Granite City High School - Warrior Yearbook (Granite City, IL)

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Those things have reduced the universe from a mount to a hill — hut still there are many more great tasks and difficulties to be performed, and we of the younger generation must fit ourselves for the at- tempt of the solution of those problems. When one begins to think of the good which might come from the benefit of the Mississipi River, which rushes past us here, at our very doors, and still does not conceive of ideas which might, some day lead to the betterment of said stream, his imagination is nil. (’an you realize that freight from the South can be shipped up the Mississippi into the Great Lakes through the St. Lawrence River and thence over the entire world, creating a world-wide trade? That is what we are doing today, and we could carry on a more extensive commercial trade, were the Mississippi deep enough to transport these large merchant vessels. Plans should be made whereby this grand old river of the central states could be deepened and further plans should call for a deep water way extending from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. Then and only then would these large merchant vessels venture upon the Mississippi River. ' Pile world is progressing daily, while you, the citizens and ourselves, the future citizens of these central states let this great advantage pass by without making a struggle and conquering it. Then again we must turn our eyes toward the great agriculture field of the western plains. Thous- ands upon thousands of acres of land are unused. Problems could be solved whereby these lands could be put into use: Men with their families could go out into the west and cultivate these farms. Men at colleges are today trying to solve these complicated questions of agrieultureal developement and more men are needed, for the field is vast; the labor scarce and the prospects Elysian. It has been proven with- O ' t a doubt that the western soil is very rich in humus, and it is the duty of the young man at college today, to find means to bring about the quickest, best and cheapest PLAN OF FERTILIZATION. And again we, the people of the United States in a very short time find ourselves, thrown upon our own resources. The question of the hour is “Are we able to handle the situation?’ ' It is too true that the earth of these good old United States, yes forty- eight of them can and will produce these resources if we could only find a commercial way in bringing them forth. The United States can make all its own chemicals, now imported from Europe, if our great chemists would only fill out the formulas and re- actions which would produce them. The importation of tin, for the great mills of this country, would be useless if wo only knew how to mine the earth for it. Dyes from Germany and Russia would go out of style and home prcdu.ts would ri3e to the highest standards. These and many ether questions must be met and answered by the American people. An l tonight my friends w r e face the most powerful situation of our na- tion “OJR EXISTENCE.” As the queen of the air, the Eagle, protects its little ones, so should we pro- tect our native land, “THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.” “United we stand, divided we fall.” TU ENTY-FIVE

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CLASS ORATION, “The Young Man of the 20th Century. Fred Butler. Classmates and Fellow students, the question of a young man’s life preparedness, in this the 20th century, is quite a complicated question to solve. Opportunity awaits every man of today and it is up to the individual himself to grasp this advantage. Colleges and Universities are today, thrown open, welcoming any young man, who is ready to sacri- fice his time and social activities, so as to obtain a higher education. A young man may study and experiment upon these things which science alone is to master. Others, might turn their eyes toward the college course which lies before them, planning to study law so as to become lawyers, others as editors, orators, writers, diplomats, teachers, farmers, and in thousands of other positions in life. Then I might ask why do these young men go to college? Simply because they desire to equip them- selves, by instruction, for life’s battle, and sad to relate, thousands and thousands of young men attend our crowded colleges and universities just to have a “Jolly good time,” by spending their entire time in folly. In your father’s time, a person was proud to say that he had attended school six months of the year. The training that they received was very poor although it was accepted, because “the demands of a young man then were much less than the demandsof a young man of the 20th century. Then, a man could go to school to? several years, study law, buy a few lawyer books, and be admitted to the bar. Later, he possibly would become a famous judge; a student of medicine could read and study the medical profession; buy his satchel and go out and treat his patients; a student of dentistry; after a lapse of several years of schooling; could buy his forceps and necessary material, and become a noted dentist; but that theory does not hold good in this modern day and age. A young man must be ade- quately fitted for the profession which he starts out to follow. The fields of all professions are open wide, and a young man practicing for any certain profession must be fitted properly with the necessary knowledge and wit and grit to succeed. When one begins to think of what human mind and energy have accomplished, he is really amazed. The endless cycle of scientific knowledge and the rapid production; the wireless, the X-ray, the areoplane and others. TWENTY-FOUR

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Class mates, we are now ready to go out upon the large waves of life to fight life’s battle, yes, and to conquer. We are glad to go, because we know that there are joys awaiting us as well as hardships. We leave you tonight fellow students with nothing left but memories of the dear days of yore, 1912-13-14-15 yes, four long years, but now we are ready to take our departure, and we take it not in sorrow but in rejoicing. And at last when we have guided our ships into the harbor of rest, our journey over, we will rest assured that our lives have not been worthless nor a failure, but a great though humble success. Young men opportunity awaits you with outstretched hands. Will you accept or reject? FRED BUTLER, Orator. TWENTY-SHt