Canton High School - Monthly Yearbook (Canton, OH)

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Valedictory In one of the most successful little dramas of the year, Israel Zangwill, an eminent author, conceives this vast domain, America, as a melting pot. XYith their eyes on the Statue of Liberty the marvelous multitude from for- eign shores come abroad to be blended into the liberty-loving American. This wonderful, pulsating theme, when properly produced, can- not help but impress upon any thoughtful per- son the truth and sublimity of the Hgure. just imagine our giant ocean-liners traversing the seas with their cargoes of human freight,- the raw material for the Crucible of God. .Xt first the Great Chemist saw Ht to form his alloys from such ingredients as the Penn- Xew England Puritans and the Carolina French g but this was only the backbone of our nation and not the destined Final product. XYith the passing of years came the new throngs of immigrants, thinkers, sol-- diers, craftsmen and political refugees with their customs and ideals. Then these were dumped into the mould and after generations of fusing, a mixture of leaders is produced- leaders of finance, of education and political sylvania Dutch, the economy, such men as Oscar Strauss, Henry Yan Dyke and Abbot Lawrence Lowell. Ah! but that is a vivid picture for the artist of detail: the massive pot, the seething metal, the floating impurities, the clouds of steam, the flying sparks, the painful heat the red- tongued flames, the blinding glare, the poison- ous gases and the frightened Watchmenl Each characteristic of this crucible has its counter- part in the most progressive country in the world, America. But what significance does this picture bear towards our Alma Mater? Cannot our High School be called a melting pot, if, during four long years, there have been a melting, molding and combining of the elements of character, if, during four long years, there has been a fusing of individualities in preparation for the more severe tests of future trials? Indeed, it has ever been an ever-changing process. lYe were constantly stirred into action by the firm ladle of education in the hands of noble, well-meaning instructors. At times this imple- ment swept through the boiling liquid without a murmuring ripple, and at others this all- powerful influence has but succeeded in pro- ducing a violent eruption of discord and a shower of sparks. Many men have denounced the length of time required by our system of education, but do they forget that the metal which is grad- ually heated and then held at that degree of temperature is the most satisfactory for prac- tical use? VVe have just emerged from such a process, not where education may be poured into the cranium as if into a pitcher, but where silent, constructive, persevering and humane forces have effected a virtual change. Four long years of heating and welding, a very slow procedure, but we leave the cauldron, purified for the next step in the process of elimination. Each particle in the sizzling mass has had its substance m-aterially changed, either losing part of itself for the welfare of the whole or becoming alloyed to the molecules of honesty and friendship. From this crucible there have oft arisen dense clouds of vapor, the discordant element of the scene, and swiftly have these discarded elements of weakness taken their upward flight. But what has become of the retarders and the laggers-on, those who form the refuse in the crucible? Woe unto these! As soon as the scum was formed, year by year it was scooped off the top, and .when the Huished product, the Class of 1911, shall go, the slag will remain at the bottom. Fellow Classmates: Each year the tested product of the local melting pot is liberated. Each year new raw material is prepared for the freshly-fired crucible. VVhen we take leave of Canton High, we must be replaced, for America, the big melting pot, must have its alloy of burnished gold and modest silver

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of a reputation established by a brother or sister who has gone on before. Foiled again! We leave this dangerous ground and hurry to another system of self-torture. This is found in the observations and conclusions of the hard-headed man of the world. He looks at us with a bitter taste in his mouth and scorns us for reading the classics while he has been reading the ticker of the financial world. He rudely destroys with a word, yea, with a glance, our Himsy structure of dreams and romance, and brings us back to earth with a shock. XYith a grunt of despair he goes back into antiquity and pulls from the archives of the ancients the record of some villain who said that we couldn't spell! lVith greater malice still, he points out that our midnight picnics are dangerous to lifeg but we can't help that his boy happens to be a Junior. His ideas of his own adolescent period are vague myths and therein lies the difhculty. Let us Class TUNE- eo1-UMm.x, THE I. Uh class of nineteen eleven, Our own class that we love so much, XYe will cherish and love you foreverg There never was or will be such. lllay the mem'ry of thee never fade, llut stand out distinct till the lastg Then, class of nineteen eleven, Three cheers for the four years just past. REFRAINZ Three cheers for the four years just past, Three cheers for the four years just pastg May the mem'ry of them never fade, Three cheers for the four years just past. hope that he may take counsel with himself and profit thereby. As the fable taught us,we cannot please everybody, for if we attempt it we shall please nobody. So, pushing back the seemingly lu- dicrous, we see the good and true qualities of each individual shining from the depths of each animated soul. Love, purity, and hon- esty cannot be purchased on the stock mar- ket. but the seeds of each lie deep in each heart awaiting development. Thus, a knowledge of our own defects helps us to attain a certain degree of perfection, but the knowledge can- not be gained by a consultation with a mirrorg it must be obtained through other ears and through other eyes. May the Power then answer our request and bestow upon us this gift that we may see oursels as ithers see us. ROBERT H.xRTM.fxN. Class Humorist Song oem or THE OCEAN. II. Oh the Canton High class of eleven, ls the best that's ere gone from the town: NVQ belong to it and will boost it, For you can't keep a good class down. They will rise spite of all you can do, And will ever go on towards success. Then hail to the class of eleven Of our own dear old C. H. S. REFRAINZ Of our own dear old C. H. S., Of our own dear olcl C. H. S., Then hail to the class of eleven, Of our own dear old C. H. S., ,

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from the schools of the nation. Hitherto we were washed from one side of the bowl to the other, but now our paths become well-defined. With our advantages we must assume the responsibility of honorable citizenship-cit- izenship that in these times of nation-wide de- mand for honesty and stamina, shall be able to fight for a purer public life-citizenship that shall stand undaunted in the universal light-citizenship that shall hasten on the prac- tical Brotherhood of Man. Class of 1911, at last we have emerged, in an untainted state, from God's little melting pot, the High School of Canton, but we are in such a condition that now we enter the big Crucible of God, where heat the activities and questions of the nation. VVe have emerged with KNGWLEDGE FOR SERVICE- service for fellow-men, we have emerged with A MAN'S MEASURE in 'view of the DAVVN of a great Tomorrow. We have emerged with the memory of the past and with hope for the future. The paths of our future life shall never lead us to the joys and delightful sorrows of our past, shall never bring us back to the days of our blissful youth when innocent hilarity was re- placed by no other care than study. As we look back, the memory of class rivalries and dissensions brings the blush of pride to our cheeks: but on this memorable evening: these thoughts should but tie us closer in realization of our final harmonious departure. Perhaps this is the last time we shall be together, after countless days of merry companionship-days that are lost for- ever to everything but to fond memories. They may have been tinged with slight stains of sorrow, but still they are the happiest part of our lives. If we consider ourselves actors on the stage of life, we surely must reailze the minor part we have played. VVe were hidden from the view of the audience, only being heard as we carelessly tripped over the stage setting between the scenes. How we longed for a share of the applause that was being of- fered the principal players! At that time we tremblingly became aware of our subordinate position, and of the uphill climb before us. Then the thought of being advanced to a higher rank cheered us on. We knew that all the world is but a stage where every man must play his part and we strove for the stellar roles. The glare of the footlights seemed to be leagues away as we hurriedly shifted the sceneryg but we labored on with hope. Yes, we emerge from the crucible with a spirited feeling of youthful hope. A few would gladly lift the veil of the future and wonderingly peep ahead. But would we de- feat the purpose of life? Life may not be a pleasant thing, but it can be made a noble thing. No two people solve the riddle of life in exactly the same way. If weakness overtake us at the roadside, hope will drive us ahead and no matter if we have failed at the end of our course, we can pronounce those words of cheer- NVe tried. XYe are better prepared than those who have not had our opportunities, and knowing this we should feel courageous in our fare- well. Farewell to the faithful furnace which we should forever recall with a feeling of pride-hearty pride for Canton High, and all of its associationsg farewell to the furnace tenders to whom, after all, we owe eternal gratitude for the strength, magnificence and power of the finished product, the Class of 1911. But ah! The fiame beneath the pot burns low-wavers farewell-Hickers good- night-and goes out. PHILIP L. ROSENTPIAL. I .L . ' 5NlYIl' ' ut 1 s 1 ll. - 1