Horatio Alger was born on this day 174 years ago. Through Ragged Dick and Tattered Tom, Alger preached "no matter who they were, poor, orphaned or powerless, that if they would persevere, if they would do their best, if they would always try to do the right thing, they would succeed."
"Horatio Alger, through his books became the greatest salesman of the American Dream ever." [.]
It's a stark difference from the "heroes" of today: rappers who chant about killing and hate, movie stars who flit from spouse to spouse, politicians who sell influence to the highest bidder. Perhaps Ragged Dick could still teach us a thing or two about heroes and the American Dream. Perhaps we've redifined the American Dream so much that being good doesn't matter any more.
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