Norfolk High School - Milestone Yearbook (Norfolk, NE)

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iny; the work that w: i s I oft undone the day before, and a mutiny: ourselves 1» playing cards, base ball, or boat riding, forgetting to think any more about the Sabbath day, and of keeping it Imlv. We almost ignore the cnmmnndim'nt, ‘‘Honor thy father and thy mother.” W hen it was first given, it seemed a very reasonable commandment, but now 'tis the duty of parents to honor and obey their children. The better part of our parents' lives is spent in efforts to make our lives pleasant and useful, and have they not a right to expect wonderful things of us? How may we reach that high standard except by being pure and noble? W e may in no way do this better than by adhering to the religion given to Hod’s people so long ago. ’Tis only by His help and our efforts that we may be able to overcome the errors into which we have fallen. “Dear God and Father of us all, Forgive our faith in cruel lies,— Forgive the blindness that denies! Forgive Thy creature when he takes, For the all perfect love Thou art, Some grim creation of his heart Cast down our idols, overturn Our bloody altars; Let us see Thyself in thy humanity. —ivriiKL Reit .

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24. were found insufficient, they turned to the most wonderful and glorious works of Nature, the sun, moon and stars, and worshiped them. Even this was inadequate, and, in their longing for something on which to bestow their adoration and devotion, they erected an altar to “An Unknown God.” The Christian world is not so unfortunate as to be ignorant of the one God, and His divine will Many hundred years ago God gave his people, through Moses, a creed, Ten Commandments. l'or simplicity, terseness and beauty, these have never been surpassed by any writer. In the tirst, part of this wonderful law, it is said, “Thou shult have no other God before me. Thou shalt not bow down thyself, to them, etc.” Thus, first of all, God sets up his own superiority. We seem to have forgotten that this may apply to us: but when we think of it, many of us worship brazen, golden and other images. “We figure to ourselves The thing we like, and then we build it up, As chance will have it, on the rock or sand.” We have different idols that we worship, beauty, wealth, fashion, ancestry Tis true our idols often fall short of what we expect. Beauty, fashion and wealth have a strange and easy way of slipping from our grasp before we are aware of its intended departure; and what, but his own actions, makes one man better or more noble than another?” “For all the sons of man are sons of God; Nor limps a beggar but is nobly born, Nor wears a slave a yoke, or Czar a crown, That makes him more or less than just a man.” “Tho.u shaft not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” Doubtless you have all heard the “small boy” spoken of as a necessary evil, something to be endured rather than enjoyed. Indeed, there is one stage in his existence when this is true. It is when he reaches that point where he thinks it manly to swear. He does not think how very disgusting it is, besides being directly contrary to the command of God. He does it because he hears men do it, for of course they would not do anything that was not manly or noble. How many of us “Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy?” We go to church in the morning, and try to think we have done our duty. The remainder of the day is spent driving around, do-

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 “Here endeth the first lesson.” So easy! Wandering listlessly over the beaches—O, those pretty beaches of knowledge—picking up pebbles, some to place in our cabinets, many to drop carelessly at our feet; a few to sparkle ever from their settings, others to be stored away back in the dark galleries of memory, to be used, perhaps, never. Hitherto we have been sculptors making ready our tools. Here is the block of our fortune before us to chisel as we may. In this the introductory chapter to our lives’ scroll are recorded the manifold kindnesses which everyone has shown us. We have had but to stretch forth our hands, and all things have been placed therein. Now shall we firmly grasp the plow handles of our destiny and sink a furrow that shall not easily be effaced by the march of Time. We have walked unsteadily along the almost invisible path of infancy, more boldly as it grew more wide and plain until, lo! today it merges into the highway of life. We are told that we are ready to step out and jostle with that selfish, hurrying crowd, and strive, and stride, if we will, into its very van. The world cannot altogether ignore us. It simply notices us with, “You may come, but you are only a plebeian.” A plebeian! Well, what of that! America’s gentlemen of leisure, (if leisure is the measure of a patrician) are her tramps. Who are not plebeians? Who is so rich that be can bribe Father Time to stay for one hour the sickle, or so powerful “that by taking thought can add one cubit unto bis stature,” or of such noble lineage that bis dust will not one day be wafted on the wings of the wind? And are we not rich in the (Jod given faculties for enjoyment of the beautiful around us, and in