Decatur Catholic High School - Tattler Yearbook (Decatur, IN)

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a torture chair, obsessed with the idea that they are sentenced to scholastic contine- ment to fill a period of time legally ordained for no other purpose than to discipline them in the virtue of submission. The 1'esult of this misconception responds too readily to the feeling of the animal who is anxiously abiding the time ot his release. He takes no interest in his occupation: his one supreme thought is freedom from the shackles that bind him. And thus the student who labors under the impression that his freedom is mischievonsly curtailed. takes no interest in his studies but is longing for his acquital, that he may engage in the pursuits of his elders, Neglecting the essential qualifications that contribute to success, he establishes in his lethargic mind the con- tention that the world is holding out to him her choicest morsels. But experience will soon divert his aspirations into less-promising channels. Like others of similar con- duct, he must pay the price of his stupidity. His mental rheumatism developed in school will assert itself in maturity. He has evolved a malignant case of mental rheumatisni and the baneful influence of his intellectual ailments now exact their just dues. To guard off an evil, one must be constantly alert to its perceptible symptons. XVhat are the symptons of mental rheumatism? They are many and various. too many. in fact. to accord them space in this article. so we will designate them under the one generic head-voluntary distractions: mentioning a few, however, to elucidate their specific results. The most dangerous of these symptons is insubordinantion. This sympton closes the mind of the student to all pedagogical infiuences. His refusal to submit to constituted authority leaves his mutinous mind to cavort amid its own dis- torted caprices. His vagrant disposition cannot settle upon a definite object other than nurse his own pride. Athletics. most commendable, when they do not interfer with the school work, are a wholesome recreation to the mind. but a sympton of mental rheumatism when they harass the mind which, should be otherwise occupied. Smok- ing of cigarettes, an eminently successful means of beclouding the brain cells of tha young pupil, is an advanced sympton of mental rheumatism, Other very prevalent symptons are boyritis and girlritis, respectively. To emphasize their perniciousness, I borrow from the medical phraseology by adding the suffix ritis. No boy or girl can successfully rivet his or her mind on their books while their mental vision is scanning the screen of dazzling shieks and flappers demonstrating the Terpsichorean art. Then, finally, there is another sympton which bears the infamous name of down-right-laziness. This however, can not justly be called a sympton but rather a fully developed stage of mental rhenmatisni. These diversities of the mind detract from the proper school functioning of the brain and can not successfully be associated with school work. The period of life devoted to higher education is so crowded with the constituent principles of knowledge that it can not admit of any interference from other sources: The student who divides his attention with these deflections, invites incalculable harm to his school workg he belongs in the category of misguided individuals whose notion of natural rights is typical of the slogan The world owes me a living and it is the indolent habits of such that grant such phrases long life, and once this phrase has clicked into his receptive mind. it is hard to dislodge it. Thisuphrase serves to economize his school Ak, -,.:.s.4.AA1.AAfAx.+.A.AAA.:.A ' l 4 u I l'i I 't lf'-I 1 I- 4 '-I '-U I- -l '-l- '4 '+t t -I I Twelve. -. , V. .-, . -.--. -, .--.- V,

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Q 1 f i Iv1lvI4!ll required honest effort. Impulsive frankness prompts the writer to be extremely funda- mental on this point and he begs, tlieiefore, to retrograde, visualizing the past rather than the future: for past accomplishments are a fair index to future achievements, Success and confidence may be regarded as synonymous terms, success is the legitimate product of confidence. No one will ever succeed who does not confront the problem with the Iirm determination to master it. The student, therefore, who would win must be amply endowed with coniidence in his abilities. This confidence will formulate itself in a measure equalling the honest effoits he attaches to his school work. This applies, in particuar to the high school pupil for he is supposed to have reached the age when he can grasp the value of an education, which is a necessary asset to every one who wishes to rise above the mediocre. How important, therefore, how valuable, how precious, is that period of life devoted to high school! It can be safely said that the interest a pupil takes in the pursuit of his studies, the manner in which he avails himself of his academical opportunities are indicative of his future failure or success. The future will not, but in rare cases, mind what the past has neglected. If, then, during that precious period. the student has developed the microbe of mental rheumatism, he has forfeited his hopes of efficiency and consequently closed the avenues to success. His undeveloped mind will be encased in the ignorance of his earlier neglect. The student, therefore, who does not mean to employ his time in school to the greatest possible advantage might as well, at once, enter upon his sen- tense of discard: he would thus confer an appreciable benefit to others. He would not blast the fond hopes and wound the pardonable pride of his parents who had hoped to school him for something loftierg would not monopolize the time and patience of his teachers, would not be a hindrance to the piogi ess of other pupils: would not reflect the stigma of inefficency on the school he attended. Conscience must guide the student in his work, not the scowl of the teacher nor parental pressure. No student can progress in his studies unless he honor implicitly the obligation imposed upon him by the natural law itself-the necessity of knowledge. He must recognize that he is an individual link of the chain which must lift the burdens of mankind. Hence he owes it to himself and to his fellow-man to qualify for the life task for which Providence has selected him. He owes his best and must do his best to propogate the eternal designs of ProvideuceAanytliing short of this makes him a parasite. a useless entity, a debtor to God and man. But how can he give his best if he scorns the very opportunity intended to fit him for his specific service in the world: when he slights those precious moments ticked off by the school-room clock? No honest occupation is disgraceful, be it ever so humble, but the indolent student forfeits his life's calling and is a positive mislit even in the most menial occupancy. The reason is very obviousg his fervor has never been awakened to a conscientous recognition of his obligations and, like the proverbial tree, he burdens the soil, stands in the way ofa better, a worthier man. He has engendered a malignant case of mental rheumatism. His morbid drowsiness cultivated in school: his disinclination to ally- thing that disturbs his freedom from activity, closes against him all avenues to suc- cessg he can never successfully rise above his lixed habit of inertia. Many, all too many, it is to be feared, enter high school with the feeling like the victim strapped in :AT,.'A'. '.L'..'J.' v'Js'.v'A.' .'A'.'.'.C 'Je' 'A' i,'4.' 'L fa! Q l.'A',:'a.'- 'A LL ,- ' 1- 'A' A 1 X 1, . 4.--.5,--,5,-.,.f,--4,--4,--.5.A-...A-...A-.,.'-.5--...wie,.--.,, .i,-.5 ...ni 5 -5 fo 0' 6 u 4 a o n I' 1 0 Eleven.

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Elf 'l I l..F. efforts and he is anxiously abiding the time when his Hrst installment of this serial debt comes due. This may be consoling to his indolence, but none too promising of realization. The conduct of such a student offers 110 line of research for the psychol- ogist his failure is the logical product of his mental dulluess. But why such pessimistic allegations? Has not even the indoleut student passed his examinations, received his diploma? A diploma has no intrinsic valueg it has a relative value. It is like our gold and silver certificates whose inherent value does not exceed their weight in ordinary paper, but become valuable by virtue of their nume.'rcal equivalent of actual gold and silver deposited in the U. S. treasury. So, too. a diploma means nothing unless it be a bona tide indorsement of honest and con- scientous efforts of the students enti1'e course. It, therefore, means much or abso- lutely nothing. It means much when it expresses the sum total of honest energy: it means little, or nothing mo1'e than a distorted view of merit if it represents less. The student's success in the world is determined by the mental responsiveness he devoted to his studies and not by his diploma. The merely get-by attitude of the student evinced in school will tenaciously assert itself in all of his after efforts. His inaptitude will soon be discovered, and he will be catalogued as belonging to the category ot mis- tits. He will have to stand by and beat time while the parade of progress is advancing. When then, you are told by the commencement speaker that you are the hope of the future. the leaders of the nation, pause momentarily to ascertain if you can consciou- tiously apply the words to yourself: whether your school work will warrant the exercise of leadership. And when your diploma is handed to you try to sensitize what it means to you individually. Can you find any contentment, any satisfaction in re- ceiving your diploma in its general accepted sense that you have simply completed your high school course? If you have nursed no higher ambition during your high school course than merely making the passing grades, you have courted the just dues that await your initial embaikment in the affairs of the world-Failure. He who would succeed in life must have a detinite plan. His life must be purpose- ful, well ordered. Too many students enter high school with no detinite plan' for the future whatever. Their facillating mind consequently settles on no specific purpose of life and thus they enter upon worldly pursuits, shifting from pillar to post, with the marked indifference that characterized their school work. They get nowhere. The present history of our American youth, I believe, fully warrants my pessimistic views of the man suffering from mental rheumatism. Our young men are not thinking pri- marily of the hard-earned dollar, but imbued with the previously mentioned slogan, they trust to luck, which. when it fails them. as it usually does, they resort to other means which can not be catalogued as legitimate pursuits. They are unhappy for time and eternity. Happiness is a state of mind attained by thoughts that are radiated from within rather than experience that comes from without. Real happiness. therefore, is based primarily upon service and sacrifice. -REV. J. A. SEIMETZ. A A L A A. A A.A.A AML A A Jr..-Al1.L A.tA. .- ,, , .cle , AA , , ,.--., l-,,.--.,.-,.-..,,-V.,,--.,..-,...,.--,.-.,..,.--.,.-., -., -- ,,...f..,f.,,,,. 0 ...T .Af .pf ,I .7 7 1 ,7 A 'l'hir'teE-11.