Brown Preparatory School - Brownian Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

Page 52 text:

VALEUIETUHY For a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth - Luke 12:15. Tonight we deem it necessary and appropriate to think on this statement from the lips of Him who understood life. We dare paraphrase these words, to get from them this basic idea: it is not what we grab in life, but what we give that really counts. Preliminary days of preparatory training are not for personal profit only, but to enable us in days to come to aid humanity by some service, whether small or great. We are going into a world that is characterized by a feeling exactly opposite to this truth. Amid people that are hungry, for educated men and women to show them a life that is not self-centered will be a severe test, but the greater the sacrifice, the greater the esteem of society. History has proved this statement to be true. When we pause to think of Pasteur, Koch, Burbank, George Mueller, David Livingston and William Carey it is the fact that they aided humanity by sacrifice that gives them a predominant place. It is also obvious from the lives of such men that preparatory days are never ended. They rightly named the closing exercises of the school period, Commence- ment. Surely it is only the beginning. The one who feels that he has gained at this point enough to gratify his wants in life will stop. The wiser mind will press on with a new goal, knowing that this night is just a milestone. As we leave Brown, we want to remember that success is not measured by dollars and cents, it does not operate by bias selection, and it is not limited to a few whose names are fixed in a court of predestination. These thoughts belong to those who are spiritless, lazy, and content to complain rather than lift a hand to aid the condition of themselves or of others. Over against such negatives these facts remain true. Success lies within the scope of all, it is attained by conscientious endeavor, by the keeping of a vision, by the taking advantage of all opportunities. Our training here was for the specific purpose of enabling us to recognize these opportunities when they come, and to make the most of them. Generally speaking, the greater number of the people who claim they never had a chance, in reality never recognized their chances when they came. Let the members of the Class of 39 leave this school determined within themselves to achieve that measure of success for which they have been pre- paring within their own respective fields. We might do well to bear in mind the exhortation, He that would be greatest among you let him be servant of all. Others may do a greater work, But you have your part to dog And no one in all God's heritage Can do it so well as you. -George Smith. 48

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A THOUGHT FOR THE CLASS OF EXCERPT F ROM A PSALM OF LIFE HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW Lives of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Plootprints on the sands of time, Footprints, that perhaps another, Sailing o'er life's solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again. 47

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SALUTATUHY In His benevolent justice, the Creator of Mankind does not exact perfection or infallibility. Yet it is our task throughout life to perfect the gifts and the talents that He gave us, that we might attain to something, at least of human perfection. In this life-struggle, as we often call it, we discover more and more the need of self-improvement. This is our duty and it necessarily depends upon us to have a willingness to seize every opportunity to further our knowl- edge and attain to a greater understanding of God. During our life He places before us these opportunities and we are ex- pected to make the most of them. Our strenuous life demands that we know more about the world around us that we feel the truth of the saying, We learn something every day. 4'..Does' it not seem consistent, with this view in mind, that we should learn such lessons while our minds are open to good impressions and our characters are being moulded during our preparatory school years? Our training at Brown has strengthened both our minds and our char- acters, so that now we shall not hesitate to make the best of our opportunities in later life. We step into the outside world with open minds, knowing that the moral strength and mental force that we acquired in school are only the sparks that are to be fanned into a bright flame in our lives ahead. Brown Preparatory School has given us, in addition to opportunities for our intellectual development, a fine sense of human friendship. Our institution is symbolic of friendship and we at Brown should realize what it means to us. Friendship among the members of our student body means more than just the overlooking of faults and the helping of one another. It means the combination of harmony, co-operation and thoughtfulness. Here at Brown we have made many life-long friends among the faculty as well as among the student body. Many of us will keep up these friendships throughout life. We cannot -put too high a value on the importance of friend- ship and our corresponding relationship with our friends is but a link in the chain that binds us together. With this in mind we are fully aware of the fundamental principle of human society, that if we have made true friends during our life, we have not lived in vain. -William Nurthen. 49