Brockton High School - Brocktonia Yearbook (Brockton, MA)

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lqfediclenf li .fdclvlreaa .M Youth Takes Account of Stock By CHARLES HERBERT BALL lf a cynic were to visit us today, he might claim that at this siders himself or herself to be one of the wisest persons on the face of the earth! But he would be wrong, simply because he would be confusing youthful happiness with conceit. For, although we have amassed the astounding total of twelve years of fundamental education, we do not pretend to be pre- pared to step out into the world, and shape the destinies of other human beings! Before we reach that ultimate power, we have many ladders to mount and many tumbles to take. So today, instead of discussing the problems of a chaotic world -problems which we can at present do little to clarify-perhaps it would be profitable for us to take a kind of inventory of the traits that may help or hinder us in our efforts to become sensible, law-abiding, God-fearing citizens and efficient workers in whatever field we choose. Probably youth's most serious liability is over-confidence. Many teen-agers are unwilling to take advice, and be guided by their elders, whose only fault per- haps is their over-eagerness to save youth from the usual mistakes of adoles- ence. But that eagerness is frequently misunderstood. ln any graduating class, at least a few seniors have been guilty of muttering the old complaint, My folks are always trying to ruin my good times! Such an attitude is regrettable, for in addition to showing over-confidence, it also reveals lack of humility, the first of the virtues. In fact, perhaps we shall have to admit, sadly, that occasionally youth is inclined not to appreciate the well-meant efforts of others to bring him to his present happy state: he takes benefits and kindnesses for granted, with too great a sense of his own importance and too little gratitude. However, if he is lo prosper in life, youth must realize the wisdom of listening to the words of his elders. Remember, He who is forewarned, is forearmed. Perhaps the next youthful liability is impulsiveness. The young man or woman going out into the world has many important decisions to make. Shall he con- tinue his education? What about joining the army? What job appears to offer most opportunity for advancement? Even such very important undertakings as marriage or business ventures are entered upon without due thought to the factors that make the project a wise or foolish step. The final decisions on these all-important questions and any others must be made with deliberation. Once again youth is confronted with the necessity of heeding-or at least seeking- the advice of his elders. Otherwise, catastrophe may result from youthful jump- ing to unwise conclusions. f,'UlllfIlllt'll un pugc' H19 12 moment, nearly every senior in our graduating class con-

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'fr' ' X ,if sf -. F Emi, ,Ag ,f i .I. I If i, I l i , , . JCI! ,f all il' 4 . 9 T '-I Rr! Cfdzid giveculfiue Gmmlfffee Like the Class Officers, the Executive Committee served three years. lri aclditiori to their Ex5Liii?z5'diii'ieEf'QviEh'tifIE?E5f?i'5d out effEEiEhiiyT'ih657 iH5'dbhZ1EqS of mariy other activities. Pausiriq from their extra-curricular duties are Patricia Bayries, Mary Ariri Cahill, lean MacDonald, William Collins, and Robert Laing. ll

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Another trait common to youth is emotional instability. The young person is liable to be influenced too greatly by a false sense of values and matters of rela- tive unimportance, such as parties and clothes. Naturally it pays to be well- groomed, but we must not place too much emphasis on the old saying that Fine feathers make fine birds. Many times, the younger members of a family sulk because they lack the appropriate clothes for the party it would break their hearts not to attend. This type of young person is apt to be over-sensitive to well-meant rebukes concerning his excessive interest in social affairs, forgetting that a friend's frown is better than a foolfs frown. He or she must be careful not to be influenced by false standards, simply to obtain the wrong kind of popularity. Let us also remember that, although here and there we may find an ungrateful youth who has a tendency to be ashamed of his parents' clothes or home, parents often lack luxuries merely because of sacrifices they have glad- ly made for their often unappreciative children! Besides, folks who are im- pressed by a person's fine clothes, or wealth, or social prestige, and who pay no attention to the individual's character or brain or soul, are superficial thinkers who will not be our real friends, if We lose our money or worldly rank. One must also realize the value of making friends-not to use them for self-aggrandize- ment, but for one's own spirit. Then there is youth's tendency to be satisfied with mediocre standards of achievement. Youth is sometimes unwilling to make any strenuous effort to exert himself or improve his condition, relying instead, on luck, or someone's influence. Many pupils in any graduating class could have improved their scholastic grades by refusing to let their homework slide. That same careless attitude will follow through life, in all probability. The unambitious person will never give his whole-hearted energies to his own, or to his employers interests. He is fundamentally lazy, preferring to drift, rather than to row upstream. He is forgetting Rudyard Kipling's famous promise, lf you can fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds of distance run, yours is the earth and everything that's in it, and what is more, you'll be a man, my son. The last liability which l shall mention today concerns the root of all evil, money. Sometimes young folks earning their first dollars and lured by the prospect of wealth, hesitate to spend small amounts to purchase necessities or gifts for loved ones, except on formal occasions, such as anniversaries, birthdays, and holi- days. But the thoughtful token which is presented unexpectedly, is worth double the pleasure that comes with an expected gift. And always there is the need to be charitable. It is well to remember the story of the man who, every day of his life, gave some silver to a needy person because he felt that such generosity strengthened his own character, and prevented him from dveloping a spirit of greediness. Now that we have finished painting a fairly dark picture of youth, let us look briefly at some assets that members of a graduating class possess. Certainly youth has an endless supply of vitality, enthusiasm, courage, and adventure. At all times he is ready to take a risk for the benefit of others. War-time air-force commanders point out that youthful pilots exposed themselves to the greatest 13