Greenfield High School - Evergreen / Exponent Yearbook (Greenfield, MA)

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14 THI f .XPONENT PERSONAL ELEMENT Success is, without question, the desire of everyone. The man who deliberately hopes to be a failure must have one of those terrible “complexes” which we hear so much about, and we may leave his case to the psychiatrist. If, then, we wish to succeed, we should stop to think upon what suc¬ cess depends. It depends mainly upon ourselves. “Pull,” as we call it, may be of some help, but it will not see us through life. After all, it IS the faculties and characteristics which make us likeable, that carrv us to success, no matter what our goal of ambition. In society or in business, then, we must create a pleasant impression upon those with whom we come in contact. Without this abilit-’ we are lost. Nor can our likeable oual- ities be artificial. They cannot be like a garment to be taken off and put on when required. They must be a part of our very fiber and be¬ ing. “Oh, that is all very well,” you say, “but what if I am not the so- called popular person?” Perhaps all of us are not endowed with pleasing personalities and we may question the ability of a person to change his character in any way as a result of his own conscious efforts. We say, perhaps, that one born with some defect must be burdened with it throughout his life. Bub, what pessimism this is! Do we not know for example, that a young man can build strong muscles by faith¬ ful work in a gymnasium? Is there any reason why we cannot alter our personalitip ? b- ' ’ continual effort? Perhaps it is more difficult to dis¬ cipline the mnd and the character than the body, but the results are just as certain, and many times more valuable. There are, of course, certain qual¬ ities wh’ch we must cultivate and these must be cultivated until they are a part of our whole character. First of all, we must have the will to make people k’ke us. With th ' s faculty at our disposal the battle is half won. Agam, we must remember that the other person is always lonely. With this in mind can we hesitate to speak to an acquaintance as we meet him on the street, or to ex¬ change a few words with that per¬ son, even if we know h.m buc sliq’ht- ly, who sits alone in the midst of a roomiul of busily chatting groups? A friendly spirit is indeed a great asset. Nor is this the only way by which we may make ourselves likeable. Self-control, tact, and cheerfulness all play a large part. If we are to be admired we must bar such feelings as jealousy and hate. They are certainly disagreeable, and do us more harm than the ' do the peo¬ ple against whom they are directed. Anyone who can control his emo¬ tions is sure to gain the respect of all with whom he associates And then there is tact. The tact¬ ful person, we know, is one of the world’s greatest assets. Many a time he has aided love in its task of making the world go ’round. No, tact never hurts anyone, but, on the contrary, it helps along, and smooths out the bumps of daily life. Another “smoother” is cheerful¬ ness. Few of us realize its im¬ portance. Indeed, it even has great commercial value, for the youth of sunny disposition has a hundred chances where the gloomy “rain-in- the-face” has scarcely one. Nobody, however, has any use for the Ch - shire-cat brand of cheerfulness. It must be real. If, however, we are not naturally cheerful, we must learn to be so, not by wearing an artificial smile, but by thinking al¬ ways of the pleasant things of life, and by stamping out the “it-might- have-been” bogey. If, then. We concentrate on these principles we cannot fail to earn the compliment of being called “likeable”, and when we have gain¬ ed this end, success will follow in its train. Valedictory Classmates, during our high school course we have faithfully worked together and have formed many firm friendships. Athough we can no longer spend our time with each other, for we must say goodbye to this school, et, wherever life leads us may w- ' “Keep Climbing” to suc¬ cess, and may we have a pleasant and a lasting memorv of our high school days. HELEN DAWE, ’27.

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THE EXPONENT 13 hoops of steel.” Althoug h Shakespeare’s idea was right, we should hold our friends by bonds more enduring than steel, the bonds of sacrifice each for each, of perfect reliance upon each oth¬ er’s strength, of perfect trust in each other’s love. Each will give to each the strengthening and un- lifting things that all of us need. In perplexity there will be coun¬ sel, in fear there will be courage, in all great enterprises there will be wise encouragement to splendid ends. And there will be always the steadying force of friendship, the restraint of wisdom, the love thar would be sure that right is right. The wise love of a friend knows when to urge and when to check. It will not surrender great ends for smaller things. It will not de¬ termine great issues by small con¬ siderations. It will not oppose it¬ self to natural circumstances and natural development, but will seek to guide them wisely and to grow with them. And we, on our part, should welcome the affection that bids us pause, that would be doubly sure before it sees us plunge into some great enterprise. It is wise to know many people. It is wise to seek the company of those who are interested in the movement of the world. There is not much room in the world for dull neople, and there is no room in your mind for ignorant people who will not learn. Pity them and teach them wisdom, if you can, but we should seek the inspiration of those who feel that the world is real; tha t everything about us matters: and that the march of the world depends upon us, under the guidir hand of God, Every year with ex¬ panding vision, we should widen the circle in which we move. In this broadening circle we may choose a closer circle of friends. They will come into our hearts, and we shall open the gates of our soul to them. We may see by the following statements that friendship is re¬ garded in other countries even as. it is in our own. These definitions can not be found in any book. They were written by a foreigner, Haig Adadourian, who visited a friend of mine several years ago. A friend is a harbor of refuge from the stormy waves of adversity. A friend is a balancing pole to him who walks the tight-rope of life. A friend is a watch which beats true for all time, and never runs down. A friend is a permanent for¬ tification when one’s affairs are in a state of siege. A friend is one who loves the truth and you, and will tell the truth in spite of you. A friend is the triple alliance of the three great powers—love, sym¬ pathy, and help. A friend is one who multiplies joys, divides grief and whose honesty is inviolable. A friend is a jewel whose lustre the strong acids: of poverty and mis¬ fortune cannot dini. A friend is a bank of credit on which we can draw supplies of confidence, coun¬ sel. sympathy, help and love. A Greek poet wrote: “For Death, he taketh all away. But them he cannot take. He tak¬ eth all away” but the love your friend bore you: the sweet memory of it will live through Time after Death. CATHERINE MAYER, ’27.

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THE EXPONENT 15 LEO ADAMS PENNEGAR Next fall when school opens we shall be without one of our best- known and best-liked teachers—Mr. Pennegar. As our drawing instruc¬ tor for seven years he has worked hard for the school—he has spent many hours painting scenery, and seeing that posters for school activi¬ ties have appeared, he has supervised the art department of the Exponent —but Mr. Pennegar’s work cannot be described by a mere list of achievements. This year he showed his loyalty to G. H. S. by finishing his teaching year here even while he had to travel to Philadelphia every two weeks. During his absence, we found a new friend and instructor in Mrs. Pennegar. Mr. Pennegar will teach next year at the Pennsyl¬ vania Museum and School of Indus¬ trial Art, where, probably, his ar¬ tistic ability will be better appreci¬ ated, but where, we are sure, he can not be admired any more than he has been here. Certainly G. H. S. will miss Mr. and Mrs. Pennegar.