Brockton High School - Brocktonia Yearbook (Brockton, MA)

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26 BROCKTONIA 0112155 Gbratinn WILLIAM MADDEN Class Orator CAREERS BEAUTIFUL A picture is being painted. First, there appears the rough background on the square of can- vas. More delicate lines grow from these and gradually evolve into some definite figure of landscape. Then, as the final and finishing touches are applied, the produc- tion assumes a depth and meaning that captivates its spectators and leads them to exclaim it a master- piece, a picture that will live. And so, it seems to me, We can develop our lives that they will stand out from the ordinary, be pre-eminent for having been lived fully. In development, our lives are quite similar to pictures. To each of us there is given the same square of canvas, the same sets of coloring, in some cases a little brighter than others, perhaps, but the same fun- damental huesg and a brush. It is left to us to decorate, as we Will, that square of canvas that men call Life. As education forms the basis, the background, the permanent structure upon which is built all lasting success, let us not under- estimate the value of practical learning. As it would be impos- sible to put the finishing touches on a picture before the broad, heavy background was completed, any attempts to bring out delicate shades of feature where there was no face, or touches of nature where there was no landscape, would look ridiculous, they would lack stability and, though executed by the hand of genius, would at- tract no more attention than the daubing of a child. In like manner, must We look upon education. Castles cannot be built upon air. A more substantial foundation must be found if the structure

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BROCKTONIA 25 QfEf'T5-ffJfEf QiJDi'3f3fSlDfiftS'1 Uhr 09312 1 Upward toward steep mystic hill tops Where Life's compensations lie, gd Climb with swift pace up vague mountains Ere young strength begins to die Though dim shadows veil Life's high roads, Rough and winding be the trail, Fearless hearts will search new pathways, Leading starward from the vale. So emerge from shelt'ring havens Leaving youthful comrades dear, Sund'ring all fair school day friendships, Firmly forged with passing year, And engraved in mind forever, Mem'ries of each bye gone hour Will repel despair and sadness Will enrich our buoyant power. Through the misty maze of darkness Life's lane drear and gloomy seems, But always seek for the summit With its white-capped sparkling beams, Ne'er retreating nor delaying In the journey toward high goals, Helping fellow travellers upward Fearless and brave-hearted souls. So we're gazing ever skyward Up the steep enshrouded way, Watching for the visioned starlight With inspiring, brilliant rayg So we're struggling ever starward Striving toward the peak of life, Clinging to the righteous Virtues Conquering thus in storm and strife. AQYSJDQVQDQQQJQQQJQQJSN

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BROCKTONIA 27 would be lasting. We are all prone to think that life is short and edu- cation is long, that the four, five, or even six years that we spend in an institution of higher learning could be much more advan- tageously utilized in starting to lay the foundations of a career for ourselves. We cannot, in the face of evidence, deny that education is an invaluable asset, but we some- times reason that, though it is good for the other fellow, it would not be a great deal of help to us, so we plunge out blindly without the help of that necessary guiding knowledge. The fallacy of such reasoning is, I believe, apparent to every thoughtful observer. I do not recommend college, merely that we may, in the popular phraseology, become collegiate, but that we may acquire a power to grasp and overcome the ob- stacles that confront us. Such a tool is invaluable in the hands of an intelligent person and with it he can soon erase the start which another person may have gained in his extra years. The world to- day is not willing to train its lead- ers as of yore. The day is past when a lawyer can obtain his legal education in a law office, via the Horatio Alger method, acting in the capacity of an office boy. A doctor has to be a graduate of an accredited medical school to ob- tain the right to practice, and even the humble bricklayer finds it dif- ficult to learn the lucrative art, since bricklayers have been receiv- ing bank presidents' salaries. It is said of one of the old mas- ters that, when pupils came to him to learn to paint, he made them spend two whole years learning how to mix paints. Two long years learning how to blend tints and cre- ate every slight variation of color. Foolish? To us it seems a waste of time, but, when those pupils did reach the end of this drudgery. they had mastered every detail of their art and produced master- pieces that are the marvels of the art world, even today, hundreds of years after their time. Even though one does become success- ful in the eyes of the world, if he is one of the unusual few, who by their own stamina are able to reach the high places without the aid of learning, he feels keenly that lack of poise and assurance that a liberal education would have given him. I was recently talking with a man who typifies the self-made type, one who, solely by his own brilliance of intellect and perseverance, has won for himself a noteworthy place in a large financial concern. He con- fessed that, despite his position and the influence that it brought him, he often felt a lack of that polish and bearing that an educa- tion would have given him. If a man in his position feels this lack so keenly, do not we, who have yet to win the position, need all the tools that will help us in ac- quiring it? There is another form of edu- cation that should be used by those who go to college and those who do not, namely, self-educa- tion. For the person who succeeds, education never stops, for when we stop learning, we stop living. In any line of endeavor which we may choose there is an abundance of knowledge to be gained. Let us never be under the delusion that we are spending too much time in the pursuit of useful knowledge, but keep in mind the words of the sage: Learn as if to live forever, live as if to die tomorrow. Although I have talked thus far on education, I do not mean to have it thought that I would class it as an only requisite for success. Indeed, there is one which is far more important and without which education would accomplish but little,-a love of industry, or in plain, unpoetical language, hard work. Trying to be successful I Continued on page 105