stuck but ho hoJ J quit equit It I was in iii II him to win but ho he blew up In the time stretch LIe llo had a flue chance but he lie let It a all sJ slip 10 through his fingers AA A fulfilled ambition was Just in his gra grasp jp but he fell ba lt How often otten havo have you ou talked that way Tommie relative t to some absent or or- Harry Harr And the minute you begirt begir thinking of ot the men who la had their chance and tailed failed that minute the they appear to be numberless numberless Get out your our pencil and ana p paper per cr to tonight tonight tonight to- to night Just as far tar as you yuu can cnn make mako a list of or your our old school chums when whon you OU were In tim the tho grade ra c You have have thought af of them or their names for not year but remor memory with wih Just a little prodding will wi bring them all nl back to tho the names you you yau Make a list of say Hay you W Vell 11 Ill I'll Il do do- It I. I Lets Let's see I There Thoro was waB Billy Stewart Jim Browner Arthur Sanka lly Harry Woodhall Monkey Monkey Mon- Mon key ker Don Wheelock Chester hestor hestor Mj My Iy IY my how tho the old names do ca recall comeback como come to back when once one tries trios them Now that you ou have the names ot of pf your ol old school friends all al written out write Just what you know after aUer their names they have hava succeeded in accomplishing 1 ILs IL's remarkable how few rew of or them thor have 1 Is I's One Ono themselves made milde e any anything thing out of ml or two of them are dead two or three 4 Coil of or thorn them thor are arc hopeless cripples Ned how many of them arc are Just good of ot them old fashioned drunks 8 Some are arc nobodies Only one ona or two two of ot the entire bunch that was In ut that old ld id fifth frh grade have made anything of ot them them- IV selves each and oil all Yet as you OU think of at unc c save the 08 cripples the invalids nn and the lead dead know that thoy they had a 0 splendid splendid splendid you i del did chance Why Vh there there- wa was wa Win Win Thompson He le stood at nt the head of ot the class cluss class Remember Hemom- Hemom E He lie had a won wonderful erful mind ber how Miss 0 Jones You remember bel Miss Jones dont don't you you She was WIS that pretty teacher with the pink dress drewi 1688 and an antho wih Win in tho the blue eyes used d to say that had a remarkable mind mind mind-a a mind for mathematics history geography and rhetoric that amazed everybody r g Every Every- ry- ry himIn him things for great m bod predicted body Ireat Win In used to say that aH as lila his grandfather grand Krand- Irand- Irand father had lo tu tho legislature at gone gon on 21 24 and his father at 23 ho he hovas vas going oinK 2 2 22 Well to boat them all 01 by going at VeIl The Thelast Thelast to the ho he didn't go o legislature Win ln he ho was doddering doddering dod dod- last you ou heard of or V dol- dol dering aroun around trying to sell soU fake minIng ruin min ruining ing lag stock stuck cheap Insurance an and doped doped has hns What a failure ho he real estate n 4 made of It mAnd And so ao you go on through h the tho whole 10 of ot tl the o on- on ll list l and you ou hid Ond that out tire bunch the great groat majority with lh all nl tre have havo made mado a their great opportunities Then Thon poor you ou get got list to of ot studying life relative to It I And when you ou sum the time whole thin thing In in-a in nutshell you turn to lo your wife site wie up UI a Inn UJ through h to who IB IS waiting for tor you t got get with li your evening evening paper and sa say wih Well Wall 01 thoy wore all al pretty good fel Cd- lows but they tho just had hod a a wishbone where their backbone ought to o been They dreamed dreams but the they did Jid not have the tho manhood stuff thoroughly developed to lead lend thorn them thon to make malte of their dreams splendid realities They Thoy dl didn't nt havo the nerve nervo to han hang on They Thoy saw a 0 cloud aloud coming and they thoy just thought thought they thoy had bettor beter get In out of ot the rain The They were afraid to push out into the strong swiftly flowing current where they know they would woul bo be e compelled com corn polled to paddle for their lives The They saw sow some Bome other men getting gotting there rising rising to tho tOI top gaining tho the goals and und they Just wished that they could do something big But they thy just took It I out In wishing Instead of or having a 0 strong nerve norve their lack of or nerve made them nervous afraid timorous tim tim- tm- tm orous distrustful So they just looked on nn and wished and wished and wished Wishbones have their part In the economy economy econ econ- omy omny of oC lifo Co but they haven't any pIa place co coIn In the physical mental or or moral anatomy anatomy anat anal omy of oC man Wishbones In chickens were made to bo be picked b by men and anda a a wishbone man will wi bo ho lo picked b by a mm t man who Will Isn't wish boned s o is Just another way of 01 spelling failure o n o n Is Just another way of ot spelling success Tho The man with backbone Is hard to beat beat The man with wih a wishbone is beaten heaten already Backbone wins wine wishbone falls fails tais I What have havo you a backbone or a wishbone n e |
