Brodhead High School - Red B Yearbook (Brodhead, WI)

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sure it is our duty, and not merely our desire to assume responsibility. To take over, where we have no business intruding, is to rob another of the benefits from responsibility. ln summing up, responsibility be ins at the rass roots. It begins, first of all, in the home, and spreads in an ever widening circie to include the school, church, and community. It begins early, as ear? as possible. It grows slowly, but like the mills of the gods, it grinds exceedingly fine, if our e forts are unceasing. Though history records many beyond the call of duty episodes, we are not often expected to do the impossible. We seldom cal ed upon to perform miracles. But we are expected to do our iob from day to daf with a reasonable amount of devotion. We should remember that here a it'tle, there a litt e will build upon sound foundations. Everything attempted must have a be- ginning, before it has an ending. When disappointments come, as they sometimes will, they will not linger long if we have the faith that God will see us through. Remember, too, God helps him who help himself. John Scherek VALEDICTORY EDUCATION PLANTS IDEALS ln the course of our twelve ears of schooling, we the class of l957 have been given an education that has prepared us Eor life--no matter which road we choose-job, career, college, marriage, or otherwise. Besides our academic learning, we have formed a basis for our lives--the ideals by which we will love. Academic subjects are an important part of education, and perhaps, they are first necessary in order to form our ideals. However, the school that ceases to teach the fundamental values o life will soon cease to be a school. In this highly scientific world, too much emphasis is placed u n the material obiects of life The only conceivable thing that can be named as the object of lifeo is character, for the simple reason that it is the only thing that lasts--to take this self, made up of mind and heart and will, and train it to bring out all lts powers, a real thing, harmonious and true. Let us strive to have ppvwiez over our wills. Through this we can become masters of the world. For man 's ideals make s r e. The wheel is one of the greatest and oldest inventions of all time. What would the world be without the simple common wheel? But it must have an axle or it is useless. The axle gives it sition and makes it turn. Thus the axle or center is really the important part. So it is with our lives-the center is our ideals, our ideas, our values. Home, church and school help design the Without them we would have no position, no action. We choose these as our guides, following them to reach our destiny. We are measured by our ideals. It is best to iudge a man not by what he possesses, but by his thoughts, action, and deeds. If this then is to be the center of our lives, shouldn't it be the highest and best possible? Ap reciation of beauty is an ideal. We should never lose an opportunity to see something beautifiil. Beauty of nature is God's handwriting--the serene beauty of a snowflake as it tumble: from the sky, the fair flowers, the fresh spring breeze. It is good to be able to appreciate the beauty around au every day--in character, in literature, in music. But is is also good to be ab e to see auty where most people believe then is none--beauty in a puddle of mud, in a disappointment, or in a ragged, broken doll. To be sensitive to all the influences of the beauty of the world, to all life's sweetest music, to all the enriching thoughts of men, must always be the marks of the highest minds. Patience, love, understanding, honesty, abilit to get along with peo le--virtues formed by each one of us, even though we ma be unaware oty it. Each strengthened by the test of its weak ness, they are never to die, but wilyl grow and be used by us every day. One may take the smallest calling, the meanest occupation and shed on it this beautiful lightof the ideal world 56

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SALUTATORY FREEDOM AND RESPONSIBILITY As the night follows the day, on the heels of freedom follows responsibility. No nation, or no individual, long retains its' freedom if it does not face, up it's obligations and assume the responsibility of finding a solution to them. In the contemporary language of to- day, we cannot pass the buck. The problems ofanation are ours--yours and mine--for a nation is made up of individuals. In a short time, we, the class of 57, will find ourselves the participants in the struggle. In this game we will not need many bench warmers. Liberty, promised to us in the Declaration of Independence, is a taste to be acquired. Some ople and some nations have never had it long enough to know what it is. However, we are now ming in a period of history when countries all over the world are asserting their nationalism. The Glod Coast is the latest to become and independent member of the British Dominion. Also to be mentioned are the Phillipines and India. These countries, although charnping at the bit for some time, gained independence largely by proving themselves responsible. It is a trend that un- doubtedly will continue. On the other hand, many other countries have lost their freedom, either because they were unable or unwilling to protect it. As a nation we have suddenly found ourselves leader of the democracies, particulary of the westem world. ln addition to the problems that go with that position, we have our own internal troubles. Since the face of America is continually changing, difficulties that only a few years ago seemed far in the distance suddenly loom large on the horizon. For instance, one of the most immediate, not dreamed of ,fifteen years ago, is the solution of finding teachers and buildings to take care of the Eglreatly increased school attendance. Another not yet pressing, but soon to arrive, is the pro emo the aged. Because of the advances made in medicine in recent years, man's life span has been so lengthened that the proportion of older peo le in our population will greatlyincrease. We have as yet no adequate plan of adjusting to it. Also, oil must be poured on the troubled waters of racial disturbances. Other problems, as yet unforseen, will appear. - Freedom is a thing dearly won, but like a good reputation, easily lost. Many of the members of this class, in the past year, have earned the right to drive a car. How precious is that free- dom we soon leam, if we neglect to protect it by being responsible drivers. And, too, we have greater freedom in the places we may go, but with that privilege we assume the responsibility of conducting ourselves acceptably. As time goes by, we will gain other freedoms, but with them will always come the corre- sponding responsibility. Next fall we shall have the privilege of going to college, but the duty of maintaining standards adequate to the institution we are attending will be our task. Soon we shall be privileged to vote, but with it goes the obligation to vote intelligently. With the owner- ship of property, comes the dut of aying taxes. With marriage, the caring-for a family. It is easy to see that as our field of heeokam enlarges, our res nsibilites grow by leaps and bounds. Eventually, we shall be mature citizens taking our pllgce in some communit . We shall be selling our services or our products and if we are responsible citizens, we will be fair and just in our dealings. If not, we shall sooner or later find ourselves out of business, for deceptions, or lack of responsibility to the traditions of the trades or professions, will out. The more important our position in a community becomes, the greater will be the demands upon us. That is well illustrated by the Bibical story of the men who each received a certain number of talents. The story is as true today as it was then. Whenever two or more persons get together, differences of opinion are likel to arise. This is beneficial when the primary purpose is to seek the best solution, but it should' not be allowed to degenerate into dissension. Perhaps at this point we should also mention the over zealous pgrson, the person who insists upon assuming t e responsibility of another, to the detriment of th. To get down to fine points, we could, as an example, mention the member of a group who uninvited. makes the decisions for the whole group, or -for the chairman. We should be 55

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and behold--ever dew drop becomes a sparkling diamond as the sun's rays bring out its hidden brilliancell It has been said of one man that his ideal, which was simple, consisted of a lain straight forward assumption of all responsibilites of life. His rules were: industry, truthfulness, faith fulness and doing the best one can day by day. Simple enough--but they are ideals. It must become the prime function of man to aspire, to beome more, to reach a higher life to rise to something nobler and urer. T-here comes to eve man at times a sense of something above him, something great and: beautiful and good, someltyhing that wins him and draws him to himself. lt is this quality that keeps the nature fresh, opening it on the same dusty level, labor turns into drudgery, or worse still one becomes contented with things as the are. When education has planted in the young human being a disposition inclined toward the ideal, together with some good life habits, and has turned him against the vulgar, then it has rfonned its most important duty. We who believe we have formed these ideals are now ready to branch out into the world, for our lives have a center about which to turn. We will keep our eyes on the stars, but our feet on the ground. We will try to live up to the high ideals given us. The greatest loss that could befall us, is the loss of our ideals. To be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to lay and to look upi to be satisfied with yourpossessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them, to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meaness, and to fear nothing except cowardicep to be govemed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts, to covet nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners, to spend as much time as you can , with body and with spirit, in God's out-of-doorsp and to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of Christ. These are noble ideals--noble ideals which can make noble livesl Elaine Fleming CLASS COLORS -- Red and Blue CLASS FLOWER -- Red Rose CLASS MOTTO -- Win without boasting, lose without excuse We the Annual Staff of 1957 sincerely thank our advisor, Mrs. Larkin for her untiring efforts in helping us to make this book a success. 57