Lee Academy - Crescent Yearbook (Lee, ME)

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1 1 I I ig , I8 THE CRESCENT assist us over the rough places, but if we wish to be rewarded in mental strength we must exercise our own mental powers and think for ourselves. By a rigid self- examination, made conscientiously and prayerfully, we may discover our weak- nesses and conquer them. We may sometimes allow this thought to come to us, I'll hide my failings. The world will never know. But is it worth while to hide them? Why not erase them? Truly, it is not an easy thing to probe the hidden sin of which the world has no suspicion. However, if we appear what we are not, we are living cowardly lives, and are not only injuring ourselves but those about us. We all have influence, it may be great or small. Our words, deeds, and even our thoughts infiuence others. When we consider these things carefully, reason forces us to the admission that we owe it to ourselves, to our race and to our God to live a good, true life, to develop every talent we possess, and to reach the highest possible plane of living. And how shall we serenely accomplish the highest that lies in our power unless we know ourselves? Know thyself was the call of Greece to her sons and daughters. Know thyself is the call of the 20th century to each member of the class of 1911. May we obey. ETHEL A. IIIERRILL, '11. 1.....+.+.l4 CLASS PROPHECY The die was cast and I, poor un- offending victim, was declared prophetess of the class of 1911. But how was I to reveal the future? I couldnft find even a witch or a gypsy charmer, to help me in this delicate work. I became more and more discouraged. Easter Sunday still found me longing for something startling, adventurous and unique to happen. I realized that this was not the right con- dition of mind for Easter, atime when all should be happy and at peace, so I went forth into the woods to commune with Nature. I had gone some little distance, when I saw a rabbit bobbing out of sight. Going to the place from which he had jumped I discovered the most beautiful gold and silver Easter egg. As I stood looking at it the shell broke and a chicken appeared. He was very unlike most chickens when they first make their debut into the world. A green cocked hat was on one side of his head and under his wing a sword about the size of a darning needle. Suddenly he Hew to my shoulder andin a squeaky little voice said, 'tFol1ow me and you shall -know what the gods hold in store for the class of 1911? Here at least was my knight- errant and I followed him gladly, at first through tangled underbrush, but soon to scenes familiar. We reached the shore of Park Pond before I knew it. My guide, without a word, pulled from his tiny wing a green feather, dropped it

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yu, THE CR ESCENT I7 old-time motto. The 20th century is demanding men and women who under- stand their own possibilities, who are thorough in educatirin, strong in purpose and strong in action. Shall we, the class of 1911, heed this call to duty? Some- where in this great world there is a place for every one of us, and no one but our- selves can fill that place. Each one of us was put on earth for some definite purpose and we each must set ourselves directly at the task of discovering our place in life: then never relaxing, never relenting, with a brave determination we must do our best. Even if we never reach the goal that we desire, we may accomplish much by struggling per- sistently for it. Although we may have different works, although our aims are vastly different, we have within us every- thing that is needful to make our character. For surely the Creator who has given us this longing to do something and to be something will grant us the ability and the opportunity to realize the ambition. 'fThe soul contains in itself the event that shall befall it. The slave is held in bondage by the work of his own hand because he does not possess a knowledge of his own rights or know how to assert them. It is the man that posesses the power of knowing what is best, that is sovereign over his own mind and body who masters every difhculty. He rules the world. Knowing our own mindsmakes us more sympathetic and more considerate of the failures of others. We feel within our- selves a sincere desire to assist them, to improve their condition and to hold loving, helpful thoughts toward them. Knowing ourselves helps us to know God by showing us that we are made in His image. Every work of creation bears witness to the fact that some great mind must have been behind all, plan- ning, arranging and constructing. When we- understand the possibilities and capabilities of the human mind, we can- not help but admit that it is the master- piece of a greater intellect. Our physical, mental and spiritual natures bear un- disputable evidence to the wisdom and omnipotence of the Divine Creator. Through the reading of elevating books many lives have been brightened, and many souls have been awakened to noble aspirations. By making the noble characters of which we read our examples, we may derive unlimited good. Un- consciously we take them as ideals and they undoubtedly influence in a great measure our thoughts and actions. We would never progress if we had no other than ourselves to copy, but com- parison of our lives with those of the virtuous must awaken within us a desire to emulate their virtues. In childhood our characters are largely moulded for us by our parents, teachers and companions. In afterlife the only way to improve our mental nature lies in our own effort. Our teachers may

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THE CRESCENT I9 into the clear water and, said 'tWatch it carefully. The feather floated on the water for a moment, then suddenly changed to a green disk, from green to silver and from silver to-VVhat! was I dreaming? I saw the interior cf a large and beautiful hall filled with hundreds of people who were leaning eagerly forward listening to a large man of about thirty- five who was speaking very eloquently. I was wondering what connection this had with the class of 1911 when a woman called from the gallery 'fThat's right Coffin In It was Paul without a question. I was anxious to know his subject and was moving nearer, when he raised his voice a little and I caught the words, VVomen's Suffrage. In connection with this visionI have had cf your future, my friend, I want to present you with this bottle of mucilage, which I hope will enable you to stick to the idea of convincing the nation that your sister classmates must vote. Another feather was thrown into the wat I-r,this time a blue one, and as I was pr,pared for a change, I was not surprised ti see it become a disk of beautiful azure l.lue which gradually turned to silver. Now, what next? An art gallery, and standing before one of the many paint- ings an enthusiastic group of people. just then one of the ladies stepped to one side and I saw the painting clearly. It was a quiet country scene. A stream,a mill near by and a high hill in the back- ground. Below were written these words, My Home Town, Lee, and in one corner I read the artistfs name, L, Merrill. Lena, little did I think, when you were awarded first prize for drawing the best goose at the goose party last winter that you would become the famous artist I have just depicted. Allow me to give you this brush and with it my heartfelt good wishes in your future career as an artist. This time as the feather disappeared a large white building came into view, behind which stretched a beautiful gar- den. There in its midst was a tall, dignified lady with four children. I recognized her in a moment. It was Ethel, my old maid classmate. Every- thing about her seemed strange. Where could she be? Suddenly it came to me. Ethel had gone to the Philippines to teach and had married for convenience' sake. , In view of your future matrimonial prospects, my friend, I have chosen this little book for you entitled, How to Manage a Husband, by Amelia D. Herrick, The next feather, a silver one, showed me Ruth who had gone West in 1913, after refusing several offers of marriage. At first, she taught school in Washington, but still fcllowed by a King she cen- sented hnally to wear the crown and to- gether they were happily ruling a large sheep ranch in California. When'I saw Ruth in her VVestern costume, riding over the Ranch, seated on a vicious 'id