Plainfield High School - Milestone Yearbook (Plainfield, NJ)

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THE. ORACLE 7 You may not be able, in your various walks in life, to carry a sure com- pass in your hands, as I did in the woods; but for all the really desirable things in lite there is a direct course fairly well known. I suppose every one holds more or less definitely in mind success as the desired end to reach—that will-o-the-wisp, that pot of gold at the foot of the rainbow for so many people, because they have no definite idea of what they mean by success and so have no definite aim. What is success? ‘The answer varies according to one’s outlook on life. The world in general seems to answer “wealth.” There is a straight course that leads to it, but it invariably involves sacrifice; sacrifice of ease, of comfort, often of happiness, sometimes of honor, of reputation, of integrity. And, in the end, it 1s very often not a success that fully satisfies; the sacrifices made in attaining it have been too great; it has cost more than it is worth. Some one was congratulating a millionaire on his success. “No, I am not a success,” he replied. ‘It is true I have gathered a goodly amount of money; but I have four sons and every one of them has gone to the bad. No, I am not a success. If I had taken part of the genius I have applied to making money and applied it to bringing up my sons, I might have been a success.’ Emerson answers thus: “I look on that man as happy who, when there is a question of success, looks into his work for a reply, not into the market, “not into opinion, not into patronage.” By this he means not what kind of work; for the woman in the kitchen may attain success as well as in the editor’s office: the man in the shop as well as the man in the office. He means rather the spirit you put into your work, the view you take of it, the aims you have in mind, your sense of obligation. Unless the workman realizes a sense of obliga- tion to his employer, to the public, and to himself, in his performance, he is not a good workman, no matter how much he knows or how much skill he has; he cannot be a success. Using the term work in the broad sense of accomplishment of one’s chosen end, we may say that it is the cornerstone of all true success. ‘The highest personal gratification; the truest happiness in the home; the greatest real honor among one’s fellows rests on the true performance of real work of some kind; and this spells success.

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6 THE ORACLE ahead. When you come to a path, there is an almost irresistible temptation to follow it, even though you know it is only a deer-path. After we had walked an hour or two, we came to such a path. “There,” said Mason, “that looks like a good path. Don’t you think we'd better follow ities “Yes,” I said, “it has nearly all the earmarks of a good road; but it has one bad feature—it doesn’t go our way. We'll follow the compass.” Then we thrashed brush for another hour when Mason stopped and said, “Are you sure you can get out?” “We are sure of nothing in this world, Mason,” I replied, “except what is past. I am positively sure I got out all the other times.” An hour or two later, we came to a good path which ran northeast, while our course was east. ‘There,’ said Mason, “that’s a good road and goes almost our way. Don’t you think we’d better follow it?” “Would you be satisfied,” I asked, “to almost get out of the woods? ‘The only trouble I ever got into was following log roads that went almost the way that I ought to go. We'll follow the compass.” ‘But are you sure the compass is right?” said my friend. “Mason,” I said, “I am sure of only: one thing,—our whole salvation rests on believing that this compass is true and following as closely as possible where it leads. There was a man once, lost in the woods, who doubted his compass: but he was dead when they found him. We’ll follow the compass.” When darkness began to settle down over the woods, and the song of the birds was hushed, we stepped out of the forest onto the shore of the lake, just opposite to the camp, and the people in the cottage heard my hail ring out across the water as I called for a boat to come over and ferry us across. As we rowed over, I heard a little splash in the water as Mason dropped over two ham sandwiches and a hard-boiled egg. Now the point of my story, this morning, is this: A straight line of travel thru the forest is a hard line to follow, but it is the only road that will surely bring you to your destination. There are many tempting side paths, many roads that look easier, but in a strange country your only safety is to follow the straight line of the compass. So it is in life; the straight road is a hard road to travel, but it is the only road that will surely take you where you wish to go. Select your destina- tion, then go straight for it, undaunted by difficulties, undiscouraged by hard- ships. Do “not be diverted into side paths that ‘are easier and are said to be about as good. Do'not get weary, though the way be long. Stick to the trail unfalteringly. |

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THE ORACLE Class Poem Four years ago, to happy days In grammar school, we said farewell; And now again we have to leave The school days we have loved so well. As we look back we are surprised To think how meek we used to be When we, as Freshmen, held in awe, ‘The upper classmates’ dignity. As Sophomores we became more bold, For we were upper classmen then, But when we reached our Junior year We took our rightful place like men. We had an Oracle all our own, We showed the school that we had pep, We gave a play that brought us fame, We made the Seniors keep in step. As Seniors we’ve accomplished much To glorify our Class’s name, And working for our Class, we’ve tried ‘Vo gain tor, Plainfield High School, tame. We're starting on the Road of Life, Unconquered lands before us lie Where each one hopes to find success; But how we hate to say goodbye! Our Red and Gray we’ll ne’er forget, We'll always to our Class be true. What e’er we do thruout our lives We'll keep unstained the Red and Blue. MarcGaret WHITE. JacK DANIEL.