Austin College - Chromascope Yearbook (Sherman, TX)

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height of the Temple of Success, its massive dome shining like an arc of gold in the glorious light, while around it play the divine colors of the rainbow. But what is this which rises as an impass- able barrier to keep them from the desired goal? It is the Wall of Unpreparedness. In its center is a brazen gate, studded with bolts of steel, grim and forbidding. Mark! how the multitudes hurl themselves in impotent fury against its massive frame! What a wail of despair comes from the parched throats as they realize that their struggles, their sacrifices, have been in vain. Useless- have been their physical sufferings, useless their mental agonies, for they are unprepared for the responsibilities of success. Ever and anon from their midst will come forward one who holds in his hand the Key of Education, and advancing boldly to the Door of Opportunity, he unlocks its Titan portals. The maddened crowd rush impetu- ously forward, only to be checked by the clanging gate. istry and in obedience to His commands will preach the gospel to all mankind. Others of us will strive to alleviate the physical suf- ferings of humanity through skill and knowledge in medicine and ing they find some means of preventing the ills common to man and of relieving the scourges that have hitherto been deemed uncurable. Man as an independent unit does not exist—we are all dependent upon one another; and in these relations of man to man will arise trespasses and disputes which stern Justice commands should be decided upon law as a life-work. But, however diverse our paths in life, our pursuit of Success is common and binds us together in fellowship. When we have left the walls of this institution which we have pleasure it will be to look back upon our college days. We will view ourselves as “Preps” again, young boys with but half-formed ideas and immature thought, performing what seemed at the time to be prodigious labor in the way of studies and being looked down upon by the remainder of the student-body. We can feel the thrill of awe we experienced when we first took our seats in chapel

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with one another defects in our characters have crept to the sur- face, which being thus early observed, will enable us to guard What a joy it was for us to hold our first class meeting, to elect those who should govern us during our last year at college. We were Seniors! What a weight of authority the name alone seemed to carry with it. After years of hard study, after years of discouragement and success, at length we had reached the last round of the ladder and might pause to review our labors of the past. Pause, did I say? No, not pause, but upward! Let us not turn our gaze to the earth below, from whence we have just ascended, but turning it ever higher, let us strain every muscle, stretch every nerve to grasp the prize just within our reach. Let us extend a helping hand to those following in our foot- steps. They struggle and strive below to reach the prize which upon us as we stand upon the ladder’s topmost round. To them Alas! for the limitations of human vision. Could they but stand where we stand and gaze upon the dizzy heights before us, they we stand at the foot of Fame’s ladder in the midst of a vast multi- tude. What are we in this seething tide of humanity, each strug- gling for the coveted prize? What do our honors avail with this striving, selfish crowd? Because of them, will they stand aside to give us place? No 1 what we gain must be earnest, hard-expended We enter this battle with these advantages, however: We are trained and educated men, we know how to apply our strength to the best advantage; and, where others will fail through lack of Life rears its lofty head into the fleecy clouds, its seemingly unscala- ble sides grisly with jagged points and seamy scars. Stand with us and see the myriads of human beings seeking to scale its towering height. See them bleeding and torn by the piti- less rocks. But at last, after soul-sickening struggles, they sur- mount its forbidding eminence and gaze awestruck upon the beau- teous scene presented. Before, in majestic splendor rises the awful

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almost under the very nose of the president. Then came “Soph” year! If we were not the most important people in the school it was because there was no competition. Our Junior year saw us changed men, for the trials of the Sophomore year had thinned our ranks and left us with a truer sense of our bitterness. And at last we are Seniors! The memoirs of our lives will contain no brighter pages than those of our Senior year at college. Of course, they would also give a record of hard struggles with abstruse studies, but they are the fire that tries the purity of the gold. . But brightest of all the pages is that devoted to our class sisters. What do we not owe to those who have so cheered us in our work. Far from home and its influence, from mothers and sis- in the stilly night, beckoning us ever higher and higher. Ever loyal, ever true to our class, they have shown an unwavering con- stancy born of faith in our ability to achieve. What emotions rise unbidden in our breasts when we think that at last the sacrifices and loving devotions of our fathers and mothers have met with fruition. By their sacrifices most of us have achieved our hearts’ desire, and a burden of gratitude rests upon us that Time, through all Eternity, can not repay. Let us therefore strive to refund in some small measure this vast debt by being men, as we all may. Let us be men firm in purpose, with a high ideal and a persevering effort to reach it. With such high resolve we can not help but succeed under the blessing of God. T. R. L. 29