Eastern High School - Eastern Yearbook (Detroit, MI)

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PngeE'3 The EASTERN N inelecn Twenly-llaree fierce conflicts. In spite of hardships, cruelty, and death it has forged ahead. It has cost all this to bring us to this day. just consider the cost from this awesome standpoint. It is immense in this one respect alone. It is now nearing the time when our worth is to be tried, when the amount of dividend is to be made public. Are we a good investment? Shall we be worthy of the cost? BRUCE Gmuaurr. VALEDICTORIAN ESSAY The Imperishables Suppose you were suddenly given Aladdin's magic lamp, and told you might choose a few attributes and conditions with which to live all the rest of your life, what would you choose? Would you choose wealth, which could give you automobiles, houses, private yachts, and glittering jewels? Would you choose social position, with the opportunity to lead the rich and fashionable society of the world? Do you think this leadership would make you any happier, or the world any better? Would you spend all of your time in frivolous pleasures, in dancing, eating, and drinking, and making merry with the wasters and butterliies of the world? No, if you were wise you would choose the joys of life: the things that moth and rust cannot destroy. You would choose the imperishablesg those enduring attributes and qualities which, like the mountains, the sun, the moon, and the stars, are everlasting. For these imperishables you would strive and sacrifice, you would guard these treasures with your very life. VVhat greater jewels can a man gain than reliance, friendship, truth, and character? These ought to be the immediate jewels of your soul. Wealth and social position are not necessary in life. On the spur of the moment you might choose them, because their glitter pleases, but there is little lasting joy in them. Reliance, friendship, truth, and character make for our own happiness and the happiness of others. Now, you may wonder just how these qualities are connected with school life. The beginning of our high school career is almost as the beginning of a new existence. We are brought closer to real life, and realize more fully what is re- quired of us in that life. Reliance, or responsibility, was greatly increased when we first entered high school. VVe were given lessons to prepare, sometimes refer- ences to look up and give reports on. Perhaps we were not given a detailed ex' planation of some task we were told to do. For what reason? To give us a chance to show our initiative and responsibility. At all times we were en- couraged to use our own judgment. If we were sincere in our work, and cultivated responsibility when a chance was given, there is no doubt that we have a portion of the foundation on which successful lives are built. We might compare our lives to a young and tender plant. You can shape a plant to grow crooked and ugly, or straight and beautiful. Its course depends on the beginning of its growth. Our High School life has also given us another sparkling gem to set in our crown of life. Life without friendship would be like a body without a soul. During our school days, probably as in no other time, we are brought into close contact with many classes and kinds of people. It is then that we have our chance to choose our friends. If our ideals are high, we nat- urally go with people of the same nature. There is always a chance of bettering ourselves, but if our ideals are low, we choose friends who are not worth while. Samuel johnson says: If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. A man should keep his friendship in con-

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The EASTERN Pnyf22 Nineteen Twenty-three class of one hundred and twenty-six members is over S500,000. If your parents had invested this 54,000 and had set you to work besides how much money would they be worth now? Besides not being a debit as you are now, you would be a credit to the family pocketbook. But in this cost we have made no plan for buildings, equipment, and teachers. VVhat do they cost? Here in Detroit it costs great sums of money. Where does this money come from? From the taxes your fathers and mothers and other people pay to the city and state. If it were not for the general taxes how many of us would be here today? Not very many. just think what is paid out every day by the Board of Education for teachers, jauitors, repairs, not to say anything of the interest on the money invested. That is just one of the items of your expense. However, great as these expenditures are, they are small compared with what a similar education would cost in any other country than America. But our being here today represents costs much greater than all these vast sums. These other costs come mostly from the home, for there are the people that are more than ordinarily interested in us. They are the ones who went without so that we might have this or that when we wanted it. I do not be- lieve there are many of us in this class, who did not cause some one at home some hardships, that some fancy of ours might be realized. But we did not hear about it, for our fathers and mothers freely and gladly gave. Perhaps when you bought that last overcoat it was mother who quietly went with- out a coat, or perhaps it was father, the same one you call the old man be- hind his back, who thought, Oh, well, this hat and pair of shoes will last a little longer even though they are shabby. NVhy did they do this? NVhy did they deny themselves? They wanted their boy or girl to be like the others, for whom, in their turn, like sacrihces were being made. XVere we always grateful? Did we express our appreciation? Well, maybe, but often we were doing little things to make father or mother worry. It may have seemed trivial to us, something like letting our marks go down, skipping school, or some other silly affair. It cost worry, nevertheless. That may be why father or mother is getting gray. Every graduating class the length and breadth of this fair land is cost- ing money at home and to the city and to the state. In them are the sacri- hces, the hopes, and the fears of their families, but even these costs, great as they are, are not all. For back of all this present day expenditure there have been many ,priceless things given for the cause of education. She and Free- dom have always walked hand in hand. They are inseparable twins, as in- separable as the famous Siamese sisters. Neither can live alone. An edu- cated people will not tolerate tyranny nor will tyranny tolerate an educated people. The struggles of these two giants, Education and Tyranny, one with real power, the other with fearsome name, that has lasted many long cen- turies and has stained many countries with blood, are almost ended in triumph of Education in the United States. The South American Republics have excellent forms of government. but the people, through lack of education, are not able to run them success- fully. The Pilgrims on the other hand, even before they lauded, planned for both popular government and popular education. lf you unroll the history of education, what tragedies you will Find! Many lives have been sacrificed on the Altar of Freedom. but Freedom has gone steadily ahead. The bloody and terrifying French revolution was only an episode. Man after Ula!! has met death for true education. Many more have spent their days in dungeons. Socrates drank the poison hemlock be- cause of his belief. Tyndale was persecuted, Columbus was ridiculedg all new ideas have advanced over hot plowshares, Education has never been cheap. Against Tyranny, against Superstition, and against Ignorance, it has waged

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The EASTERN Pagc24 N invleen. Twenty-lhree' W Y stant repair. It is true, we should make new acquaintances and friends, but we should consider quality more important than quantity. Another fundamental attribute demanded by the world, and one closely related to character, is truth. Without truth, the reputation of a person cannot withstand the constant demands which life puts upon it. Truth is absolutely necessary for the continuation of any undertaking, and is the pivot on which swings all the rest of our character. During our years in higlrschool, our character is being strengthened. VVe do not always realize this at the time, but a little thought will convince us that character building did not lack attention. Every day we were shown in some manner the difference between right and wrong. Questions con- cerning the whole school were brought to our attention, and we learned to see the right side of them. In some instances, the time of class periods was used to give us a clearer conception of ideas of right and wrong. In every way we had many an opportunity to strengthen our character. It is possible for a person to enjoy a good reputation for a long time even when he is bad. Reputation is thc quality by which he is known to the world. A far stronger accomplishment is character. That is what a person actually is. And let us always remember that Character is made up of small duties faithfully performed-of self-denials, of self-sacrifices, of kindly acts of love and dut '. WVl?at more could a person wish than reliance, friendship, truth, and character with which to live? Could anything bring him more happiness? Would wealth and social position give him more joy? They could not give a man friends, or give him the pleasant memories of home ties. Who needs tive thousand pounds to live, Is quite as poor as he that needs but five. Riches cannot give us that glorious feeling of being glad that we are alive. They cannot teach us the simple, and yet the loveliest, things of life. They do not help us to appreciate the blue of the skies, or the blossom- ing trees, the brown of the upturned furrow, or the song of the woodland bird. All the gold in the world cannot buy one true and loyal friend-friend- ship is not bought and sold. Truth, too, is a virtue beyond the value of rubies. If one's character is buttressed with reliance and truth, and en- riched with sincere iriends, he has found the Imperishables of life-he has found wisdom and happiness. Giziu-Runs Bscxsk, Valedictorian. SALUTATORY ADDRESS The Race There is great excitement in the palestra. The motley crowd swarming here and there, awaiting the great national event, the Olympic games. Greece held no greater honor for a man than to be winner in these Olympic games. ,Each entrant. eager to do his best in order that he may bring glory to himself, to his family and to his city, is summoned before the king. The young men now offer wines and other sacrifices to the gods from whom they ask assistance in order that they may succeed in their games and races. After these ceremonies, the young men are 05-to win or to fail. In the same manner are we entering a contest after four years of training. lVe are beginning our Marathon race which will test our sinews and demand each ounce of our acquired strength. NVe may be able to make a. ten-yard dash, but this race depends upon our staying quality. This is more than a game whose, sacrifices are wines and rewards are mere laurel wreaths. We