Mr. Danforth accepted the challenge.
“to be the healthiest boy in the class”
On page 2 he writes, “I chased the poisons out of my system. I built a body that has equaled the strongest boys in that class, and has outlived and outlasted most of them.
Since that day I haven’t lost any time on account of sickness. You can imagine how often I have blessed that teacher who dared a sallow-cheeked boy to be the healthiest in the class.”
~William H. Danforth, ‘I Dare You!’
That is why he places such an emphasis on health, he saw what it could do for you, the energy it gives you.
It is one of the sides of his ‘Four Square Program’.
Hey, wait a second.
We got to talkin’ and jumped ahead of ourselves.Â
It’s good to be excited but not so excited you miss the way or the bigger lesson in life.
Why are we stopping?Â
We reached the edge.
The edge of the woods.
No, we aren’t even in the woods yet.Â
That was just a forty acre hay field we crossed.
Turn around. See the light?
Notice how the ground slopes down toward us? And the yard light is up on the hill?
Yea, just like the bible says.
Looking back to look forward, ‘member?
So if the ground keep’s sloping down what do you have to watch out for?
Exactly, we don’t want to get off the path and end up in our own swamp.
Take a minute and let your physical eye’s get adjusted, take a deep breath and let your eye of imagination get adjusted too.
Just like when we step in that woods right there, is the way looking back at the past is, and how Mr. Danforth had to proceed in life, way back then, cautiously optimistic and bravely!
Now keep a hand in front of your face so you can feel any branches that might poke you in the eye.
Now imagine, Mr. Danforth was born in 1870, right?
The Civil War had basically just ended and after the war folks really moved west.
They had been moving all along but from about 1840 – 1880 it really was the wild west and Missouri was a gateway to get there.
In 1880 at the age of ten, maybe just getting started in school, he would have been aware of the news headlines.
Ha! What headlines? He would have been seeing some of the best…
Why’s that?
One name buddy, if you have any cowboy in you what so ever you know this name…
Jesse James.
No, not the motorcycle guy! Pay attention! And watch out for that log.
Theee Jesse James! Colt toting, bank robbing, most infamous and famous, all at the same time, wild west legend of them all!
His wanted posters would coin the term, “OUTLAW”!Â
Mr. Danforth would have been talking to his friends and listening to his folks talking about Frank and Jesse James and reading the headlines or dime novels of the time.
History.com has a picture of an authentic Wanted poster from back then offering a $5000.00 dollar reward for the James boys. It will be going up for auction and the estimates go as high as $25,000 for a possible sell price.
History is awesome!
That old Clint Eastwood flick, ‘The Rebel Outlaw: Josey Wales’, takes place in Missouri and the Indian Nations and references a lot of the actual historical characters.
I like the part when he is sleeping on the bank of the river, waiting for the Union Soldiers to cross over on the ferry.
The carpetbagger is giving him grief and saying he won’t get away, “oh no Mr Wales, there is such a thing as justice.”
Josey says, “Well Mr. Carpetbagger, we got something in this territory called ‘A Missoura’ Boat Ride.” (say it with a hoarse gravelly voice and squint your eye’s while saying it)
And he shoots the ferry rope, sending the ferry and the soldiers floating down stream.
Why wouldn’t Mr. Danforth be made of some stern stock, considering the times he was growing up in, and why wouldn’t he be willing and able to take a dare that would shape his whole life!
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