remember Matt Dillon ever espousing any particular philosophy.
Gene Autry had a ten-point“ Cowboy Code of Honor” and Hopalong Cassidy had his“ Creed for American Boys and Girls.”“ Roy Rogers Riders Club Rules” was another ten-pointer. Then, there was Wild Bill Hickok’ s“ Deputy Marshal’ s Code of Conduct” that only had nine rules to live by. My favorite is the“ Lone Ranger’ s Creed:”
• I believe that to have a friend, a man must be a friend.
• I believe that all men are created equal and that everyone has within himself the power to make this a better world.
• I believe that God put the firewood there but that every man must gather and light it himself.
• I believe in being prepared physically, mentally, and morally to fight whenever necessary for that which is right.
• I believe that a man should make the most of what equipment he has.
• I believe the“ this government, of the people, by the people, and for the people” shall live always.
• I believe that men should live by the rule of what is best for the greatest number.
• I believe that sooner or later, somewhere, somehow, we must settle with the world and make payment for what we have taken.
• I believe that all things change but truth and truth alone lives on forever.
• I believe in my creator, my country, and my fellow man.
That list is a lot for a ten-year-old kid to chew on. But we did, and it made us feel like we were friends or more like sidekicks to our heroes.
I don’ t know how many people hereabouts know or remember that there was a movie theater right in downtown Nashville. I didn’ t know until I came across a picture of it taken by Frank Hohenberger in a book titled Images of America Brown County by Rick Hofstetter and Jane Ammeson. It was called Melodeon Hall, after a theater mentioned in a Kin Hubbard cartoon, and was operated by Cecil and Leila David.
That photo made me imagine a gaggle of young’ uns, decked out in chaps and cowboy hats on a Saturday afternoon, gathered around the ticket booth, practicing their quick draws and the cowboy creed. •
March / April 2023 • Our Brown County 33