CHAPTER I THE SPIRIT OF AMERICA The Spirit of Fair Play.-Every American boy and girl learns on the playground the true spirit of America, which is nothing else than fair play, fair play for every one, big and little, neither bullies nor cheats allowed. You can sum up the whole object of our American Government by saying that it seeks to give every American, man or woman, boy or girl, rich or poor, an equal chance. Every boy and girl in America wishes to win, to succeed, to become great and famous. There is more ambition in America than in any other country in the world. That is because every boy and girl has a better chance in America than in any other country in the world. Our country is far from perfect; we have our faults and injustices, as has every country. There are cheats and bullies in business as in play. But we try to keep the game of life fair and we have succeeded in making America the land of opportunity beyond any other spot. The poorest boy can become President, has become President. Abraham Lincoln, who split fence-rails as a farmer's boy, lived to become our greatest and most honored President. Every position, every success, stands open for every boy to try for. Every girl can learn as much as she will and enter any business or pro fession or work that appeals to her. Andrew Carnegie, who started out as a messenger-boy in Pittsburg at the age of fourteen and became our greatest steel manufacturer, is but one of hundreds of American boys who have won their way to the highest success. Now it is fair play, and only fair play, that makes this possible, that gives this chance to rich and poor alike. As in games, so in work we try our hardest to win, to succeed. But we play fair. We obey the rules. We give every boy and girl a fair start. We put bullies and cheats out of the game and we aim to give every one an equal chance to succeed. That is the spirit of America. No one is a true American who does not try to live up to it. ' There is no room for king or noble or any favored class in this free country. Every American is as good as his brains and character and manners, and no better. QUESTIONS ON THE TEXT 1. What is the spirit of America? 2. What is the object of our government? 3. Why is there no nobility in America? QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 1. What is a "fair start" in a race? 2. What does "two against one is no fair" mean? 3. What is a "blow below the belt"? 4. What did President Roosevelt mean by a "square deal"? 5. What is the Golden Rule? 6. Can you think of any great Americans besides Lincoln who made their way up from poverty? CHAPTER II THE CAPTAIN, THE UMPIRE, AND THE RULES Captain and President. When a group of boys wish to start a ball team one of the first things they do is to choose a captain. No team can play well without a captain, and a good one. He decides where each boy shall play, directs the practice, makes out the batting list, and gives the orders in a game-when to play up for a batter, when to change pitchers, and so on. He is the general of the forces in the field, and a good captain of a ball team is quite as important as a good general in a battle. The President of the United States is the captain of the country. He does for the whole country very much the kind of things that your captain does for your baseball team. The country selects him to be their general, their leader. If we are good Americans we obey him to the death. If he asks the men to enlist they do so. If he asks the women to save food in war time they do so. If he asks us to buy War Savings Stamps we do so. Of course, he do so. If he asks us to pay a tax we has a tremendous task and all It is a very much more difficult thing to lead a nation of 100,000,000 men, women, and children than to lead a team of nine ball-players. But he is chosen by the people of the country much as you |