East Sparta High School - Spartan Yearbook (East Sparta, OH)

Page 25 text:

SALUTATCDRY Americans today are in danger of accepting a general belief of defeat. It is widely thought that the individual is a victim of forces, beyond his controlg that his makeup and abilitiest are determined by heredity, that his happiness is dependent upon con- ditions outside himselfg in short, that he is anything but the master of his fate or the captain of his soul. Scientific theories have filled our vocabulary' with recipes for defeat. Constantly we hear such statements as, HPersonality is something you either have or don't have, or I suffer frcmln inferiority complex.n These and similar common remarks show the general view that the individual is a helpless creature controlled by outside forces. Personality, for example is not an 'accidental gift but an achievement.. Nation-wide studies which have been made show that young people who sell magazines or who obtain jobs from the neigh- bors, or who work to earn money during sum er vacation, tend to have stronger personalities than those who do not. The importance of such activities lies not in the rewards or money received but in the habits and Qttitudes which they develop. As for'the inferiority complex, the term should never have been coined, because then there would be one less. manufactured idea for people to fear. A sense of inferiority is not a disease which mysteriously overtakes a person 'and makes him helpless. On the contrary, it can be of real value, for the person who recog- nizes his inferiority, and then does something about it, develops superiority. Acquiring superiority in any field may be illustrated by the process of learning how to dive. The individual gets .himself beautifully poised, leans forward, and at the last momentlaesitates and draws back in fear. If, his fears prevent him fromxnaking further' attempts, he never learns to dive and his f8D!'1SffIlBP conquered. If, however, he persists and makes awkward and painful dives, he will finally go in smoothly and come up feeling pleased. His friends will compliment his form and he will have made one more comquest over himself and his environment. Whether in diving or in any other phase of life, this is the basic idea in the development of personality and superiority. Again and again the individual must plunge into the stream oflife, lg ' 1 gg I I

Page 24 text:

'N mf. fp r l p -QIQ w o Ev'-'1'..-.... VALEDYCTORY'-CONTlNUED Our industrial and commercial progress has amazed and alarmed the competing countries of the world. America now stands foremost among the nations of the earth in manufacturing, mining, commerce, and agriculture. While we are building America on the basic principle, democ- racy, we are building a structure to endure with time. Our country has gold, silver, woods, and lakes, within it, but we must remember that these gifts of nature can be found in every land. It is our sacred constitutional liberty, and all that it signiff es to the American citizen, that sweetens the airwe breatte, and makes our great possessions more attractive to the world's home-seekers than those of all other lands. From the beginning of our national life, there have come to us, out of all the countries of the world, liberty-loving people, seeking political freedom and equality of opportunity for themselves and for their children. And this great tide of immigration has been quickly merged with the native-born American into one people, by common purpose and unity of ideal. These are the people of America, their spirit is of Americanism. Americanism is action and not sentiment. It upholds the American ideals and brands as Wslackersn those who claim American protection and still at the same time, amid thmr responsibilities. It expects every man to do his duty and to add his portion to the aggregate of nobleness and honorg to obey laws and be obedient to them, and to extend good will and justice to all. True Americanism means an improved attitude toward schools. No one can deny that knowledge is better than ignorance. True Americanism calls for the abolition of special privileges both in the industries and politics. Management belongs to. both capital and abor. These are some of the principles of true Americanism. It is our duty to defend them cheerfully and willingly. We must encour- age others to become acquainted with our american problems and aid them in solving these problems. The graduating classes of today, must do their part in helping to make America the ideal place in the world. May God give us grace to perform these duties.

Page 26 text:

lr 5 -- '-ffff '-f - -- SALUTATORY--CONTINU,EDp b at this point and at that, in order to develop effective skills. The person who does only what he likes to do, who avoids embar- rassing situations, develops the habits of inferiority rather than those of superiority. Here we see the difference between men. On the one hand are those who are inferior and either refuse to recognize their faults or believe there is nothing they can do about them. Since these people will not take steps to improve themselves, they often want to reform the entire social system. They cannot see that in any plan of life, they would probably be misfits unless they changed themselves. On the other hand are those people who believe they can develop their personalities and achieve competence and.supor- iority. ' Probably ten million people admire Andrew Carnegie. Why? Because Andrew Carnegie remained forever the master of'his world rather than its victim. Neither poverty, nor starvation, nor war could daunt his spirit. He emerged with courage unimpared. Psychologists know that most people are potentially as self- reliant as Andrew Carnegie. Before it is too late then, Americans must realize the truth, that the difference between success and failure is essentially a matter of philosophies. A philosophy of defeat makes failure in- evitable even with the most richly endowed person, a philosophy of success, a determination to make thed most of one's self, can do miracles even with one poorly endowed.