Evening Star Newspaper, January 3, 1932, Page 66

4 noiseless but effective investigation. Zeke was right. Just about ihe time that this bitter fact was fully dawning on him, he observed that he had inadvertently set fire to some clothing and that the Webster residence would soon be a thing of the past unless some one did some- thing in a hurry. His alert father sub- dued Daniel and the conflagration simul- taneously. Young Webster was the only one of this group who had a regular education. He was sent to Exeter and later to Dart- meouth, becoming famous at both of these institutions as an orator. After complet- ing his education, he set out on horse- back for Maine, where he began, at 19, to teach school. So five boys became five great leaders in the development of a Nation. Their boyhoods are interesting if for that rea- son only. They were just boys—no dif- ferent from the average boy of today. They were not super-beings who realized from the moment their existence began that they were destined to live in history and who governed themselves according- ly. Rather were they simply young mas- culine humanity—vibrant with life and avid for a taste of it. HOWEVER, there is one fact that stands out in each instance. They all developed an interest, an enthusiasm, which either led directly to the positions which they later came to occupy or showed their energetic adjustment to life and its problems. Martin Van Burne was a politician at 18; Andrew Jackson, a sol- dier at 14 and practically a veteran at “Yl)l"/‘ll ss not declming. This is our answer in the university. The 'teen-age boy is sn the ascendant. The nfluence of the city is sntense; the influence of education is sn- tense. Al the forces that make character arc intense. “These are the more intense The past was afflicted with coarse tastes, aith hard liquor, with sll-cooked food and with gencral indigestion. We live s a better day and youth is emergent, finer and stronger than ever before.” WILLIAM ALLEN WILBUR, Provost, George Washington Uni- versity. forces of modern life. 17; Benjamin Franklin, a journalist at 17; John Paul Jones, the captain of a ship at 20, and Daniel Webster, a school teacher and prize orator at 19. In all but one case their work was of their own choosing. Andrew Jackson be- ecame a soldier from necessity. Every man, woman and child in the Carolinas was called upon, not to enter the war for any patriotic or sentimental reason, but the preservation of life itself. The men of those days were not soldiers according to our present standards of warfare. The patriots fought whgn and how they eould. They were fighters—not soldiers. Andrew Jackson did well his part. What of the future? What are the ‘teen-age boys of today doing? Are there any outstanding young Americans to whom we can look for the future of our civilization? Or is it true that the lads of “the good old days” were of better quality? 1Is it true that our modern youth holds no assurance for the future? The best gauge of the future is the younger generation of the present: Dick Douglas, adventurer, explorer and author, hails from Greensboro, N. C. He was one of three Boy Scouts who, because of personal merit and ability, were se- lected to accompany Martin Johnson on an expedition to Africa. The African sojourn was not a pleasure trip. It was a voyage of exploration and discovery. Young Douglas, with Dave Martin and Douglas Oliver, wrote a book concerning the adventures of the trio of Boy Scouts in Africa, which has become one of the best selling books ever written by boys. But Dick Douglas’ career only began with his first expedition. At the time of this writing he is in Alaska conducting an investigation into the private lives of the famous Kodiak bears. He has writ- ten two books, lectured, and very inter- estingly in that delightful Southern drawl of his, over the radio, and he has been a member of three expeditions. Al- together, this 19-year-old descendant of Stephen A. Douglas has led a very excit- ing and serviceable existence. When a 7-year-old boy, with a violin tucked under his chtubby chin and a Jackie Coogan, one of the leading boy actors, and at the age of 17, long famous SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D. C, JANUARY 3, 1932 for his screen characterizations. . strawberry ice cream cone waiting just off-stage, appeared in his first recital, the entire musical world sat up on its “Bet- haunches and gasped ecstatically: ter keep an eye on that boy!” somed out as a truly great musician, pro- claimed, not as a technically perfect prodigy, but rather as a musical genius whose soulful, pleasing artistry has promped critics to hail him as one of Bert L. Capstaff, an 18-year-old radiologist whose work has atiracted Nation- wide attention. They were right. Since that time Yehudi Menuhin, now 14 years old, has climbed to an enviable position in the world of music. Under the capable guid- ance of Louis Persinger, he has blos- the best violinists of this age. He began the study of the violin when he was only 4 years old. His own love for his art and the excellent training he has received, combined with the attitude of his parents My Playmate the Wind By Mary Coles Carrington My playmate the Wind Crept up through the garden; With the vwmes’ fingers He tapped at the pane, Then, at my silence, In gusty smpatience, Made fists of the fir trees And knocked in vain. I laughed at his bluster, His rough snuitation To join in a dance Where red maple leaves fall— Seo he lost his temper, Banged all of the shutters And tore my green tvy Down from the wallt —_—— and managers of limiting his concert engagements in order to allow him te develop normally, are the prineipal fac- tors in his success. SEVENTEEN—YEAR-OLD Robert Buck has 45,000 miles of flying and eight junior records to his credit. This Hill- side, N. J,, boy began flying a little over a year ago and he has been making his- tory ever since. He has made a recerd fight to California and return and a simi- lar flight to Cuba. He has addressed the New Jersey State Legislature on flying laws and he is the president of the newly organized Air Sceuts of America, an as- sociation designed to foster aeronautics for young people. He has mastered the difficult art of “flying blind” and he has won a name for himself as a very daring and skillful aviator. He is the author of a book, “Burning Up the Skies,” which is to appear soon. Bob is a good horseman and likes peolo. Polo is his avoeation and may be taken lightly. But aviation is a very serious matter. His flying career has been char- acterized by his excellent understand- ing of the finer points of aeronautical science. His work during the past year leads one to believe that this modern boy isn’'t dead from the shoulders up. Jackie Coogin has been more or less in the public eye since his birth, which oc- curred in 1914. His career in motion pictures actually began in earnest when he was only 4 years old and Charlie Chaplin discovered him and starred him in “The Kid.” “The Kid” was followed by a series of pictures which won him ever-increasing popularity. When he had reached the age of 10, he retired from the screen to enter a military academy. His retirement was broken by a brief re- turn a few years later, but he soon left it again in the further pursuit of knowl-, edge. “Tom Sawyer,” Mark Twan’s inimitable story of the life of an adventurous boy in a small Mississippi town, was the ve- hicle for Jackie Coogan’s final return te the movies. With all his suceess, he has yet man~ aged to retain a quaint, boyish charm and considerable natural intelligence. Some time ago, during an educational broadcast from a large Midwestern sta- tion, he was asked to give an aceount of a trip to Europe which he had recently taken. His talk was so interesting that the supposedly imperturable station op- eratives, all unwittingly, allowed him to run eight minutes over time. One of the most outstanding boys in the field of radio is Bert L. Capstaff of Ho-ho-kus, N. J. Although he is only 18 years old, he has organized numerous radio clubs, operated his own radio sta- tion, with which he has accomplished two-way communication with all the major countries of the world as well as the Bryd expedition, and become one of the best known amateurs in radio. Capstaff began when, at 8 years of age, “radio became my hobby.” He or- ganized his first radio club when he was 11. It was called the “Boys’ Radio Club,” and had a membership of 10, meetings being held in the Capstaff cellar. He received his first license to transmit three years later. His family moved from Grantwood to Ho-ho-kus two years afterward, and it is with his station at the latter place that he has established his remarkable record. Just how unusual the record is may be judged from the fact that only about 2 per cent of all those actively participating in amateur radio can equal it. He graduated from high sehool last June and is new in Union College. He inherited his engineering bent from his father, James A. Capstaff, who is one of the best known marine engineers in the country. Now, in this age, it is surprising to find that there are actually some members of that over-publicized social class, “Flam-~- ing Youth,” who have amounted to some- thing. These five modern boys, more- over, are only five outstanding examples of youthful achievement. There are many, many others who, while not se widely known, are also accomplishing worthwhile things. The writer begins to suspect that there has never been any such Utopian phe- nomenon as “the good old days.” George Washington’s father probably sprung that same line on George when the first President was a boy. Adam might have told Cain about it after Cain murdered Abel. At any rate, Adam had an excel- lent opportunity. I am filled with op- timism for the future of the moderm adolescent boy. Perhaps that is beeause I am one of them.