As the World Rolls On

Joe Walker, an industrious yet sickly young man, and Tom Atkins, a ne'er-do-well, are rivals for the affection of Molly Moran, the tireless assistant of Dr. Saunders, a respected physician. Tom bullies and beats up the weaker Joe, after which a workplace heart attack forces the latter to seek medical advice. Dr. Saunders prescribes out-of-doors work, and Joe gets a new job with outside work after taking a night class. While going home from the new job through a park one night, Joe is jumped by Tom and his gang of ruffians. Meanwhile, former boxing champion Jack Johnson, a friend of Joe, Tom, Molly and Dr. Saunders, who has opened a business near the doctor's office, is in the park with his two nieces, telling them the story of Indian days when tribes roamed the hills. When Jack hears Joe's anguished cries for help, he goes to him and thrashes Tom and his gang. Jack then offers to give Joe boxing lessons and advises him on how to become a healthier, stronger person. A short time later, Joe has become a real athlete, and he goes to see the National Colored League baseball games. In a game between the Kansas City Monarchs and the Detroit Stars, Sam Crawford, captain of the Monarchs, injures his wrist. He spots Joe in the crowd, and, remembering him to be a good amateur pitcher, asks him to pitch the rest of the game. Joe does so and helps the Monarchs to win. At an Elks Lodge reception, Joe, a member, is the honored guest, and Nelson Crews, editor of a leading black publication, presents the Monarchs with silver monogrammed buckles. A few weeks later, after a Clover Leaf Club Masquerade Ball, Tom, in a jealous rage, has Joe beaten up and thrown over a precipice, but Molly overhears the plot, denounces Tom, and rescues Joe. Undaunted, Tom then frames both Molly and Joe for the robbery of some of Dr. Saunders' valuable papers and jewelry. Molly is arrested and tried, but at the trial, a small boy denounces Tom as the thief. Tom tries to escape, but Joe catches him and fights him to the ground. When Molly, the doctor and the police arrive, Molly begs the doctor to release the repentant Tom, which he does. Joe and Molly marry and visit Jack, who gives the newlyweds a check for $1,000. Six years later, Molly, Joe and their family live happily in a pleasant home.