Oakland High School - Oaken Bucket Yearbook (Oakland, CA)

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THE HIGH SCHOOL EGIS. 31 musician selects pieces that are popular, so called, that have tunes, not deep feel- ing. So the weary artist works away, wondering what can be done to change the existing state of things. I But thoughtful men have still more Sphinx riddles to deal with, namely, the questions of competition, of immigration, of intemperance, of wealth, of woman's rights, of the condition of our divorce laws, of the condition of our politics, and many more which I have not time nor space to mention. First let us consider the question of competition, briefly. Is competition the law of life and growth? Is it the law of life, or has it been only the struggle of life? Is it an enemy to progress as some one has said, or is it the law by which we have our being? What complications arise because of greater and greater competition? There are manyf Thousands toil for the benefits enjoyed by the tens, and only a few have wealth and power while thousands, yes millions, are sinking daily in the depths of degradation, oppression, sin, and misery. So comes the riddle, how are we going to remedy the many complications that arise from competition? It is one of the most importcnt and vital questions with which the coming generation will have to grapple. . Another serious question, and one that materially affects our institutions is the question of immigration. ,What are the influences of immigration? ,You know as well as I that while many foreigners of ability come here in sympathy with our people and institutions and hold positions of trust and responsibility, these do not represent the mass ofimmigrants, Many of them, are from the peasant class, Some of then belong to the criminal class. So our mind, is burdened with another Sphinx riddle. VVhat shall we do in regard to restricting immigration? What is the best policy? J Another Sphinx riddle that is troubling our people is the corruption in politics. One of the greatest dangers to our institutions is the large number of purchaseable votes, but, if you notice, most of our corruption is among the foreign element of our population. They have not intelligence, they care nothing for, nor know nothing of, morality, virtue, nor justice, and consequently are perfectly Willing to sell their birthright for the almighty dollar. , Intelligence and spiritu- ality are as necessary in a commonwealth as brain and heart are to the human body, and if the people have not these requirements, and, if true, as has been said, that the foreign class is increasing more than our nativepopulation, what will be the result? So again we have a riddle to solve, namely: what is the best way of getting at the corruption in politics? Along with the question of immigration comes the question of intemperance. I link them together because two-thirds of our saloon-keepers, our law breakers, our criminal class are foreigners. The saloon-keepers of to-day are the ones that do not hesitate to buy votes, defy the laws, or intimidate voters, and while it is known that thousands have been spent in bribery, no one has ever been caught, and from the present condition of affairs, no one will be. God speed the time when these evils will be a thing of the past, and these dens of infamy be forever banished from our fair land. We have now another sphinx riddle to solve: What is the best course to pursue in order to settle the question of intemperance? .

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30. THE' HIGH' -S.cH,ooL . PEGIS- ' , 3 1 1 T ,lEdivus and the SDDFIIX- ' MAY E. WALKER- , , A I 4 J V is , r ANY thousand years ago in a land beyond the'5ff3 there1iVed a-'man' named CEdipus, the rulerjof-'thiS,a,1'C-?l1fIl Of P99--Cel and PICUW' He Was I a peaceful, humane, and conscientiouS 913911 3 1111321 Qf'.U111C.h1Vll15d0U?, and well versed in ancient lore. the 'fiU1e,OffW111Ch I 1W1'1Fev'l?1S, home, Thebes, was troubled by a monster ,calledfa Sphinx, who infested the higlr- ways and was terrible to behold. It layton the top of ,El 11959, .f0Ck fflild StOPP1Ug every traveler, gave him a riddle with the condition th,at,those who ,could fsoluven it might pass unharmed, but those who were so unfortunate as to fall must dieq No one had yet succeeded in guessing the riddle. - QEdlpl1S determined to E1,Sk his life, and without hesitation boldly advanced to theutrial., ,,The,Sphinx asked him, What animal is it that in the morning goes on four feet, at noon ,on two, and in the evening upon three? CElip,us replied, Man,,5:who in childhood creeps on hands and knees, in manhood walks erect, and in old age goes with the aid of a staff. The Sphinx, finding her riddle had been-fsolved, threwher- self from the rock and perished, j I V a I I- V 5 A 1 , 1 ' V , - Q ' This is just a simple tale, tbutbelownethie simplicity lie great questions of life. ' Each of us starting. on life's ,journey has obstructions: toovercome, has greatiand, vital questions to solve, and on the- solving of these bprobably depends our future, for from morning tonight we are scattering the seeds, the harvest of which ,we cannot -fortell, and, the-soil in which they fall isfthe human heart, as soil ,so rich that of alltthose, seeds none utterly perish. There is trouble, sin,qand sorrow all aroundiusg, thehhorizon of the future is black -,with clouds, andfour sole duty is to endeavor to lift some of the- burdens and solve some ofthe manv Sphinx riddles and thus be of,s,ome benefit to humanity, 4, I ' , , p D Each one of us has some particular duty 5 jeach has hisfown calling. The time of the politician is not taken up considering questions,-that concern the art-ist, nor is the artist concerned with the problems that present themselves to the politician. The artist ,is not pondering over the advisability Of enlarging our foreign policy ofh acquiring new' landsg .norlis he concerned in the controversy between Frailceiand England, nor the outcome,gog,.the,...Chinese Question ig noir the probable trouble of the United States and Germany over the Pliillipineg, These questions are not vital to him, are not essential, but he is probably rrrnum- ing because of the seeming decline of art, and probably thinking that -until the merchant is banished ff0U1 aft it will remain in the present condition. The painter of to-day paints to please the rntltitude, the sculptor does likewise g the

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32 THE HIGH SCHOOL ZEGIS- I h 1 entioned a few of the most troublesome riddles that confront ave on y m , . ' i ortant as our nation: Each of You can think of many more that are Just as mp . ' t been solved. these, and that are as hard to solve, and at the same time have U0 Why have they not been solved before this? Simpll' because the people have not the strong moral and spiritual character necessary to overcome gfeat Pbstgcief' The mass of our people have not the high sense of. honor, truth, Justice t .a IS necessary g they have not the education that is required to solve these questions, and education means the enoblement of the human character. 'Ifhe more educa- tion a man has the more noble he is, for he is better able to realize his duty to his God, his country, and to humanityg the more willing he 15 t.0 Spend hls time toward the llpliftment of the human race. We must waste no time. The worst spendthrift is onerthat squanders time. Money 10SlI may be regained, fflendshlop lost may be renewed, but who has the power tobring back the day whose sun 1S set, the moment that has passed? We have all the time there is, and if we do not make the most of it, mournful are those moments ofisolation when free from alfectation, when brilliancy is set aside, we stand face to face with our real selves in that solitude which is the only sincerity of the soul. We are on trial before the most compassionless of beings and -every deed and thought rushes forth to witness against ns. A famous doctor once said, To-day is, for all we know, the opportunity and occasion of our lives. On what we do or say may depend the success and completeness of our entire life struggle. It is for us, therefore, to use every moment of to-day as if our very eternity were dependant on its words and deeds. , W' Bis first cClllPldll0ll. CZALQJ MAY LEMON. ,Tl was early spring in aesmall village situated far away in one -of the New England states. The evening air was heavy with the scent of lilacs and honeysuckle.. At the gate of one of the vine covered cottages, a tall, young girl with fair, golden hair and sweet face stood talking to a gentle- man who looked to be very little older than She. Earnestly and long they talked, until the stars came out one by one, and the night air grew chilly and cold, then he lefty His last words rang in the gir1's ears for many a day : It is good-bye, Nellie, but not for long., I cannot help but win a fortune in Califor- nia, ancl then I'll come back to you. Be brave and strong for my sake. And early the next morning Jack Merrill left his boyhood home for the California gold-fields. Nellie jackson lived on much as before, caring for her invalid mother and beloved by all who 'knew her. Perhaps she was just a little sadder than before, but the letters ca not tell the great fortune of which jack had been so hopeful, vet tliev were always cheerful and brought back the glad light to Nel1ie's eyes, and ing 01,1 smile to her lips. me regularly from the West, and although they did