Bucyrus High School - Bucyrian Yearbook (Bucyrus, OH)

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WILLIAM A. GARDNER Philomathean Foot Ball, ,06 and lo7 Basket Ball Bradwurster Member Sr. Debating Team Athletic Edi, iiBucyrianli PATRIOTISM tDelivered on Washington's Birthdayl In commemorating the anniversary of the birth of so noble a man, naturally our thoughts revert to one of his greatest Characteristics, his devotion to his country his patriotism. He seems to have embodied in his actions, thoughts and life, the sentiments of Martyn, who said, iiMy country claims me all, claims every passion; her liberty henceforth be all my thought; for her my life Iid willingly resignili A manis Country is not a certain area of land, of mountains, rivers and woods, but it is a principle, and patriotism is loyalty to that principle. It is the love that moves a man to serve his country by protecting its rights, by defending it from invasion and by maintaining its laws and institutions. Patriotism is like the family instinct; in the child it is a blind devotion, in the man an intelligent love. It is a love that is absolutely unselfish, for it was not his olive orchards and almond groves that made the Greece of the Greek; 1101' was it for his apple orchards and potato fields that the farmer of New England left his plow standing in the furrows and marched away to Bunker Hill and Saratoga, but for the love and devotion he bore to his country. True patriotism is not that excitement which is caused by public danger, and which a few months of active cam- paigning will entirely destroy, but it is something which is so deeply rooted in character that it will endure until death. It is patriotism that makes the true statesman to whom a country owes its welfare, for it is seen throughout History that a country has but little infiuence upon other nations when an unselfish patriotism is looked upon but as the enthusiasm of youth Which will gradually pass away with the coming of maturer years. The man who is born in this country is born to a patriotic regard for it. His mission, without doubt, is to increase the love of liberty and to maintain his country in the position in which it now stands, as a protest against absolutism; opposing freedom to feudalism and slavery. These men are truly patriots, who in times of danger march off amidst the rattle of the drum and the martial music of the fife, with the determination to die, if necessary, to protect their Country. These are not the only patriots, how- ever, for even now, many are showing their love of country by protecting its laws and institutions, whose devotion is complete, and who in Civil life show as great bravery as do those who face the cannons mouth. A large percentage of our dangers are domestic, not international. American citizens would do more good7 and live more in accordance with the principles of true patriotism if they would constantly keep before their eyes a clause contained in Washingtonk Farewell Address, iiTo provide institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge, developing an enlightened public opinion; to perform the duties of American citizensf, Or perhaps even better than this, the words of Webster, ilLet our object be our country, our whole country, and nothing but our country. And by the blessing of God, may that country become a vast and splendid monument, not . of oppression and terror, but of wisdom, of peace and of liberty, upon which the world may gaze with admiration, foreverf,

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VQUEEN VICTORIA No other sovereign of England was better known or held in higher esteem than Queen Victoria. She was the only daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent. From the time of her birth nothing but honor, loyalty and devo- tion were paid to her. Although there were possibilities of her not becoming queen, people always spoke of her as their future sovereign. i When she was about a year old her father died and her mother, although a foreigner and unaccustmned to the ways of English living, remained in England, in order that she might be able to bring up her child according to the laws and customs of the English people, whom some day she might govern. Victoria's study began when she was about four years old. At first she cared nothing for her books but later she took great interest in them. ' When Victoria was eleven years old she was told she would be queen. At this time the king was very sick and at his death the Duke of Clarence would ascend the throne, and Victoria would succeed him. Victoria kept her thoughts to herself and even her mother did not know how much she was dreading a life on the throne. When William IV ascended the throne a bill was passed which provided that she should come to the throne before she was of age but that her mother should rule with her. Victorials time was now all devoted to study and travel for the Duchess believed the best way the future queen was to know her country was to see it. The next year the princess and her mother spent much of their time in their yacht and the king was annoyed, for wherever they went they were greeted, not only with speeches, but with the firing of guns and he insisted that it was not legal and should he stopped as that honor was due to him alone. Victoria was a little over eighteen when she came to the throne and at this time a bill was passed which gave the House of Commons more power than it had ever had, so that the queen had much indirect influence but little direct power. When Victoria was twenty-one she married her cousin, Prince Albert. Victoria brought about a number of reforms, among them the most important ones being, the Postal Reform, the Repeal of Com Laws, Free Trade and the Repeal of Window and Newspaper Tax. Prince Albert died in 1861. In him the nation lost an earnest promoter of educational anal industrial reforms. In 1897, the Queen celebrated her Diamond jubilee and by this act the common people were led to know their ruler better than any other sovereign. Queen Victoria died in 1901, her death being partly due to the grief and anxiety caused by the Boer War. 27 GRACE D. DIMON Philomathean Ragus Girls

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4AN UNHERALDED HERO Solomon, the wise, once wrote, ill saw under the sun, that the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill.H Ages have passed since these words were written, but each has borne men, wise, brave and noble, to whom there was neither riches nor favor, and to some not even bread. Not only in Grayis little country churchyard are the unknown Hampdens and inglor- ions Miltons to be found, but in every nation great men have lived and accomplished their works without honor. Indeed, since the true test of a great man is his having been in advance of his age, true glory often never comes to him until many years after his death. Thus today we are placing: lanrels on many a worthy work neglected at the time of its accomplishment. So con- scientiously do we honor these ancient heroes that we never think we too may be committing that hasest of all crimes, ingratitude. But listen! About twenty years ago there returned to America one of her citizens. After studying and toilingr many years in foreign lands, critics had pronounced him the most important tone-poet ever produced, the greatest American musical genius. He was classed with the great masters of Europe. In his works, he was always the essential poet, the clairvoyant impressionist, dealing with life in its large and profound as well as its intimate aspects, limning tenderly yet with a controllingr and serene philosophy, snehphases of the visible and human worlds as touch and quicken his imagination. He awakened in music that sense of the invisible, the hidden wonder and enchantment behind the manifest presence of the world which it is the signal privilege of the Celtic imagination to discover and enforce. He evoked the incalenlable spell, opened a door into a new and shining world. But he learned, as many other masters before him, that appreciation comes but slowly to the great. The revenue brought by the sale of his music was not suHicient for his livelihood and for many years he was compelled to waste his energy on work which others could have done almost as well. Even while faithfully performing his duty in one capacity, he still found time to write his wonderful melodies. Recently this double labor bore its fruit in the most tragic event in the history of American art, music or letters - the mental breakdown of our greatest master. Then it was that popular feeling, so long indifferent, began to realize a hero was passing away, a man who had done more to raise the standard of our civilization in the eyes of other nations than had the combined victories of armies and navies. When death came as a release a few months ago, our nation felt what Johnson has called the bitterest of all sorrows, the death of one we have injured without reparation. Such was the life of another man of skill to whom there was no favor, another man of understanding to whom there was no riches, our unheralded ltero, Edward Alexander MacDowell. ELSlE R. GEBHARDT Philomathean Asslt. Ed., ltBucyrian Ragus Girls