Alton High School - Tatler Yearbook (Alton, IL)

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clad Spanish rule, America has given to the Philippines the first glimpse of freedom’s rays. It was America that stayed the march of Europe’s greedy kings and bade them leave China whole. America waved the magic wand which awoke Japan from her sleep of centuries. So will it be America's duty to lift the veil of seclusion from the “Celestial Empire, and lead her forth to her rightful seat among nations. May the stars, in our banner, shine forever as beacons of hope to the downtrodden, the stripes immortalize blood spilt in defense of justice and liberty. On land and sea, in court and assembly hall may the American flag stand as a symbol of justice and tranquillity, of peace, prosperity and progress. May she wave in triumph from a thousand ships on the broad expanse of the Pacific, for the supremacy of that sea means the leadership of the world. LEE HULL. Just Before Exams. If you’re waking call me early, call me early, mother, clear, For I would see the sun rise, as examinations near. There’s Latin. Lit, and Solid, I fear I shall not pass; For, alas! my mother darling, I’m the dumb one in the class. There’s John and Will and Jim who did not have to take. But the teachers at poor me their heads began to shake. Whilst they pronounced my doom in calm and careless tones Caring not for long drawn sighs or sounds of muffled groans. I went to see the teachers to pump my grades up some. But, alas! 'twas all in vain for tho’ I made things hum. They answered ne’er a word, but looked me up and down. And so compelled me to receive my marks with sigh and frown. But. mother, if you only knew. I’m sure you would not scold. I’ve crammed and crammed till my poor head’s grown cold; And anyhow I’m sure you’d think the finals all red tape; If you could go to school with me I’m sure you d see the fake. Tis too late to pine so I must hum the midnight oil. And spend the evening hours in weary work and toil. For Latin, Lit and solid must receive their proper share. Oh! these tests are horrid, all one load of thought and care. Good-night, sweet mother; call me e’er the day is born, For I must study half the night, and I'll [all asleep near morn. But I must see the sun rise as examinations near. So, if you’re waking, call me early, call me early, mother, dear. 16

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cnee. The Spanish war showed two things, first the unpreparedness of the American forces, second, the lack of the so-called American genius. Did we win the war thru some marvelous invention? Xo, we won by the sheer, dogged courage of our men. Had our opponent been a stronger power than Spain, we should have had a farlorn hope indeed. American indifference toward militarism is a vice rather than a virtue. Better that we bear the burden of a well organized force than sacrifice countless lives while hastily initiating untrained men into the arts of war. Better that we appropriae a few millions in times of peace than have a war drain our resources to the dregs. It is the same old story of the trained man against the recruit. On the gridiron, the track, in the prize-ring, or in war, the trained man always wins out. The civil war found us with two armed vessels to patroi a coast line of 600 miles. The Spanish war came as a thunderbolt to an unprepared nation. Now with 90 per cent of our armed forces in the Pacific, the Atlantic seaboard open to attack, with a mobilized force of only 5,000 troops available for service, with not a single vessel in the Carribean worthy of our great nation, the Venezuelan affair stands before 11s—a ghastly omen of what might happen. Shall we never learn by experience? The key to the Pacific lies in a powerful navy. If in 1898 we needed a large navy, today we need one thrice as great. How can we expect a large merchant marine if we do not guarantee protection ? How can we ask promoters to invest capital in the Far East if we do not stand ready to uphold their clams? Let us then build a powerful base in the Philippines, construct a line of coaling stations, increase the navy, encourage the merchant marine and embark boldly on the new policy of the United States. To speak further upon the importance of the Pacific is needless. There she lies, and there she will be until God rings the death-knell of the earth. Explore the resources of Siberia, gaze upon the mighty possibilities of China, look at undeveloped Africa and then ask yourself, will it pay to unlock this treasure house of the East? And while thus advancing the interests of her own citizens, the U. S. will best fulfill her duty to the world. Already she occupies a unique position in the far East. Her actions must remain untinged with greed, must tend to uplift humanity. American blood has freed Cuba from iron-15

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A Plea for Enthusiasm Victor Cherbuliez, the French novelist, has put into the mouth of one of his characters, the sentiment: “My son, we must lay up a stock of enthusiasms in our youth, or else we shall reach the end of our journey with an empty heart, for we lose a great many of them hy the wayside.” And truly, enthusiasm is the one trait in which youth is superior to age; it is the only characteristic which we are more likely to lose than to develop as we grow older. Youth is inferior to age in knowledge, capability, judgment, skill; hut, in enthusiasm, youth stands supreme. The child is by nature an enthusiast, and any training which tends to repress or crush this quality, does irreparable mischief. Why is it that the young man finds a hundred doors of opportunity open before him, while to his elder brother those doors are locked and barred? Because the youth is hopeful, energetic, unafraid; because he is interested in his work, proud of his importance “sublimely confident of his own ability to advance it, because—in a word—he is enthusiastic. 1 he word enthusiasm comes from the Greek word “entheos,” “God in us, and originally meant direct inspiration from a god. It is an excitement of the mind, and an engrossment of the feelings in devotion to a belief, or in pursuit of an object; it means an ecstacy of mind, an energetic endeavor impelled by strong belief in the possibility of the ideal, and based on confidence in one's own ability to reach the goal. The man without enthusiasm is like a piece of driftwood, in the rushing course of a great river; he must depend upon stray currents for his destination. No matter how dull, or how wise, or how mean, or how noble a man is, if the spark of enthusiasm enters into his soul, he can accomplish things otherwise impossible for him. Faint-Heart and Little-Faith would gladly win the wreath of victory, but shrink from the dangers of the conflict. Behold what the enthusiast does! He looks beyond the daily routine, and sees raging before him the great battle of life. He makes his breastplate secure, through faith in God and humanity, and plunges into the midst of the struggle. His efforts are victorious. Why? Because he is protected by the armor of enthusiasm. Take away enthusiasm and you cut out the very heart of human possibilities. Enthusiasm is the essence of success. “At the root of all success, whether it be spiritual or material, of all progress, whether it be up or down, of all wealth, be it fairly or falsely won, is enthusiasm.” Every great leader has been thus inspired. Therefore he keeps on hoping, believing and enduring, until he sees his work accomplished. Such a man was Cyrus Field, who first established electric commun- 17