Imperial Valley Press

THE SPOILED HERO

Perhaps George Young, who attained fame and glory by winning the Catalina swimming contest, has learned a useful lesson.

Toronto, his native city, waited long and planned nobly to make his homecoming notable, and in return was snubbed. George refused to attend the great public dinner arranged in his honor, because his estranged pal, Bill Hastings, had been invited. The notables of the city gathered to do him honor, and had to eat their banquet in painful silence because the seat of the guest of honor was empty.

That was pretty raw. George seems to have dimly felt how raw it was, for he immediately tried to atone for it by what he thought was a brilliant idea. He would give a dinner of his own, with Bill Hastings left out, and all the city notables could come as his guests.

He had made enough money to afford such a blowout.

Glowing with his grand plan, George wrote to the mayor about it, and in a burst of wild generosity suggested that the mayor select the guests. "His worship" would know whom to invite, anyway, better than George would. Then George made arrangements for the spread.

The mayor replied that the host had better do his own inviting.

When the time came, the mayor and other city notables constituting the guests of honor, were not present. The tables were neatly turned.

Instead of one empty chair, there were many.

That meal was a sad occasion for George.

Now Toronto, which had made of George a super human hero, has soured on him.

George is only a kid, to be sure.

And everybody has worked hard to turn his head since he swam to fame.

But Toronto feels that even a kid might have better manners--and more loyalty to an old pal. May George Young, and any other potential Georges, profit by his experience.