Eau Claire High School - Beaver Tales Yearbook (Eau Claire, MI)

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withstands all powers of the universe which would sever him from the cause of righteousness, reposes an unfaltering trust in God in the darkest hour and is ever “ready to be offered up” on the altar of mankind. Yes, tomorrow will be different from today, the heroic sufferer for principle and generous affection will win the love of all uncor- rupted hearts. Nor will tomorrow’s heroes be found only in con- spicuous places. Indeed, the time is fast coming when heroism will be common among the multitude, whose names are never heard, whose heroism is never told except through the deeds which live after them. Among common people will be found more hardships borne manfully, more of unvarnished truth, more of religious trust, more of that generosity which gives what the giver needs himself, and more of a wise estimate of life and death than among the more prosperous. Yes, the time is drawing near when the greatest heroes will be found among the multitude who daily face the problems of life and have to struggle for a scant existence in the world of plenty, but choose the right with invin- cible resolution, resist the sorest temptation from within and without; who are calmest in stoims, and most fearless under men- ace and frowns; whose reliance on virtue, on earth, on God is most unfaltering. Even today some of the most heroic deeds on earth are done in silent spirit, the loftiest purposes cherished, the most generous sacrifices made, and we do not suspect it. Let us then face the future with hope and courage. New problems, new questions will confront and vex us. It may be that prosperity will make us hard hearted, that power will make us egotistical. It may be that our industrial problems will be- come greater than ever before; that intemperance will strive to conquer new territory; that our social system will begin to quake —all those and more than those may demand attention. But whatever may befall us, let us be of good cheer for on tomorrow Providence will raise up new heroes ready to fight the battles of righteousness and to defend virtue, honesty and truth. Let us therefore remember the beautiful words of Josh Billings, “Hero- ism is simple, and yet it is rare. Every one who does the best he can is a hero.” ED. W. BAKEMAN ’19

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ORATION “The Heroes of Tomorrow Men, when thinking of heroes, usually recall the turmoils and dangers of war. They hear the word and it brings before their eyes visions of battlefields clouded with cannon smoke, of sol- diers charging upon the enemy. They look back with a glowing recollection of patriotism upon the men who, bootless and half famished, faced white winter at Valley Forge without a murmur of complaint. “Ah, they were heroes,’’ men exclaim with breathless enthus- iasm. Yes—they were heroes, and yet there will be countless numbers to follow their steps on tomorrow. Among them will be our friends that will fall on the battlefield; the martyrs to the cause of our country who, in obedience to the call, oppose their breasts to the sword of the enemy, and repay with life the pro- tection the country has afforded. But there will also be heroes who never viewed a field of battle or heard the thunder of a cannonade. They will be heroes of peace, striving to bring human beings to happiness for which God made them; awakening them to some moral good. They will strive to raise men above the crushing necessities of body by turning them to the grand, kindling purpose of their being. They will show them that the fountain of all human happiness is within them, and this fountain may be opened alike to every soul. They will show men how much virtue and peace they may gain by their fidelity to their domestic relations; how much progress they will make by devout and resolute use of their opportunities; how beneficent an influence they may exert in their narrow spheres; what heroism may be exercised amidst privations and pains; how much suffering may be turned into glory, and mark you, these men will not be thinking of playing the part of a hero but they will go on, unpretending, unassuming without prospects of reward, amidst perplexities, difficulties, ridicule and despair. Among these heroes of tomorrow will be the man of universal peace, who scorns all meanness and defies all peril, hears in his own conscience a voice louder than threatenings and thunders,

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CLASS PROPHECY Having just returned to Chicago from exploring the Arctic re- gions, I was naturally inquisitive of the bearing that my class- mates of twenty years ago held in this old world of ours, and I was well pleased with what I learned when I chanced to meet Ivan La- vanway. He informed me that he was owner of the Hub Diy Goods Store in Chicago. As we walked along one of the large streets my attention was attracted by a giant poster advertising “Edward Bakeman, speaker on ‘The Problems of the World’ 3 days, September 3-4-5.” Several people were reading the poster and one of them made the remark that he went to school with Mr. Bakeman. At this I gave a second look and found it to be Max Horton, another member of the class of 1919 who owned a large motorcycle repair shop in that city. I then talked with Max and he informed me that Ardella Hochberger was sculptress in Paris and that one of her masterful statues was in the Art Institute of Chicago. In the afternoon I came by airship to Benton Harbor, where I learned that George Birkholm was living happily on the proceeds of his tinware shop in St. Joe. 1 took a train to Niles and at Berrien Center, Lawrence Clark joined me. He said that he was professor of the University of that city and that he was going to Detroit to see Murl Momany pitch in the big league game for the White Sox. I learned that Claude was still living with “Dad” and Lora Thumm was chief telephone operator in Shanghai. In Niles, I met Kenneth Clawson who stated that he was chief pastor of the United churches of Derby, and after asking about Paul Franz, I discovered that he was a dancing teacher in Shang- hai and Eugene Masters was a land king, owning 500 acres of land in East Pipestone. Upon my return home in Eau Claire, I was informed that Anna Crandall was the wife of a prominent fruit grower in Sodus township. Well, regardless of all the difficulties, we found in our paths while at school, I expected that in time the class of 1919 would become greater than any of the other classes of Eau Claire High. MAX HORTON IVAN LA VANWAY PAUL FRANZ