   Build me a son, Lord who will be strong enough to know when he is weak and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid. One who will be proud and unbending in defeat, and humble and gentle in victory. A son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be. A son who will know that to know himself is the foundation stone of all true knowledge. Rear him I pray, not in the paths of ease and comfort, but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenges. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm, here let him learn compassion for those who fail. Build me a son, whose heart will be clean, whose goal will be high. A son who will master himself before he seeks to master others. One who will learn to laugh yet never forget how to weep. One who will reach into the future, but never forget the past. And after all these are his, add, I pray, enough of a sense of humor so that he may always be serious, but not take himself too seriously. A touch of humility so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength. Then I his father, will dare in the recesses of my own heart to whisper, "I have not lived in vain." –Anonymous History of Kawaga's Ideal Have you ever wondered where the Kawaga Ideal actually came from? Prior to the 1996 reunion in Chicago, Kawaga Alum, Bob Sideman, came up with the answer in a letter written by Lou Ehrenreich. It seems that somebody had attributed the Ideal to General Douglas MacArthur in the days following his death. Lou disputed this claim in a letter written to the Chicago Tribune in April, 1964, as follows: "There is no doubt that General Douglas MacArthur made a fine contribution in preserving our American way of life, but at times much is attributed to the Great for which they actually have no responsibility. I refer specifically to the publicity given General MacArthur for being the author of 'A Father's Prayer.' This father's prayer has been one of the guiding principles of our camp for many a year. It was not written by General MacArthur. We first ran across it in Tony's Scrapbook, edited by Anthony Wons and published in 1932-33 by Reilly & Lee Company, Chicago...and published under the title, 'When A Father Prays.' The author is anonymous. I am sure that General MacArthur would not want credit for something he had no part in composing." –Louis S. Ehrenreich |