Brockton High School - Brocktonia Yearbook (Brockton, MA)

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28 BROCKTONIA Mann Haag -1 IDA MORRISON Class Essayist OURSELVES A fine sense of modesty, inher- ent in everyone of us, forbids me from saying, that I have decided to speak on the most interesting subject imaginable, - ourselves. Most of us are now in such jubi- lant moods, that We feel capable of conquering the entire universe. But before undertaking such a monstrous task, would it not be Wiser first, to make certain that we have conquered ourselves? A general, before attempting to attack his enemy, makes a plan of the battlefield, and tries to dis- cover the weak spots in the lines of his opponent, in order to make lzis victory certain. So must We, in order to be equipped for more difficult undertakings, discover the flaws in our characters, attack and overcome them. How often are We Willing to criticise others, yet, how seldom do we Wonder whether or not those very traits which we so abhor, may easily be attributed to us. Self-analysis may be prescribed as the best remedy for helping people Who begin to realize that others are succeeding while they are being left behind. Yet, like all bitter, but efective medicines, it is left on the rear of the shelf, with the belief, that with the help of the Almighty, the sickness will be cured. We are not brave enough to look ourselves in the

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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

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BROCKTONIA 29 faceg frankly, to admit our faults, to confess that the cause of our failure was not due to lack of nat- ural ability, but lack of developing properly, those that we possess. The man who is blessed with perfect health, who is confident of the control of every muscle in his body who is seldom interrupted in his work by dangerous dis- eases, can never realize the suffer- ings of the unfortunate one who hobbles along on crutches, com- pelled to earn a few dollars for the upkeep of his family, instead of being under the needed care of some physician. The man who can clearly see the blossoming of the flowers, the changeable heav- ens, the glorious sunrises, who can behold the world in all its splen- dor every season of the year, can never know the agonies in hearts of the blind, who see nothing but continued darkness. He can sym- pathize with them, help with a few worthless dollars, but it is not pity that they want, it is true fellowship, and kind understand- ing. A man who has practically no will power, who is unable to obtain that which he is seeking in a righteous and honest way, needs an unselfish friend to help him, to make him realize his possibili- ties and see that he makes the best of them. Everyone needs a true companion, someone who will not desert him when he has made a mistake, someone who under- stands him and is willing to sac- rifice his own pleasures for the other's sakeg but first of all,-a man must be a friend to himself. In the words of St. Bernard, Nothing can work me damage, except myself, the harm that I sustain, I carry about with me, and never am I a real sufferer, but by my own faults. We all have our faults, and always will haveg but the difference between people who make good and those who don't, is that one labors to better himself, while the other lives in a carefree manner, little realizing that he even has any flaws. Alto- gether too many of us are strangers to ourselvesg We don't know wherein our trouble lies, and worst still, we don't care. We've often heard the expression, Oh! If I only wanted to, I could do just as well. In many canes, this is perfectly true. No one can know our latent talents as well as we, yet very few of us have enough self-confidence to develop them. Why not consider self-analysis, both an interesting and educa- tional game? One that helps us discover exactly what character- istics and abilities we possess. In understanding ourselves, we must know what work we are best fitted for. What career will supply the most pleasure and a better chance to develop ourselves above the average person. It is said the wind never blows fair for him, who knows not to what port he is bound. Are we to be tossed about from one occupation to another, losing valuable years, never reach- ing our aim? We should pursue the work that most interests us, that will make our lives delightful, and beneficial not only to ourselves, but also to others. The choice of a career, which is so vital to us. depends largely upon understanding our- selves. There is nothing that can help us more in this selection than a fair, unselfish, broad-minded opinion of what we are, and what we can be. Let us then, become thoroughly acquainted with our- selves, our talents and our possi- bilities, and let us remember al- ways to judge-ourselves as we would judge others.