9
Dad taught me always to stand up for what I thought
was right. Later, in Dayton, Dad considered that he was the
one on trial for being an independent thinker in a free
country, and I suppose he was right.
He felt that man should make his own world. He believed
that each individual's position in society should correspond
to his ability and social attainments, regardless
of his race, religion, sex, creed, or color. If a man was a
genius, he should be accorded a status worthy of his genius.
My mother and her family had similar beliefs, which is one
reason Dad got along so well with them.
"Don't depend upon what your ancestors have done,” he
would tell me. "You take care of today and the past will
take care of itself. And the future, too."
Dad had a thorough command of the English language,
his vocabulary enriched by reading the masterpieces of both
England and America. Even though his formal education
had been limited to a few years at a Church 0f England
school in London, he was, next to Clarence Darrow, the
best-read man I have known. A fast reader, he had a vivid
memory, could extract the meaning from the most recondite
passages, and quote several pages without referring to
the text. He often read Ruskin, Macaulay, and Carlyle
aloud to me. Carlyle eluded me frequently - until Dad
read him to me. At night, he would read Mark Twain,
Charles Dickens, or any other author we all liked to me and
my sisters, and then after we were asleep he would continue
his own education, reading far into the night. When an