"Do You Know the Fiftieth Child?" - by Rev. Weldon Bares

Frank Crane was a Presbyterian minister who wrote an essay many years ago entitled "The 50th Boy." Try to update his words from 1923 to 2024. Don’t get sidetracked by gender-leaning language. Let it apply to males and females.

This is part of what he wrote: "About one boy in 50 will remain after the feast and offer to help clean things up. Do you know the 50th boy? The 50th boy smooths the wrinkles out of his teacher's forehead and takes the worry out of her mind. All the grouches brighten when they see the 50th boy coming, for he is brave and cheery. The 49 didn't think; the 50th boy thinks.

“The 50th boy makes a confidant of his mother and a pal of his father. He does not lie, steal or tattle, because he does not like to. If he sees a banana peel on the sidewalk, where it is liable to cause someone to slip and fall, or a piece of glass on the road where it may puncture a tire, he picks it up. The other 49 think it is none of their business.

"The 50th boy is a good sport. He does not whine when he loses. He does not pout when another wins the prize. He is not afraid to do what is right or ashamed to be decent. He looks you straight in the eye. He tells the truth. He stands up straight and is honest. He doesn't feel sorry for himself. He works as hard as he plays. Everybody is glad to see him."

Do you know the 50th child?