The Horatio Alger Myth; Contemporary Use

The Horatio Alger myth, is an idea that exceptional children rise from poor beginnings to great success, which coincides with his rags to riches story "Ragged Dick." The actuality of this myth in relation to the story, is that regular children (boys in particular, in case of Ragged Dick) can rise from poor beginnings to respectability.

I feel this is transformed into a contemporary use, by The Horatio Alger Scholarship of Distinguished Americans inc.

"The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans is dedicated to the simple but powerful belief that hard work, honesty and determination can conquer all obstacles. " which in essence, is the orignal HA myth.

"The Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans, Inc. bears the name of the renowned author

Horatio Alger, Jr., whose tales of overcoming adversity through unyielding perseverance and basic moral principles captivated the public in the late 19th century. The Association, a 501(c) (3) nonprofit educational organization, was established in 1947 to dispel the mounting belief among the nation's youth that the American Dream was no longer attainable."

Even though you must be a US citizen with a grade point average of 2.0 to apply, The Horatio Alger Association almost has scholarship programs in every state in the US, giving every person that they can, a chance to better themselves, better than their original upbringing, location or financial situation may have them set for.

Some states, for example Texas, have more than one location for the scholarship. Texas has four institutions using this program.

Given that the program pride themselves on being an "investment in America's future" I believe that they are a very positive organisation, and are very beneficial to many young people across the US.