Plainfield High School - Milestone Yearbook (Plainfield, NJ)

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THE ORAGEE 155 ORATIONS I THE IDEAL AMERICAN. HAROLD CHAMBERLAIN FENNO. HE year 1808 marks the beginning of a new epoch in American history, an epoch of territorial expansion; and this same date in the history of the world marks the entrance of the United States of America into the arena of international affairs as a world power. To accomplish this result, however, required the guidance of a master hand—the hand of John Hay, Secre- tary of State. From that date, that hand has never been with- drawn for a moment from the rein, nor has it allowed the foreign policy of this nation to deviate a hair’s breadth from the course mapped out for it. Indeed it has urged the nation forward along that course with a breathless rapidity which has caused aston- ishment within andconsternation without. We saw the power of Spain humbl- ed despite the murmuring of Continental powers; we saw American sover- eignty established in the Philippines in defiance of the outcry at home against Imperialism ; we saw American rights preserved in China, and Chinese in- tegrity assured to the world in spite of European desires to the contrary ; and we have just seen the aggressive treachery of Russia openly curbed and laid bare before the eyes of the critical world. All this we have seen and more, but through it all we can distinguish the shadow of the mighty intellect and forceful hand of John Hay. Not an incident arose for which he was unprepared; not a movement was made which he had not foreseen, and, foreseeing, prepared for. Neither divisions at home nor coalitions abroad changed his policy one ion. His wonderful foresight had enabled him to fix his policy against open threat and hidden deceit; and still the young nation, confident in the knowledge of its strength, pushes onward, and still John Hay holds the guiding rein in his mighty hand. But whence comes this being, who shapes the destiny of a nation, who directs the expansive energy of eighty millions? Who moulded that brain which pierces the darkest, most secret plans of our country’s enemies? Who trained that spirit of liberty? Who educated that mighty power of foresight, that ability to grasp opportunities ere they are at hand? Is it a god come to dwell among men, or is it one of the heroes of old re- turned in modern guise?

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154 THE ORACLE all-around manhood and womanhood by calling forth skill of hand as well as power of head. These results are known to be true. Students who go to Hampton and Tuskegee from log cabins leave school no longer content to live as be- fore, but desirous of entering the world with higher aspirations and nobler ideals. They build good homes and earn their living through some skilled trade which they learned at school. The officials of such institutions as Hampton and Tuskegee keep a careful record of all who leave their schools, and it is found that these students lead pure, noble lives, and that they live up to the high moral standard which they followed in school. These are some of the advantages of hand industry. And are these not valuable? It would certainly mean peace and happiness among all citi- zens, if, while we are striving to wipe out all illiteracy, we should, at the same time, prepare every future citizen for life. When we consider that the dominant tendency in the world to-day is toward industrialism, when we consider that a large share of the prosperity and progress of our nation depend upon the efficiency and intelligence of our workmen, we can see the necessity of promoting these arts and can realize the value of this new phase of education. There is no man perhaps who has done more to emphasize the value of manual training than has Mr. Booker T. Washington. He has given himself up wholly to the work which he believes to be the salvation of his people. His is a life of unselfishness and of love for his fellow-men, for his country. From the life of one who has done so much, surely something may be learned. Even as Mr. Washington has served and is serving his race, his country, may we, too, as we enter upon our greater work, live a life of unselfishness and happiness in the service of others round about us. For that is the secret of true living. Some one has rightly said, “That man may last, but never lives, Who much receives, but nothing gives.” ANNA FRANCES BRODNAX. Jones—‘“I am a near neighbor of yours now. I have taken a house by the river.” Mrs. Golightly—‘‘Oh! I hope you will drop in some day.” “Fifty miles an hour,” yelled the chauffeur, “are you brave?’ “Yes, I’m full of grit,” replied the pretty girl as she swallowed another pint of dust—Ex.

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156 THE ORACLE None of these. It is a man, a product of the American nation, a descendant of the tillers of the soil, a result of modern education. Not a god but a gift from God; not a hero of old but a hero of the twentieth cen- tury. A man whose only qualification in the beginning was an ability to grasp opportunities; a man whose only title in the end will be “A per- fect diplomat.” From the time that John Hay left college, he began to improve his every opportunity. In the beginning of his career, he met Abraham Lin- coln, and set to work to make himself an invaluable part of Lincoln’s life. John Hay began to study law. He soon stopped, to study men. He made himself familiar with all the details of the great Lincoln-Douglass contest. He became an absolute necessity to Lincoln and it was as Lin- coln’s Assistant Secretary during the trying years that followed that John Hay obtained the broad foundation for his knowledge of statesman- ship which he has exhibited in later years. He had desired to undertake a life of public service, but motives which were known only to himself held him back; yet when the war was ended and with it the life of his President, John Hay burned his bridges behind him and entered the consular service. He served successively at Paris, Vienna and Madrid, staying in each country only long enough to obtain a thorough knowledge of its people and policies and never losing an opportunity to broaden his knowledge of statecraft. He had studied the foreign policy of the country from without and now he returned to study it from within. He first got in touch with the nation through newspaper work and soon he accepted the position of Assistant Secretary of State. He mastered the details of the administration of the nation’s foreign af- fairs, and then he could safely feel that he was prepared for whatever re- sponsibility the nation chose to place upon him. The nation did not see fit to use him for fifteen years, but he was there, ready, with lamp trimmed and burning. Thus, when President McKinley wanted a man for the most important consular position, he put his hand on John Hay; and John Hay again grasped his opportunity, and again entered into the struggle of dip- lomatic life. As Ambassador to England, he measured his wits against the keenest statesmen and politicians of Europe, and his reputation still stands where he, himself, made it; for from that time he is known as “America’s most polished diplomat.” When at last the portfolio of State was vacant, but one name was mentioned to fill it. Who was prepared better than John Hay? Had any- one made that careful study of the diplomatic service from within and