Medina High School - Medinian Yearbook (Medina, OH)

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The MEDINIAN Valedictory By Ruth Ewing Friends and Classmates: At last Commencement night is here, the night to which we, the Seniors, have looked forward for so long a time. All the years of our school life our energies have been, consciously or unconsciously directed toward this hour of graduation. From our earliest days we have looked upon this day as the culmination of our ambitions — the end of all our aspirations — the realization of our ideals. To this end we have studied and worked and planned. Now the hour to which we have ' so long looked forward has arrived. As we pause to think for a m oment before taking the next step, we must naturally express our regret for some misspent hours and misdirected energies. Some of us wish that we had tried to appreciate our schooling more than we did, while all of us dread the thought of having to sever our relations with dear old Medina High School. Yet, despite these regrets, for the most part these have been happy, busy, welbspent days. Of course, we, one and all, feel we could live them more fully and completely if we were permitted to repeat them. But, alas that is the way of life, the past is gone, we cannot recall it; but how wonderful it is that we have the future before us, offering us endless opportunities for accomplishment. Truly, we have finished but to begin. But on this threshold of a larger, broader, fuller life — of another and greater existence, we must find some point in the distance far ahead toward which to direct our future activities. The time has now come when we must lay aside the trivial affairs of childhood days and begin to think about more serious things. The time has come when we must choose our profession if we haven’t already done so, that we may be ready to conquer life’s problems as they confront us. Some of us must start out in life with just our high school education; while others, who are more fortunate, are to better their educa- tion by going to college. But which ever way, I feel confident that all of us realize that we can give to the world no worthy accomplishment or worth-while service unless we carry within ourselves sufficient will-power, purpose, and industry to enable us to continue our growth and development. Along with this we must carry in our hearts and minds high aims and noble ambitions. For it has been said “Not failure, but low aim, is crime.” We must aim for something or we will never reach anything. As Rob- ert Browning says: “A man’s reach must exceed his grasp or what’s a heaven for?” However high they may aim, or however successful they may be, may the members of our class never be so unfortunate as to fully realize the accomplishment of all their high ideals. Let us hope that our ideals may grow higher and broader, more rapidly than our ability to realize them. Our school has done much toward fitting us for life’s work. It has helped to mold our character and mind. We have made many friends here, with both our classmates and teachers. We have been treated, one and all, in a fair and square way. Our faculty have taken a keen interest in us and have helped to bring out whatever good qualities we may possess. Twenty

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The MEDINIAN of air, he must be transported with a minimum of unfavorable reaction. This deep psychological hindrance airplanes, as yet, have been unable to overcome. The airship in this case has a handicap over the airplane, for the dirigible is the only true ship of the air. Just as an ocean liner floats on the water, a dirigible floats in the air, in its own medium and moves so steadily that there is not even a suggestion of sea sickness. The absence of noise and the smoothness of operation almost equals the fabled magic carpet. The traveling public has been educated by the agencies which serve it to expect a maximum amount of ease and comfort and even the aircraft will have to compete on the basis of comfort first, and speed second. In dealing with these two types of aircraft, we must bring in the question of motor troubles. The airship’s motors, any or all, may cease to function and the draft will float smoothly along until its propulsive power is again available, while the stall- ing of the airplane motors immediately endangers the lives of its passengers and in a few seconds or moments, if the motive power ceases to function, the pilot must either side slip or glide to a forced landing, crash; or, he and his passengers must decend by means of parachutes; or, in aviation terms, by the caterpillar route. According to Casey Jones, “You can teach any one to fly but you cannot teach him to think.” The ability of concentration that one learns in school is one of the fundamental factors which will determine his talent as an aviator. With this acquired knowledge the growing generation will be better prepared for the aviation of tomorrow. The United States trails in aeronautics. The navy department has been the greatest hindrance to the development of aeronautics in this country, preventing the organization of a department of the air, with a secretary in the President’s cabinet. For example, Great Britain established a Ministry of Aviation separate from her army and navy in 1917, because it became evident during the war that a conflict of author- ity and divided responsibility between army and navy made it impossible for them to operate aircraft ifficiently. The United States is a progressive nation and may be depended upon to soon take such measures as are necessary to give her supremacy in the air. Fifteen thousand pilots are now being trained each year; the best mechanics of the present day are devoting their time and energy to making both the airplanes and air- ships as mechanically perfect as they can make them. The most carefully tested materials known to man are being used in the construction of these machines. Hence, it would seem that the impossible has come to pass; and that man has gone far in his struggle to conquer the air. We are now in the age of practical commercial air trans- portation. At present, it is not as safe as transportation by automobile but its dan- gers are rapidly diminishing. If safety is not your deepest concern you will do well to consider travel by air; for it has much to offer you. If you want speed, style, con- venience and all the interesting people of this day for your fellow passengers and new wealths of beauty for your eyes to admire, and a thrill or two, perhaps, and — possibly some things to talk about afterwards — then, by all means, try traveling by air. Nineteen

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The MEDINIAN Thus, with such a good foundation, we, the Seniors, ought to be ready to start to build the frame work of life in such a manner that we might all become a credit, not a debit, to our school and town. We have finished our high school work in order to begin life ' s work. According to our motto, “We finish to begin.” Life is a mere succession of tasks. We finish one so as to begin another. Perhaps we might say finishing high school is the first stepping stone to success. But don’t think for a moment that it is success, for it is not. We may liken it to a little town on the road to a city. We could stop here but we would be a long way from the city which is our destination. It would be perhaps just a refueling station. A place to buy gasoline but nothing more. So it is with graduating. We could stop here if we wished, but surely it would not be our destination, and who wants to stop before they reach their goal? Our goal is “success,” and success is reaching the top. So if we would reach the top we cannot stop along the wayside to play. Some might say why try to reach the top, there isn’t room for you there anyway. It is over- crowded now. But this is not so. There is always room at the top. It is at the ' bottom where it is crammed to the utmost. But whatever our goal of success may be, let us hope that we will be remembered for our services to society at large, whether it be in the political, business, economic, or professional fields of life. Now, as we are about to leave this part of our life and realise that our high school days will, hereafter, be as mere recollections, we wish to bid you one and all a sin- cere farewell. Class Song ' 30 (Tunes Highways are Happy Ways) Schools days are happy days Urging each to make a name. School days and happy ways Make characters that lead to fame. And when we’ve parted and the years follow along, May we each profit from all our teaching and song, As youth is the pattern time For the years that are to come. Sara Louise Denton. Twenty-One