Mondovi High School - Mirror Yearbook (Mondovi, WI)

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WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE? A semester of school work is over, one more year of life has gone by, and the year 1916, is before us. What has been accomplished? In the universe at large we find a hideous, almost word war raging havoc with the very foundations of civilization. All attempts to bring the warring nations to terms of peace has seemed to strengthen the belief that peace is farther distant now than it was at the outbreak oT the war. Science and invention have been busy, much has been accomplished. The United States as a nation has prospered and progressed. As a student, what has been your part in your school work the past semester, and what part are you to play in Life’s work-in the future? What has been your attitude? Was it selfish, conscientious, or indifferent? What are your thoughts of the future, or are you drifting aimlessly along with little hope or ambition ahead of you? And have you interest in your school work, or are you just passing away the time? Answer these questions yourself, be serious with yourself and think ahead of the present. Choose an ideal, a worthy one, prepare for that ideal and then strive to attain it. No one will reach higher than his aim. and without a purpose in life no one will make a success. A goodly number of students take a pitiful attitude toward their school work. First of all things, should come school work. It is your business and it should be ymur business to see to it that it is done in the right spirit, and not in the half-spirited, lazy, ami indifferent style characterizing so many students. Let us begin the new year by taking a better attitude toward our school work, let us begin to prepare for the part we are to take in life’s work. The work we do now is the foundation of what our future life is going to be and without a purpose to strive for, without an aim in life, and with an indifferent attitude toward our school work, our part in life’s work will be small. Seniors especially should begin to form some idea of what their life work is to be. What are your plans after graduation? Is your ideal a worthy one? Let us prepare right now for that ideal, do the work that is assigned to us, not because we have to but because it is our business to do it. No matter how easy it to slide through things now, thinking how easy it is to get along without any strenuous effort on one’s part, the extent of one's power is bound to show in the future. We are shaping our own destinies, no one but ourself is the loser. Think it over. Are you content with the present life you are living? Are you satisfied with your attitude toward your school work? No one should be satisfied with the work he is doing. The best of men and the best of students should feel that their standard of work can be raised by further effort and they should continually strive for a better standard. But let us 21

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offer in the purchasing of the machine. At present Mr. Longstreet is staying at the Palace Hotel in this city. “Yes,” said John, putting the paper down, “I went to the newspaper office after we came home and told them of my invention. Although they adder! to the story.” “Why in the world did you do that? You will have this plaee filled with ambassadors and secret agents from foreign governments who will try and get the invention by fair or foul means.” “That’s just what I want.” “What for?” Tom asked. “Wait and see,” said the inventor. Tom left the room in disgust. “Of all the foolishness 1 have seen this is the limit,” he said. Tom had barely reached the reading room when a well dressed man came up to him and asked him if he was John Longstreet. “No” said Tom, “but I’m his friend.” “It is true that he has invented the new machine that is mentioned in the papers ?” “Yes, sir.” The man drew a card from his pocket and Tom read. VOX GLUCK German Military Attache. “Will you lead me to him?” the man su'd “Yes. come alomr.” Then to himself: “Ifere is the first result of all that fool- is1, icss.” After Trm had introduced the strang- er, he immediately went into negotiations trying to buy the invention. John listened politely until the man was done. He said that he would be ready in half an hour to give his answer. He then ushered the man into the next room. A little later the English ambassador arrived. He was followed by the French. Austrian, Russian and Japanese. When the half of an hour was over he called them all together. “Now, gentlemen,” he said, “You all want to buy the new invention. You all can not have it or it would lie useless. And it would he out of the question to sell it to one country. I’m going to keep the invention myself. What am I going to do with it? I invented this instrument for peace and not for war. You can tell your respective countries that unless they disarm their navies and fortifications that I will take a trip over to Europe and blow every navy, fortification off of the map. Then I will give it to the United States as they can preserve peace.” The ambassadors looked at one another in mute astonishment, as if their ears deceived them. A consultation was held and at last they said, “You talk all right young man, but we want proof that the invention can accomplish what you claim.” “All right, come out to the Bay tomorrow afternoon about 3 o’clock.” A few weeks later there was a great deal of surprise in the country, for news had come that all of the European countries and also the United States were disarming. 20

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6 begin the new year of life’s work and the better and more comprehensive view of what is expected of us; let us choose ar ideal, a purpose in life; and let our daily work, beginning at this time be the beginning of a new effort on our part; let us do the work right here in Mondovi High School as we are expected to do it by our teachers, parents, and the community and make our own high school days and ourselves as high school students a success, and then our foundation for future success can truly be said to have been laid. THE SCHOOL BANK. The new enterprise begun by Mondov: High School in the organizing of a savings bank is truly a step in the right direction. The bank has been organized from the bottom up just as any large incorporated bank is begun,—with its stockholders, board of directors, officers and bylaws governing them. The object of the bank is to encourage students in the habit of saving, and no one can say the idea is not a worthy one. Without doubt, the bank itself is making good, moreover the grade students are benefiting greatly from it, but it is pitiful to note the disinterested, “school spiritless” stand taken by the high school students. As a school enterprise it is the duty of every high school student to take some interest in the project. But instead, a chosen few of the upper classmen are wont to look aloof at the idea as though their advanced stage of development was far above such a humble and childlike enterprise. They choose to consider it as a joke,—probably all right for the graders,—they sav, but doubtful whether it will be of any benefit to themselves. Well, truly, we doubt so ourselves. To be of any assistance to such a class of individuals would indeed be a wonderful enterprise and such an organization in our high school would indeed be worthy of praise, for significant to note, it is the same class of “select few” who are the first to criticize and retard the growth of any worthy step towards progress in the school. Though some of them pretend to be boosters they are far from being “true supporters” their boosting reaching no farther than a selfish furthering of their own interests. Jt is this same class of people who can pick out the weakest part of their school paper and criticize it, it is this little class of individuals who hurt our school more than any one else. To describe them takes us in a different trend than we began with, but it is something we have been aching to say for a long time, and now we feel much better. If the project of a school bank had its doubts as to worthiness and the amount of good it does for the students, we would far from hamper the outbursts of these criticisers. but when so worthy an enterprise and so progressive a step is taken up by the high school, we feel it the duty of every student, at least to keep to himself any unjust criticism of it. Aside from these chosen few are a number of loyal boosters, they are the ones who speak well of the enterprise, if possible they subscribe for stock or open an account and then the majority of the high school students are the disinterested ones. To these we appeal for more interest. If possible begin an account, it will pay good interest and may be the beginning of an otherwise impossible college education. KEEPING UP WITH THE TIME. The examination on current events given by -Principal Swartz to the student body recently, has brought out the fact that few of our students are keeping posted on the current news happenings of the day. Few students are reading the newspapers, in other words. Get busy students? Right now, the world is making history and our own nation is making history. Become interested in current topics now and you will always be interested. What are some of the national issues paramount today? Without doubt, preparedness can be said to he the paramount issue. Other issues are dominant too, and before long presidential candidates will launch their campaigns and it will be well for students to keep in close touch with the march of events the coming year. The outlook for the coming presidential campaign looks 22