A little help from James Stewart on boys and manhood

What about the heritage that we pass on?

Tomorrow I'll offer some ideas but tonight I want to warm the muscles with James Stewart. In Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) Stewart plays the role of an idealist Ranger leader who loves the outdoors and loves his american heritage. He finds himself caught up in a political scandal and is appointed Senator by the Governor. Unexpectedly he carries his ideals to Washington to face the machine. On his first night as Senator he writes a bill for a boys ranch where the following dialogue takes place between Mr. Smith and city girl Saunders.

I want you to notice the idea of heritage, value, creation, rhetoric/passion, father/son relationship, ethics, and (what is a bit important to me right now) turning these over to the next generation through planning and doing.

". . . and something else Ms. Saunders. The, uh, the spirit of it. The idea. The, uh, how do you say it? [looking out the window at the lighted capitol dome] That's whats got to be in it! [in the boys ranch]. . . The capitol dome. . . . I want to make that come to life for every boy in this land. Yes and I'll light it up like that too.

"You see boys forget what their country means by just reading the land of the free in history books. Then they get to be a man and they forget even more.

"Liberty is too precious a thing to be burried in books Ms. Saunders. Men should hold it up in fron of them every single day of their lives and say, 'I'm free [a pause] to think and to speak. My ancestors couldn't but I can and my children will. Boys ought to grow up remembering that.

". . . about 200 of the most beautiful acres that ever were [location of the camp]. You've never been out in that country have you Ms. Saunders?

"No."

"I've been over every single foot of it. You can have no idea, you just have to see it for yourself. I don't know [he's looking for words], the prairies, the wind leaning on the tall grass, lazy streams down in the meadows, . . . cattle moving down the slope against the sun. Campfires and snowdrifts.

"You know everybody ought to have some of that sometime in his life. My dad had the right idea. He had it all worked out. He used to say to me, 'Son, don't miss the wonders that surround you because every tree, every rock, every anthill, every star is filled with the wonders of nature.'

"And he used to say to me, 'Have you ever noticed how greatful you are to see the daylight again after coming through a long dark tunnel? Well,' he'd say, 'always try to see life around you as if you've just come out of a tunnel.'"

Congratulations Mr. Stewart! You've got the right idea!