Bethel University - Spire Yearbook (St Paul, MN)

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(i THE ACORN to have a place in the world, and among these innumerable good things I am sure He meant, the “laugh'’ to have a big place. If some of these people who are “anti-laughers,’’ and whose greatest pleasure lies in dwelling upon the wickedness ot the world, would take a dose of laughter morning, noon and night, they would find a great deal of the wickedness they supposed was in the world was in reality in themselves, and their heads would become ••light’’ enough to turn upward and to see the true light of good illuminating the earth. But laughter, like everything eise, can be misused, as I said in the case of the unfortunate gentleman. Someone has said that you put your stamp upon yourselves when choosing the object of your merriment. The only true laugh is that of a healthy body and mind. If is a medium thru which we can thank God for life. Have you and I then a right to go about with a long face, beating our breasts and sighing over this world the Lord has given us? No' The Lord put us here to care for our bodies and minds in such a way that our laughter shall be a daily thanksgiving and praise to Him. Sitona Finden—’l l. “DOING WHAT WE CAN'T.” Perhaps there are no two words in the English language that are used more often than “1 can’t.” Some way or other it scorns so convenient at all times to just say, Oh, I can’t.” If there are certain things you do not like to do do. employ I can’t” to serve as your excuse. We find it used by children at a very early age. It gradually develops and becomes a habit. We all know the old quotation, Habit is a cable; we weave a thread ot it each day and at last we cannot break it. This quotation can certainly be applied to the I can’t people. In most cases It is simply a habit. If we only tried to eliminate these words, how much more pleasant life would be. If we only would get at our work and dc( it. instead of spending so much of our precious time saying “ I can’t,” how much more would not be accomplished and how much higher would we not rise! First, let us refer back to history. Not any of our great men belonged to the 1 can’t class.” Why just imagine the low state of civilization in which man would have been today if everybody had just calmly taken the back seat in life, folded their arms and said. I can’t.” The number of miracles and wonders which we:e performed while Christ was on earth altho the people at first did not believe! We know how obedient the fishermen were when Christ told them to throw out their nets again. Altho they had tried all night long and not succeeded in catching a single fish, they did :;o«. say we can’t,” but. we will try again. We know the result. Their beats were filled with fish. At the wedding in Cana, when there was no more wine left, no one present believed that Christ could turn the water into wine but he did. When the lame man was lowered through the ceiling by the four men, in order that Christ might lay hands on him. He told him to arise and walk. The lame man did not say, Oh, I can’t; why the idea! I have net been able to walk for many years.’’ He just simply did as he was told, and he found that he could walk. Thus we could go on mentioning one instance after the other. We need to have more confidence in ourselves and firmly believe when we set out to do anything that we are going to succeed. So many of our young people to-day

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THE ACO It N 6 others to lie on the grass back of the building, cr in the shady nooks 0 the park. ' And lo. their arms were around one another's shoulders. They were talking and laughing as carelessly as it Bethel had vast begun tor them. Each boy and girl realized, with a faltering heart, that before them lay the class supper, the happiest, the saddest night 01 their school life and the unlightened gloom of me packing up days, but each had resolved to pretend just cme day day longer that the joy of school wasn't all over forever. Dearest of all to the class this last day were the reminiscences of Us past. The class, repeated to cue another the old jokes, laughed at the first freshmen year; the old passwords, and the dear old stories. We grew incoherent with laughter over recollection cf the mornings in class we passed a joke upon the professors, and the nights we broke out in our senior yell, which made the building tremble. Behold. I dreamt I saw in the evening of commencement, the large audience which filled the auditorium, the procession of the seniors to the platfcim. 1 heard the organ recital, the speeches, the orations, and the musical numbers which made up the program of the evening. And now I dreamt of the class supper which was the last winding up of all. The decorations, and the flowers that tilled the dining room were beginning to fade. The pink shaded candles on the long table flickered uncertainly. Every one had laughed and had cheered and had sung throughout the whole feast. The toasts were all over, the class had sung their last song as a final benediction. In an hour all had parted, and all was still and— I felt as one. who treads alone Sonic banquet hail deserted, Whose lights are fled. Whose garlands dead. And all but he departed. And so I. too, went cut to face the world, wide awake. —Arthur Belstrom—’14. LAUGHTER. One of the most blessed of all the powers that God has bestowed upon us mortals, is the power cf laughter. Did you ever stop to think wliat this old world would be without it? Laughter means just as much to us as individual, as the sunshine to the plants and flowers. However. 1 am afraid it is a power that is neither cultivated lor appreciated. Did some piece of goed fortune ever befall you? Something that you had been working, struggling, hoping against hope that It might come to pass? Did it come to pass at the time when you had given up all hope? Well, if it did, you didn't walk about with a long face and a sorrowful look, did you? No. indeed- You couldn't, how much you might want to. You laughed, because ycu couldn’t help it. It was the feeling of well being, of satisfaction. that made you laugh. But this is not the cause of all laughter. A great deal of the time I don’t think we know why we are laughing. Why do we laugh when we see a fleshy man lake a tumble on an icy pavement and see him get up as soon as he can under the circumstances, very red in the face and very ill humored? There is certainly more of pathos than humor in the situation. But we laughi Some very severe critic will say that laughter is lightheadedness, mere foolishness. It docs make for light heads in the sense that it dispels the gloom that impels the critic to frown upon that which might make his face accidentally melt into a smile. Everything that God has created seems

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THE' ACORN 7 seem to think it impossible to acquire an education -because they have not sufficient means. We hear this statement so often, • It takes so much money and unless ). have quite a large sum saved before commencing, I might as well give up.” You may ask this person, Why don't you work your way through?” Yoii receive the same old answer, ‘‘Oh! I could never do that- These poor human beings! They rorgei that it is creditable for them to work; their bodies and their minds are benefited by it, and those who can and will work will be advanced by it. Then within the school realm we find so many ‘‘can ts.” Students can’t set their lessens because they aie so difficult! All afternoon and evening is either wasted in-some foolish manner or spent in talking about those hard lessons. Consequently they come to class the next day without them. If these people had buckled down to good, earnest work instead of talking about it, they would at least have been able to do something. Suppose our teachers should say, “l can’t spend my time and patience trying to instruct these pupils because they are so stupid. They are too slow in grasping nr.- idea.” Poor students, if they did! I doubt whether we would get rar. suppose our ministers should sav, “l can't preach to these people; they are so Indifferent! Suppose our missionaries should say, We can't leave our homes and go to the foreign field because there are a thousand obstacles in the way!” Suppose all our writers should have said, I can't.” We would have had none of our beautiful literature . We can do a number of things that seem impossible if we try, but if we stand shivering on the brink and think of the cold and the danger, we will get no further than the shore. Let us not be afraid to leap into the cold water and we shall feel the invigoration of the plunge. —Esther Sundfelt—’14. A LESSON FROM THE FLOWERS. As I sat in the street car one morning gazing out thru the window, my attention was caiied to the many thousands oi dandelions which grew so abundently on either side. I was very much impressed with them and began to wish that more people had some of the qualities which this 1 lower possesses. This mean little flower brot to my mind two lessons which we all need in order to become more successful in our work. The first one was the tenacity and courage that it displays. No matter how people try to destroy or injury it, it still seemes determined to try again. I presume many of us have dug up dandelions in our yards and to our surprise the next day we found the little yellow heads sticking up from amongst the grass as if to say, ‘‘I am still holding fast, you've not discouraged me yet. If the stability that this flower shows would be exercised more by all of us we would be' better orr. great many people are easily discouraged. The first opposition that comes to them they are willing to be subdued by it. In order to become successful inen and women, we must not be discouraged by every little hole and think it looks as tho it were a big mountain. It takes a great deal of strenuous work to exterminate the dandelion. As it were, it seems as tho our superfluous energy were in vain. We find them growing along the well beaten path, by the side of railroads, and in similar places. Places where almost every flower has given up to live. It teaches us that in spite of our disadvantages and environment we can accomplish something in this world if we will never give up. •At tlie same time that this flower tcacu-