True Grit

I was thinking back to when I was a kid in New Jersey. Every couple of months my mother would hand me some money and tell me to go to town to get a hair cut. I’d ride my bike to the barber shop. It was usually a Saturday morning, so there was always some waiting time. Back then it seemed like all the local barbers were Italian with slight accents from the old country. Occasionally they would speak to one another in Italian, but they were very good at conversing in English.

All barber shops had a variety of magazines to read while you waited. There was usually a stack of Look and Life magazines. There was a special rack for true crime and men’s magazines where kids were not allowed to venture. Being a kid I was limited to Life and Look and another magazine that I’ve only ever seen in barber shops. That was one called Boy’s Life.

Boy’s Life was this idyllic magazine of virtues for children of Republican families. It promoted the Rockwell vision of what an American boy should hold dear. Frankly, I found the entire publication to be a bit douchie.

The only redeeming factor were the adds in the back that sold X-Ray vision glasses, magic tricks and model cars. One ad that always intrigued me was the one that had the picture of a paper boy selling Grit. They went on about the money and prizes one could earn selling subscriptions and delivering the Grit Newspapers in your community.

In all my years I have never actually seen a copy of Grit. I had no idea what it was all about until I looked it up on Wikipedia a few moments ago. The philosophy of the paper back then was: Always keep Grit from being pessimistic. Avoid printing those things which distort the minds of readers or make them feel at odds with the world. Avoid showing the wrong side of things, or making people feel discontented. Do nothing that will encourage fear, worry or temptation... Wherever possible, suggest peace and good will toward men. Give our readers courage and strength for their daily tasks. Put happy thoughts, cheer and contentment into their hearts.

Since then, Grit has turned into a bi-monthly perfect bound magazine that covers agriculture and rural issues. It’s funny, but if a kid tried to sell me a subscription now, I’d probably go for it.