Eastern High School - Eastern Yearbook (Detroit, MI)

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Page25 TheEASTERN Nineteen Twenty-three are entering the game of life-a game which lasts not only one day as did the Olympic games, but one that will be played continually during every hour of our existence. Our sacrifices are greater-much greater than those of the men of the Olympic games. For four years these men have given up many pleasures in order that they may be lit for these supreme tests. VVe, too, have given up minor pleasures during our high school race of four years. More than this, we have needed the sacrifices of others to get us even thus far. We have needed our parents' struggles and efforts to give us this necessary training. We have tried, in our youthful ignorance, our teachers' patience as they taught us. The laurel wreath was the reward of the Olympic winner, but the re- wards which we seek are of much greater worth, even than the honor paid to the Greeks. In this game of life we may attain wealth. Wealth is the medium through which we may enjoy many of the luxuries this world affords. If we do not attain wealth we may consider ourselves winners if we attain the esteem of our friends-esteem is a subtle quality-which wealth cannot buy-which is given to those who have proven themselves loyal and trust- worthy. One of the most valuable rewards that can come to us in this game of life is friendship. It is won by loyalty and devotion to those with whom we associate. To be rich in friends is to be poor in nothing, is indeed true. Our success or failure is not fully determined at the end of a day or two as in the Olympic games, but will be determined after many years have elapsed-even after our lives are spent. The spectators at the Olympic games saw the beginning and the end of the games and races, but the spectators who today see us begin our game of life may already have gone to that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns before our contest is over. But we shall never be without spectators for we shall meet them all through life. The greatest praise that they can give to us at the end of our race is that We have been Masters of our Fate and the Captains of our Souls. Vroux Tmwn. SENIOR SPADE ORATION The Miners Once more we COIIIC to the school spade. WVe received it looking almost new. But, if there is any of the blade left, it is not our fault. For there is no doubt that this implement of hard digging could never symbolize a class better than it does ours. Why, we have dug early and late! Many teachers here, who have known us for the past four years, will bear witness that we have done our share of hard work! Summing up what we have done in the past four years, we might liken 'ourselves to miners, who dig out the minerals stored in the bowels of the earth. So have we labored in the depths of studies, and extracted the essence of academics. We early learned that the richest gold lies beneath the hard pan, and can be acquired only with great effort, difficulty, and danger. We always wanted this gold, but hated to work for it. Silver,' too, was hard to get, and only the earnest, hard working miner could always get it. Copper was not far clown, so many a miner, who might have had silver, was per- fectly contented with copper. Almost on the surface lay the iron ore, so that mining for iron required little time and small effort. Those who leaned on their shovels and rested most of the time had to be content with the baser minerals. We have been like miners in other respects, for we, too, have gone on

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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

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fl Tl1eEASTERN Page26 N ineleen Tu.-enlylhree strikes. When the lessons were long and the marks too low, we let down on the studies and spent our spare times on pleasures. But we learned that to strike is to lose time, for, when we return to work, we had to dig overtime, with small pay. Often we have needed safety devices, especially the miner's electric torch, to guide us through dark tunnels, where in these murky places our teachers stood goading us on to do better work. XVe thought the hours long and the work heavy, but now, to our surprise, we are truly sorry to leave the old mine, and we feel sure that we would dig gold if we could only stay. We hate to give up the old spade, but we'll add our colors, the maze and the blue, as an incentive to following classes. The real signifi- cance of these colors and this spade is that they bind us to the past, present and future of Eastern High School. This class has been blessed with such an unusual number of diggers that we were afraid the spade would be worn out long before the end of the term, but there is a semblance of its real self left. This spade will no longer serve our purpose, as we will need a much larger one for future digging, so we present you, the representative of June, '23, with this symbol dear to all graduates, hoping this pledge will bind you more closely to us, and both of us closer and closer as days go by, to all graduates of Eastern High School. Rrci-:Ann HOLDEN. History of Class, January, 1923 As one who con's at evening O'er an album all alone, And muses on the faces Of friends that he has known. So I tum the leaves of fancy, 'Till in shadowy designs, I find the smiling features of Old Ikstem Friends of mine. These friends, my classmates of January, 1923, were gazing out upon the Sea of Life-hailing the training ship Eastern. A motley crew are they. and laughing, for they know not of the future ports of mystery for which they are to embark, nor do they careg that mysterious land of the dead, Latin, or the perilous port of Algebra, or the seven seas of English in which many have been drown'd where late they danced before, hold no hidden danger for this unthinking crew. Ostensibly, the journey to this mysterious land was to be made in four years, but many who were with us then are not with us now. They have been left at various ports: Home, Business, and some at the end of Life's journey. Now, I wonder if you would be interested to learn of some of our ex- periences on this voyage. Well do I remember that wonderful first day: all was joyous confusion when we learned that we were to take a trip on The Eastern. There before us in the harbor lay the majestic ship flying this gallant Orange and Black at her highest mast head. Who had not heard of the wonderful Captain La Verne B. Mann, and what he was doing for the ship? Out of a boat twenty-two years old he was making a ,modern high-powered, up-to-date vessel, and was succeeding so well that our parents were glad to see us embark under his command. Being the latest arrivals, we were put into the steerage and put to cleaning things in the hold and dusting the logs of ancient lives past. Under Mr. Vkfaterhury as first mate we flew many green flags, symbols, our ene- mies hinted, of our freshness. We green sailors chose as our leader Dennis