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Page 26 text:
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20 THE RED AND BLACK SINCERITY VALEDICTORY-BY EDWIN R. IIAAG not an uncommon sight to see ' venders of pottery display their wares along the streets of the city. The mere fact that they did display their wares is of no consequence to us. But the undisguised method of con- ducting their sales cannot fail to im- press our minds, In the process of manufacturing earthenware, many pots were often damaged. 'These the skill- ful Romans could repair with wax so that the human eye might not distin- guish between the defective and the per- fect pots. Nevertheless, these venders were un- questionably honest. They separated the unwaxed pots from the waxed and dis- tinguished them by marking them with the words sine vera, meaning without wax. In this manner, the prospective buyer was safe -guarded against fraud not by the laws of the empire, but by the in- tegrity of the venders. h N the days of imperial Rome, it was 1 . With the fall of Rome, centuries ago, this custom passed away. Yet those two words, once the symbol of the purity and the perfection of pottery, have come down through the ages to designate that which is true, unadulterated, and without de- ception. Many times are they used in our daily intercourse. Very often do they appear in our letters. Yet very few per- sons recognize them in the familiar word sincere. full of Latin Our English language is derivatives. These tend to give it beauty of expression and a certain flow of dig- nity. There is, however, not another Latin word in the language, which is more beautiful in expression, in the thought that it conveys, or in the emo- tions that it excites. Nor is there an- other Latin word, which bears with it more of dignity, both in sound and in the images which it conjures in the m-ind. To be sincere is to be without wax. To be without wax is to be what you are, not what you seem to be. And to be what you are is to be pure and true. Sincerity in every undertaking, sincer- ity in every walk of life is essential to success. Insincerity and deception lead to destruction. Truthfulness alone is a never-failing staff. If we would conquer, we must be siiircre-wo must be without wax. The pages of history disclose ample evidence of this fact. Sincerity of pur- pose has overcome many obstacles and gained great victories. Insincerity has resulted in defeat, death and destruction. I refer you to Greece during the Persian Wars-to the pass of Thermopylae, lead- ing between a high mountain and the sea from Northern into Central Geeece. More than 2000 years ago the dauntless Leoni- das and his lion-hearted Spartans stood here to defend their homes against the hordes of Xerxes. For two days they pre- sented an invincible front to the barbar- ians, and then the insincerity of a coun- try-man, a Greek, doomed the immortal Leonidas and 1100 Greeks to fall under the Persian sword. I refer you to an instance in American history-an affair with which you are all familiar. In 1776 the spirit of patriotism was waning. The Americans were de- pressed by constant reverses. Washing- ton knew that he must strike a heavy blow to revive a dying cause. On Christ- mas night he crossed the Delaware to Trenton. The Hessians were carouslng instead of keeping watch. They were mercenaries. They were insincere. They were paid to fight whether George of England or George Washington should rule America. The Americans surprised them and put them to rout. In a moment the struggle for independence had been renewed, and the tide of the Revolution had been turned. Today the United States is a mighty nation. It has grown to be the queen among the world-powers, so that we deem it an honor to be called Americans. Yet underneath this vast structure, upon which it rests, is the rock of sincerity, impregnable as Gibraltar and as enduring as adamant. In the sincerity of men like Washington this nation found its incep- tion. In the sincerity of men like Lin- coln it found a safe haven while the storm of secession loudly roared over the land. And in the sincerity which char-
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Page 25 text:
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H , , LITERARY 19 of a nut lies the delicious kernel. It is only by breaking' the shell that the meat is gained. So our talents and opportuni- ties, kept from us by indifference, are worthless. Once improved, however, they are instruments of power and strength- a. rich reward which is ours for the try- ing. How often we hear some, one complain that success never came their way! Ah, my friends, success is not a gift nor is it an inspiration. It is an acquisition, gained only by those who seek it-and justly so. We all start Life's journey at the crossroads of Indifference and Appre- ciation of our Opportunities-the former leads to Ruin, the latter to Success. The way is ours to choose. Do not expect to succeed by going indifferently through life relying upon the assurance that the world owes you a living. This time-worn motto of the idler is true enough, but it must be remembered that we owe a debt to the world. As long as we, through in- difference, refrain from bearing our part of the world's burden we cannot share its joys. This world of ours is run on a purely business system. The moneyed do-nothing who runs an account of indif- ference in the Bank of Life, draws out nothing but dissatisfaction and indiges- tion with an occasional moment of real enjoyment, by way of interest. Do not expect the world to be sollcitous for your welfare if you yourselves are indifferent toward it. The youths of today are indifferent to- ward the educational advantages given them. Instead of seeking to procure all the schooling they can they take only as much as they must. Old age brings real- izations of their folly but it is too late. Oh that all the young would realize that the Present is the seed time for the har- vest of the Future! Show me the boy who seeks to prepare himself for known future and I will show boy who is bound to succeed. It is the indifference of the younger generation that will make the world of the future unprogressive. But we must the un- you the The fly flew up the flue and the swallow swallowed lt. Why did the fly fly? Be- cause the spider spied 'er, which joke made the flea. flee.-Exchange. not blame the youth too much for, as Joubert says, they are more in need of models than of critics. It-is oftentimes the indifference of parents that engenders a like spirit in the mind of the youth. But whether it be in the case of parents or children, old or young, rich or poor, the law is ever unassailably true: Sow a seed of indifference and you reap a har- vest of failure. Again, the youth of today is indifferent to good advice. Where is the man who is not sorry that he turned an indifferent ear to the warnings of those who knew better, when he was young? What a modern Utopia the world would be if there were no indifferent youths and therefore no indifferent men and no lost or wasted opportunities! What would become of the evils and sins of the world if everybody were interested in their elimination? What need would there be for strikes, for wars, for jails, if every one were interested in the welfare of everybody else? It is the duty of every good citizen of the world to quell the rising tide of in- difference. A crime of such great propor- tions must be studied, controlled and counteracted as quickly as possible if the world is to 'suffer no further detriment. Since the crime is a personal one the rem- edy must be self exerted. Examine your- selves. Search your hearts and if you are indifferent toward anything apply this remedy: Make the best use of all the tal- ents, and seize all the opportunities, which your beniflcent Creator grants you. Take the world at its best, interest your- self in everything worth while and thus get the best out of life. Be decisive, act today and have a fixed aim toward which let all your energies be devoted. Be pro and con on all subjects according as your convictions deem them good or bad. Show the world that you are interested in lt. Fight indifference, my friends, every- where and forever, in youth and old age whether it be indifference toward the school, country or church and Success cannot be indifferent toward you. On the great clock of time there is but one word--NOW. as at 1 Electric wires are now made of steel.
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