Roosevelt High School - Bwana Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

Page 17 text:

WIAN CHOOSING A SUBJECT FOR BWANA HAT a world of imagination the word cowboy suggests! We see him through a heroic mist, a strikingly familiar figure who is always colorfully dressed, riding wildly, freely, with the glory of the setting sun enveloping him. No wonder he is the nucleus of every small boy's dreams, the goal of his hopes and aspira- tions! To us the life of a cowboy is prodigious. For that reason, his life is a popular theme upon which innumerable plots of modern romances are based. We thrill to the reckless gallantry of the cowboy in the movies: the public caters to a bucking-bronco rider. And whether he has appeared as a veritable being on the screen, or as a wholly fictitious character in Beach's latest novel, he is still a romantic figure, envied by school boys and almost everyone except, perhaps, another cowboy. Of course we should not say boys have the pre-eminent interest in the cowboy, girls, too, delight in the thrilling adventures of these Westerners: and what adult is so antiquated that he cannot enjoy a good cowboy story? There has always been a deep interest in these rough riders. From the earliest times when they first settled in the West, fighting Indians, shooting buffalos, making history for our country, up to the present, they have played such an important part in the development of the West that our interest has been increased rather than lessened. l-le is indeed unique. Considering his educa- tive value, his importance, both past and present, in the history of America, besides the pleasure and entertainment to be derived ,from his life and work, We believe that the Bwana Staff of Roosevelt l-ligh School chose wisely when it selected The American Cowboy for the subject of the school annual. I THE EDITOR 'N XX U Thi rtee n

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Kaur-XM Twelve THE COWBOY'S DREAM lSung to the air of My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean. Q This is a well known cowboy ballad. Last night as I lay on the prairie, And looked at the stars in the sky, I wondered if ever a cowboy Would drift to that sweet by and by. Roll on, roll ong Roll on, little dogies, roll on, roll on, Roll on, roll ong Roll on, little dogies, roll on.. The road to the bright, happy region Is a dim, narrow trail, so they say: But the broad one that leads to perdition Is posted and blazed all the way. They say there will be a great round-up, And cowboys, like dogies, will stand, To be marked by the Riders of Judgment Who are posted and know every brand. I know there's many a stray cowboy Who'll be lost at the great, final sale, When he might have gone in the green pastures Had he known of the dim, narrow trail. I wonder if ever a cowboy Stood ready for that Judgment Day, And could say to the Boss of the Riders, I'm ready, come drive me away. For they, like the cows that are locoed, Stampede at the sight of a hand, Are dragged with a rope to the round-up, Or get marked with some crooked man's brand. And I'm scared that I'Il be a stray yearling,- A maverick, unbranded on high,- And get cut in the bunch with the rusties When the Boss of the Riders goes by. For they tell of another big owner Whose ne'er overstocked, so they say, But who always makes room for the sinner Who drifts from the straight, narrow way. They say he will never forget you, That he knows every action and lookg So, for safety, you'd better get branded, Have your name in the great Tally Book. -From the Lomax collection, Cowboy Ballads

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,. 7 Wi .IN.I THE COWBOY'S PART IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND X PROGRESS OF THE WEST I-IE American cowboy occupies a position sufficiently important to entitle him to a considerable share of public attention. To him, as a representative of law and order in the ranch country, belongs the credit for such security as was enjoyed by the agricultural population. To him, as a pioneer of civilization, is due recogni- tion for the public service he has performed. The cowboy's occupation is unique. It is always one of excitement and romantic interest. l-lis waking hours, when riding the trail, are spent in the saddle: and at night he makes his bed upon the lap of Mother Earth. Besides the excitement and romance of his work, the cowboy often encounters grave dangers. It is impossible, however, for one who has not had actual experience in riding the trail to imagine the difficulties involved in driving a large herd of cattle over mountain ranges, across desert lands where, in some cases, food and water are not found for mlanty miles, and across streams which are liable to dangerous floods. It is not a strange thing that such an occupation and such an environment should have created a class of men in whom, due to the dangers and mis- fortunes which they constantly met, were developed unusual qualifications. The very nature of their work demanded good horsemanship. The man who must spend hours each clay in the saddle, riding over country that only a cow-pony could traverse, must at least sit in his saddle with the maximum of comfort and the minimum of fatigue. Obviously, too, his skill with the lariat must be par excellence since there is an art to lassoing an animal that apparently has no definite destination. His frequent encounters with hostile lndians and dangerous animals develops within him a high degree of courage. l-lis physical alertness also has to be highly developed since on entirely unex- pected occasions he may be called upon to repel an attack of Indians, or to ride out in the small hours of the morning to gather a few straying cattle. Clouclbursts, sandstorms, and lack of water are common experiences during which work has to be carried on. Many times the cowboy spends from twenty-four to forty-eight hours in the saddle, catching his sleep as he rides. There is no union day for the cowboy. The cowboys were protectors of life and property among the early settlers. They constituted throughout their region a corps of moun-ted scouts. Their search for wandering cattle took them into mountain fastnesses and lurking places in river bottomsg consequently, no hostile movement on the part of indians and unscrupulous whites escaped their notice. The cowboy's reputa- tion as a bad hombren gave him an advantage when it came to administering justice, a mere threat often being sufficient to cause the wayward to reform. Horse thieves and other serious offenders often found that justice was adminis- Fourteen