Posted on 07/04/2016 6:27:39 AM PDT by vannrox
Great essay. Thanks for posting.
As the father of a mid-twenties son and as an uncle to two mid-twenties nephews, I think my sister and I score pretty well on the criteria the author wrote. But we are strong conservatives where these arts are still considered to be what makes the man.
A good read, well-deserving of a holiday bump.
Ever watch children eat in large groups? Most do not use a fork for any food. We are too lazy to introduce our youth to the most basic elements of manners. Children today are not expected to do most of the things this father expected of his son, and consequently they are poorer for it, as is our society.
The One Thing Liberals Cannot Stand: that smart, talented, handsome, successful people tend to reproduce smart, talented, handsome, successful kids, while stupid, untalented, ugly, unsuccessful people tend to have stupid, untalented, ugly, unsuccessful kids.
Ping
...bump....
“I have three fears for the future of my son: that he will join the Army, enter the Church, or become horsey.”
That line was a big turnoff to me and did not “bring smiles” to this veteran.
Ping
A neighbor of mine insisted that his two sons and two daughters HAD to take flying lessons at least to solo as well as be able to close group hits using a military issue 1911. I never heard his reason behind these accomplishments.
There was a time when it was worth the time to read Harper’s Magazine.
Thanks for the posting.
Had they known....??? What? Those of the “Greatest Generation” caused this mess by forgetting completely what made them great: Hardship!
They gave their children everything imaginable and then wondered aloud why they ended up spoiled brats for whom “entitled” was a key concept.
Had they given their children the “gift of poverty” which they enjoyed, perhaps thing might have turned out much differently for Muffy and Biff! And the rest of us who have had to tolerate their shenanigans!
Consider the times...it was 1933, the Great War was well within living memory, isolationism ran strong, and the Army was seen by at least some in civilian life as a last-ditch haven for life’s losers.
yeah there were a couple lines that tweaked me, but overall it was a solid article and i ignored the rest for the era and protected nature of the writer...despite his list he came across as an aristocrat.
From Rudyard Kipling, some other sage advice on being a man ...
If ...
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too:
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or, being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise;
If you can dream-—and not make dreams your master;
If you can think-—and not make thoughts your aim,
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same:.
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build’em up with worn-out tools;
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings,
And never breathe a word about your loss:
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with Kings-—nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much:
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And-—which is more-—you’ll be a Man, my son!
Women should be able to do a lot of the things on this list, too!
Great article! Thanks for posting it all.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.