Elk County Catholic High School - Memories Yearbook (St Marys, PA)

H FROM OUR PRINCIPAL My Dear GraduaTes: Having spenT a Tew years in The class room myselT, I can undersTand The senTimenTs of boys and girls on The day of Their graduaTion. l realize now, more Than ever, The imporTance oTa Chris- Tian educaTion in laTer liTe. The ToundaTion is The mosT imporTanT parT oT every good building. And This is no less True in educaTion. Even The primary grades are imporTanT, Tor They serve as The TounclaTion or basis upon which The supersTrucTure oT our enTire educaTional sysTem resTs. A good educaTion is a slow and Tedious process. Many believe They know a greaT deal aTTer They graduaTe Trom high school. They are much like The young boy oT TourTeen years, who ThoughT he knew more Than his dad ever knew. "When l was TourTeen," he said, "my TaTher was so ignoranT l could hardly sTand To have him around. BUT when I goT To be TwenTy-one, I was asTonished aT how much The old man had learned in seven years." IT was The boy who goT wise To himselT during ThaT Time. You may somehow Teel ThaT you know a greaT deal more now Than your parenTs. BuT do noT TorgeT ThaT your parenTs and elders have also been going Through The school oT hard knocks and oTTen also oT sad experience. IT will be The parT oT wisdom, especially Tor some Time aTTer your gi'aduaTion, To lisTen willingly To Those who have your TuTure welTare aT hearT. You are beginning now The pracTical applicaTion in every day liTe oT The Things you have been TaughT. In This day and age oT keen compeTiTion in The business world, where TacTics oT a quesTionable naTure are oTTen employed To ouTwiT The compeTiTor, your honesTy and inTegriTy will TrequenTly be puT To The TesT. In This baTTIe oT wiTs iT is usually The man or woman oT characTer ThaT will win ouT in The end. ChrisTian ecIucaTion spells characTer. and, brieTly, characTer is ThaT qualiTy in a person which prompTs him "To do The righT Thing aT all Times in all places." ln shorT, be True To yourselT, To your God, and To your Tellowmen. Be True To yourselT. You have noT only been insTrucTed in The Three R's, buT you have also been Told Through your CaTechism and religion how To acT as ChrisTian men and women. Now you should be able, noT only To Think righT, buT To acT righT. Your Trained conscience should be able To guide you Through liTe's squalls. Be True To God. Before you can be True To yourself, you musT, TirsT oT all, be TaiThTul and True To your God and His precepTs. All your dealings wiTh yourselT or wiTh oThers, everyThing you do, Tall under one or The oTher oT Those Ten CommandmenTs. And The reason Tor observing These laws musT always be before us: "God says so." Be True To your fellow-men. IT you are True To yourselT and your God, Then you will also be True To your Tellow-men. Your superiors will soon see ThaT you are a man or woman oT characTer, and will know wheTher you will be TaiThTul To Them or noT. "Do unTo oThers, as you would have Them do unTo you." Do noT be swayed by human respecT, buT be guided by The solid principles you know have sTood The TesT oT Time. Be cauTious and avoid unholy alliances, especially wiTh Those who do noT believe in or do noT pracTice The same ChrisTian principles as you do. Your earThly moTher may, iT is True, nourish and cloThe your bodies, buT bear in mind ThaT only Iv1oTher Church can robe your souls in The spoTless and priceless raimenT oT ChrisTian moraliTy. Prayer will do The resT. gaiiff