Reading High School - Arxalma Yearbook (Reading, PA)

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LITERARY 17 of voting is a crime against society and the means whereby corrupt men gain power. Any man who deliberately neg- lects the highcst function of citizenship is not worthy of the name citizen and should be deprived of his civic privileges. And last of all, a man must vote honestly. Ignorance and indifference in exercis- ing the duties of the ballot are but sins of omission and may not be censured too severely. But dishonest voting is a most dastardly crime of commission and is de- serving cf the severest censure and pun- ishment. It is one of -the greatest crimes in the exercise of governmental powers. A man who knowingly sells his birth- right for the proverbial mess of pottage is a traitor to the state and is deserving of the ignominous fate of a Benedict Arnold. He who betrays the sacred charge en- trusted to his care must pay the penalty for his crime and must eventually sink into the sea of oblivion, Uunknelled, un- coflined and unsung. But for him who intelligently, faith- fully and honestly exercises the high priv- ileges of citizenship, there shall be a re- ward, not measured in material things, more precious than flashing jewels and shining gold, the high reward of service- the joy of duty well performed. But the true citizen should fit himself for even greater service than the duties of the home and the exercise of the bal- lot. Every man should train and prepare himself that the state may not seek in vain when, like Diogeues of old, it seeks for men, men who will intelligently, courageously and honestly perform the duties of office. The crew that mans the noble ship of state should be men with hearts of iron, nerves of steel and the courage of their convictions. A man should be thus capable that the oiiice will seek him and not he the ofiice. Faithful and loyal service to the state is the highest kind of patriotism. All honor and reverence to the warrior who bleeds and dies in the heroic struggle for his country and his flag! But there is a still nobler patriot, the patriot of peace, unadorned by the glamor and glory of warfare, who conscientously and courag- eously pursues the stern path of duty and under the banner of truth and justice wields the sword of authority and con- viction against the liarpies of vice and greed. With such men, loyal and true in the service of the state, valiantly fighting against the countless hosts of its foes, shall advance to that goal whither man has ever directed his course, vanquishing the hosts of vice and greed and confining to an awful oblivion the forces of evil and corruption. We shall strive until the time when the ship of state will be freed of the barnacles of greed and corruption, when justice shall reign instead ofrgoid, and when truth and honor shall be writ- ten in letters of light in the hearts of all men. But this motto has a peculiar signifi- cance for us, both as a class and as in- dividuals, standing on the threshold of a and greater lifei We must appreciate utilize our privileges and advantages, that care the sacred charge entrusted to our may be strengthened and not abused. In our hands will be placed the control of af- fairs, and we must determine the destiny of generations to come. Therefore let us fully understand our responsibilities. Let us here earnestly resolve, at this commencement of a new era of our lives, to manfully and courag- eously bear the burdens, surmount the obstacles and endurelthe suffering of the life before us. And when the state sounds its clarion call for service, let us respond with stout hearts and willing hands. Let us make our lives, lives of service, our creed, the gospel of service, and our motto Ich dienf' For to him who serves faithfully and well there shall be a reward like unto no other in mortal life. He shall experience the joy and satisfaction of duty well performed. And there shall be an even greater reward, the reward of the life beyond. On that great day when the good and the evil must part for all timeg when the grain will be sep- arated from the chaff on the threshing- floor of God, then, will the true and will- ing servants reap the rich harvest of their toil. For they shall dwell in the abodes of the blest, in the mansions of glory and light. They shall gather about the awful throne of God with the hosts of the cherubim and seraphim, there to pour forth celestial anthems of praise and ado- ration to the Mighty Ruler of the Uni- verse, whom all true men must serve.

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16 THE nizio AND BLACK ICH DIEN CLASS 0RATION'BY THEODORE M. LEINBACH man of God approached the close L f-- ' of his life on earth, his great soul burst forth in words of supreme and exultation, I have fought a good tight, I have finished my COIIFSC, I have kept the faith. The apostle had served faithfully and well his fel- low-men and his God, and now at the close of his toil and service he ex- perienced his highest reward, the peace and joy of duty well performed. Thus it is with service. It brings it's toil. It brings it's burden. It brings it's suffer- ing. But as a crowning reward for these stern hardships, it brings it's joy. It is the supreme triumph rendered to those whose names are indelibly written on the lists of the faithful. The noblest lives are those consecrated on the altar of ser- vice. The most treasured laurels adorn the brow of the faithful servant. But where is service most needed? Where is the call most urgent? When a youth emerges from the plastic stage of development into the field of definite activity and concentrated effort, he is be- set on every hand by persistent calls to service. Whither shall I turn? Whom shall I serve? is the quandary. But from out this confusion there arises a call so clear, so penetrating, so insistent that it must touch all loyal hearts. It is the call of the state, the appealing cry of the God- dess of Justice and Liberty, beset on every hand by the ravages of dishonesty, indifference and corruption, demanding the staunch support of all true men in the defense of the state, and all that is high- est and noblest in the control of men. It is the demand for a stronger government, a better citizenship and a higher civiliza- tion through service to the state. A man can serve the state in many ways, but he must begin in the home. Just as the state is founded on the home, so must service to the state be founded upon service in the home. There is an urgent need for such service, because of all our institutions the home needs most the nurture and support of all that ls best and mightiest in our modern life. In the existing complexity of social and political reform, the home has been neglected and HEN the Apostle Paul, that mighty 1 I ' t j0Y its influence and power diminished. We must take heed, for this indifference to the essential features of life, this neglect of the fundamental agencies of progress and development is the peril which may wreck a mighty vessel, yea a mightier than a Titanic, for it threatens the ship of state. We must guard and defend the essential features of our existence more diligently and more zealously, that We may escape the punishment of indiffer- ence and preserve inviolate our high privileges and mighty institutions against the ravages of vice and greed. We must serve, and serve well our homes, our kins- men, our friends. We must respect our associations in the world of affairs and strengthen our bonds of filial and pater- nal affection. We must be true men that We may be loyal citizens. We must link the home and the state by faithfully serv- ing the one that we may faithfully serve the other. ' But our service to the state, our in- fluence on society should extend to broader fields of action. We must be good citizens of the empire within the home, but we must also be willing ser- vants of the empire without. What is man's first civic duty? What is the prime requisite of true service to the state? The highest privilege, the most lasting obligation, the most sacred trust that can be imposed upon any man in the service ofthe state is voting-intelligent, faith- ful and honest Voting. A man must vote intelligently that his vote may be of the greatest service, and that his voice may be raised to the great- est benefit in the administration of af- fairs. If greater intelligence were dis- played in exercising the privileges of suffrage, the state would be rid of the Judas Iscariots who betray whom they profess to serve, with not so much as a kiss, at the dictates of those whose god is gold and whose creed is power. And a man must vote faithfully that his voice, though small and weak, may be constant- ly raised in the defense of the right and the destruction of the evil. The neglect of the highest functions ot citizenship, the indifference to that inestimable privilege

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18 THE RED AND BLACK INDIFFERENCE-THE CRIME OF CRIMES ' FACULTY ORATION BY BRUCE E. HOWDEN sades against crimes of every d scription, yet little, if anything, is being done to conquer the greatest of all modern crimes-the crime of indif- ference. We are all reluctant to let our- selves believe that indifference is a crime, for all of us are to some extent guilty of it. But I belive that it is a crime, for it is criminal in its effects. All of the pres- ent day evils and crimes are either direct- ly or indirectly the result of indifference on the part of someone. The don't care - wait till tomorrow spirit has eaten its way into the very heart of the private, so- cial, political and moral fabric of society and is even now tauntingly destroying, in the very face of modern reformers, the results of their patient labors. Even the physical and recreational spheres of Life have not been free from this blight. The problem of indifference should be of vital importance and interest to every- one. Few, indeed, are those who do not indulge in it. No one is free from its in- fluence. The existence of this great crime is not the imagination of some deluded pessimist but the- fearful truth. This growing danger is too ominous to be over- looked and it's everyone's duty, your duty a.nd mine, to contribute toward its elimi- nation. Indifference is a broader term than it may at first thought, appear. It is merely a convenient and comprehensive term for a lack of patriotism and brotherly loveg for a deficiency of ambition and faith in a Higher Power. It is, in short, a waste of the opportunities which Providence daily grants us, and a habitual disinterest in the welfare of ourselves and our fel- low-beings. ODAY the world is engaged in cru- There are many various causes of indif- ference. This crime is not infrequently the result of indecislon. Some persons seem to find it hard to make a start, to strike out for themselves and rely upon their own strength. They do not have de- cisive characters. They are notf positive and lack the initiative traits of the suc- cessful man, Naturally nothing has charms for such folk and they treat every. thing indifferently. While they are plod- ding up the winding stairs of Indecision the other fellow takes the elevator of Op- portunity and reaches the top floor of Success in time to see the indifferent one on the first landing. The stern world is now, as ever, looking for men of decision-men who can think and act Quickly-to brave its storms and face its crisis. Men, in whose character indifference has usurped the place of de- cisiveness, must fail. Then there is also the indifference born of procrastination. It seems to be the fixed policy of some people to put off un- til tomorrow what they could do today, forgetting that tomorrow never comes. Suppose that Providence would become indifferent of our Nvelfare, and defer the showers or sunshine or some other requi- site of the crops of the land. Can you imagine the 'suffering and want that would result? One can never tell how much good each act may do for the world and so the important thing is not merely that the act be done at the right time. Today is the right time for today's work and therefore, as the old maxim has it, Be sure you're right, then do it Www. These traits, combined with the listless- ness and lack of fixed purpose so preva- lent in our day have bred the universal spirit of indifference which has long since attained the proportions of a crime. This spirit, which is so universal, has probably shown itself most potent in shaping, or rather misshaping the destinies of the young. How common a thing it is to see men who have wasted the golden hours of their youth and are powerless and withered because they failed to imbibe the dew of opportunity in the Springtime of their lives! How prone we are, as youths, to treat with negligent indiffer- ence the talents given us, only to bring upon us discouragement, dissatisfaction and ruin in later years. Youth is the sea- son of opportunities and if we let them slip through our fingers they are gone- lost forever. The fact that we are living in an age of opportunities is, by no means, a guarantee of success. All the opportuni- ties in the world are worth nothing unless they are seized. Beneath the tough shell