Canton High School - Monthly Yearbook (Canton, OH)

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interest in their surroundings, in nature, in art, in history and in the life of mankind. How few know that elements of great beauty are shut up in the black ground! Separate the sand, and atom by atom the opal may be formed, purify the clay. and the ruby and sapphire appear, treat properly the blackest soot, and the beautiful diamond will be the result. Facts even more wonderful lie hidden in learning, and even greateris thetransform- ation of knowledge into Knowledge for Servicef, RTARIE TQIZAM. A Young Man's Measure lYith the dawn of the Christian era, came a complete change in the standard of measur- ing manhood. Lp to that time valor tool: rank before virtue in public opinion, the vic- tories of the arm were mightier than those of the brain, and many of the greatest heroes of the earlier period were grossly corrupt and immoral. Thus the young man of yesterday was measured more for his physical qualities, strength, size and endurance, but the young man of today must combine both the physical and intellectual to attain' to the excellence of true mauliness. The standard of today is divided into five units of measurement: vigor, intellectual abil- ity, moral fiber, sociability and initiative and inertia. These units are vitally requisite, and. taken both individually and collectively, form the basis for measuring the real young man of today. In this age of strenuous competition and marvelous accomplishment, health and physique take first place among the necessary assets which a young man must possess. Physically speaking, Hthe survival of the lit- test is every day coming into his own, and robbing his less fortunate brother of the great prize he so vainly sought. It is indeed piti- ful to see the ambitious and manly fellow struggle for that which he can never possess -because of physical handicaps. Again, we have the young man who reaches the crest of his climb, loses his footing, and falls to the bottom because of misuse or neglect of his physical being. A keen and active intellect requires a healthy body, just as a plant re- quires sunlight. imagine, if you can, master minds, like those of Caesar, Napoleon, Lin- coln and our modern Roosevelt, sustained by weak and sickly bodies. Luxury and dissi- pation demoralize the mental or inner-man, and disintegrate the outer or physical man, while overwork, induced by the avarice of ambition, will stunt physical development to a marked degree. By living simply and in- troducing athletics and hygiene into his daily life, the young man will have done much to- wards meeting the physical demands the world imposes, and coming up to the mark made by the first unit of measurement. The second unit defines or measures the young man's intellectual abilities, and the old adage, Knowledge is power, is perhaps more true today than ever before. Unparal- leled educational advantages are offered and the young man who does not use them is not considered as progressive or as necessary to the life of his own community as the young man who does. How true it is that if a man writes a better book, preaches a better sermon or makes a better mouse-trap than his neighbor, the world will make a beaten path to his door. So it is with the young man. the college man, the young professional man, or the youthful, but skilled artisan, if his workmanship is superior to that of his fellow- student or competitor, he will be measured accordingly, and you'll End that man on the top. Let us consider moral fiber before passing judgment on the young man. Suppose that he has a splendid physique and great intel- lectual ability, but lacks moral stamina. lVill he succeed? No! for character determines

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Knowledge No one has come to true greatness who has not felt in some degree that his life be- longs to his race, and that what God gives him, He gives him for mankind. Those who real- ize this fact are continually trying to ease the hardships of the less fortunate, to free them from drudgery and ignorance, and to brighten their prospects for a grand and noble life. These are the servants of the human race in the truest and grandest sense of the word Those who do not realize the import of their gifts, either entirely ignore the needs of their fellow beings or use their power to demoralize and mislead them. These live contrary to the laws of Nature, for every object was created for service to God or man. The bee, while it gathers nectar, carries pollen from flower to flower, thus giving us blossoms and fruit. liven the bee accomplishes a worthy purpose in life. Then, how grandly should man, who is endowed with all the natural gifts of intel- lect, fulfill his mission. So important has this mission become, that its execution is the standard for measuring the lives of men, for, as Voltaire said, I know of no great men ex- cept those who have rendered great services to the human race. Knowledge is the one great blessing that distinguishes man from beast. It is the power to be used to spread human happiness, to lessen human pain, and to economize human labor. lf its strength and beauty are hidden under a selfish purpose, it cannot do its grand- est work. If the rosebuds were to hide their fragrance and beauty from the world. they would be counted among the weeds of the field. Men who try to reserve their education and accomplishments for their own selfish gain, narrow the scope of their usefulness and lower their positions among their fellow be- ings. Thomas Edison is one of the grandest examples of the modern servant to mankind. He spends hours each day in his laboratory, striving to add to his already great number of inventions that he may have yet another to lay before the shrine of mankind. He is an for Service uncrowned king whose name and memory shall be blessed by future generations and shall live long after the petty kings of finance have been forgotten, for his throne is built up from his own labor and not from the misery and wreck of his fellow men. You remember the story of the Lorelei, the beautiful siren who sat upon some dangerous rocks along the Rhine. She was combing her golden hair with a golden comb, and the rare jewels that she wore glistened in the sun. She was singing a wonderfully sweet song, and a boatman who chanced to see her, was dazzled by her beauty and fascinated by her voice. He thought not of his danger and rowed nearer and nearer until his ship was dashed to pieces on the rocks and he was drowned. This siren still lives, still lures men on and on, and causes them to forget their honor, their fellow-man and their God. VVhen they have almost gained the desired gold, they are cut down by the scythe of the grim Reaper and are refused admittance at the tlrcat Gate, while the poorest laborer may enter. lf heaven measures man by his good deeds he has performed and the souls he has saved, then 'tthis world will be blind indeed if it does not reckon among its great ones, heroes without laurels and conquerors without the jubilation of triumph. All around us are people giving not money but pity, kindness and sympathy. These are doing a greater work than if they were building great churches, for they are uplifting the souls of men. Knowledge is power when it can be made available, practical. lt is not the amount of Greek, Latin, Algebra or Geometry that we are able to remember that is the true test of our learning. Education is not supposed to store the memory with useless knowledge, but to quicken the faculty of observation, to culti- vate the habit of method and arrangement, and to add to the interest and variety of life. The ones who use their knowledge, find unlimited

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reliability and trustworthiness,--and without these qualities he will sooner or later become a derelict on the sea of dishonor and con- tempt. That young man is indeed fortunate whose will power is strong enough for him to resist temptations. The Hght of resistance makes him stronger, and gives him self-con- fidence and poise. This type is much sought after. The world has little patience with the reckless, dissipated and avaricious young fel- low, and he has little to do with the shaping of the world's affairs. As an element of moral fiber religion plays an important part. lt is largely effective in moulding a young man's characterg it inspires a faith in self and in fellowmang it teaches him to look be- yond the material things of this world and strive for something higher and better, it helps him to carry out the Divine plan. Have you ever noticed how much more rapidly the young man advances if he has a cheery disposition, and is friendly and so- ciable wherever he goes? It is only a duty to his fellowman which he performs when he becomes a factor in society. Society de- mands a passport, so to speak, from him who would enter, and here we say frankly and without hesitation that the greatest organiza- tion in existence today which sets the stand- ard for the social measurement of a young man is the Young Men's Christian Associa- tion. Sociability, however, must not be con- founded with society, for of the two, sociabil- ity is essential, while society is purely op- tional. The power and influence of associa- tion can scarcely be over-estimated. It tends to color our views of friendship, makes us broad-minded and causes us to feel that we are each, one of a common brotherhood. Two final characteristics which embody much in a commercial sense are initiative and inertia. In other words, they constitute the young man's executive ability. By initiative, we mean his ability to start or originate something, by inertia, his capacity to keep it going. The young man of this type is as a rule original, persevering, enthusiastic, and has faith in what he works for. Very rarely does he fail to make good. XYhat, now, will our standard of measure- ment do for the young man of the future? Surely he will be the better for it. All pres- ent indications point toward civic and moral improvement. VVe cite, for instance, the re- cent bribery exposures-national in their scope, and the confiscation and destruction of several thousand false weights and measures in New York and Pittsburg. Our modern system of living has helped us to do away with false measures, material and ideal, and this means that the young man of the future will find it difficult to fool his fellowman. Yesterday, our heroes were Achilles, Her- cules, Hector, Alexander and Caesar, today we give the laurels, not to soldiers of battle, but to soldiers of life who have been meas- ured by the units of true manhood. RiXLPIi EDWIN jisssis, 'll. As lthers See Us O wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as ithers see us ! Strange as it may seem, unnatural as it may appear, untruthful as it may sound, there is one thing to which we as Seniors must submit. It is not a species of rotund police authority, nor is it like the sweet, tender solicitude as was imposed by our late overseers, the Fac- ulty. In fact, it's simply this,-we must be seen! This is one of those indisputable facts and audacious truths of which we have so un- mercifully robbed .the school books, and which have been so easy to digest and assimilate. Unlike the deluded ostrich, which buries its silly cranium within a pile of sand to escape detection, many of us go about blissfully ig- norant that we are easily visible, not taking even as many precautions as this misguided hird.