Northern Oklahoma College - Roundup Yearbook (Tonkawa, OK)

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ge be wk si ' - 1.-! .. .W ai -Cs..,,Q ,, . 5 rss. Qa,...s? fs-fwfsw .f r-. is he that hath ears to hear the still small voice that whispers, This is thy talent and it thou must pursue. A ' This age of specialization differentiates clearly and defines sharply the work of the skilled laborer and the professional man, but with this sharp drawing of the line has come the demand for expert knowledge both in head and hand. But it has not re- moved the demand for brains. Every industry is calling for men Who can thinkg for men who can see in the right perspectiveg for men of broad sympathy who can act as brother to brother. These are the reasons why the cost of preparation either in time or in money or personal effort will not be impediments of any consequence to the man who has the vision glorious. Not only do we have 'a duty to prepare our minds for service but our bodies must receive attention as well. The old adage of a sound mind in a sound body has not out- worn its usefulness. We a1'e coming more and more to realize that the busy life is the only happy life and that without a strong body, a clean and wholesome life, a rec- ognition of the laws' of nature we cannot endure this strenuous existence. Neither can we neglect the spiritual side of our nature. If we, in the quest of skill, knowledge, and power, forget that we are an image of the Creatorg that 'we have a soul that cries out to-be released from the bondage of practical existence, that longs to uplift the whole of humankind and make the world better for having lived therein, we have neglected the most important attribute of service. When we have finally pre- pared our three-fold nature for some service in life. we shall not only succeed, but also have the joy and satisfaction of knowing we are not a useless dependent on soci- ety. It is only as we press on through the depths of struggle that our vision becomes more distinct and we see our way clearly toward helping our fellowmen. We must be dreamers. Through all the ages it has been the dreamers' who have pierced the unknown vasts, who have sailed away undaunted for the far blind shores. Their brains have wrought all human miracles. Your homes are set upon the land a dreamer found. Your pictures on its walls are visions from a dreamer's soul. A lll'C2l.11l81',S pain wails from your violin. lf the heart be strong and the dream be hard enough, we can attain, where all have failed before. Then catch the gleam of light that is beyond the darkness: reach out, or count the time and effort lost that leads toward the goal of the best gifts attainable by man. CGet the Vision Glorious, which alone makes significant the slow toil of everyday work.l Just one chance to exercise the powers at their very best is ample COIHDSIISZI- tion for all the waiting and weariness that intervenes between what man is and what he may become. It is' the vision that you glorify in your mind, the ideal that you will become like in the fibre of your being. Then face the soul's' eternal sunrise, breathe deep-and plunge into the fray. 1,40

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ar , T V- W it up .-. ,, ,'. f t f. ifane I f J .ag ,ii The Vision Glorious Nina Olmstead, '16 There are two kinds of iight, the light on the higher side of darkness and the light beyond the darkness. Whether we never see any light at all, or whether we are blinded by the dazzling gleam of pleasure or wealth on this side of darkness, 01' whether we 'fear the toils that lead through the veils and mists of doubt, C.r whether, overcoming all of these we get the vision glorious of gt life cf servzce beyond-depends wholly on ourselves. We must press on through the dark- ness and the terror of it if we would reach the light beyond, not however, like the fool- ish insects attracted to the dazzling blaze only to be drawn to destruction by the in- tensity of its flame, but like plants that lean to the light, to fill our lives' with meaning ing and our souls with power. There are two kinds of men who never penetrate the gloom-the men, who held down by a sordid existence never suspect the presence of the light at all, and the men, who dazzled by the light on this side of darkness, never know the full beauty of the re- gion beyond. Unfortunate the man who has never set his face toward the light-who will not see it, the man to whom neither earth nor heaven 'convey the pure unsordid message of the ideal, the man whose light is dimmed by a baffling struggle within the narrow and present confines of this existence. His motives are measured in dollars and cents, his children are worthless to him until large enough 'to engage in remunera- tive labo-r. To him every reverse of fortune brings bitterness-the failure of a crop or an unfavorable market, temporary ill-health in the family-these things and many like them obscure his poor day and leave him groping in his small dungeon-like sphere. The world matters not to him and he recognizes no demands from the worldg he has never acknowledged that every individualvis the center of all that surrounds him and has an unlimited space of action. Tell him he has robbed 'the world of a generous mind and heart, of the power to do its work, of a sympathy to bear its burdens, of determi- nation to effect its reforms, and he will laugh at your folly. Was he not born unto himself and there to die? Equally unfortunate the man, who flattered by the offer of a good position before he is fitted for a life work, or attracted by the lure of pleasure, mistakes the glory of the nearby splendor for the real life in the realm beyond, who allows self-gratification of the desire for wealth to be the ruling motive iin his life. Too apt we are to' leave the quest of the Holy Grail for the quest of the wherewithal to gratify our foolish tastes and whims. If we can but surmount that intensely interesting period when the lure of fortune or ambition is most powerful, and the joy of the game of living pleads strongest for gratification, without committing 501119 i1'1'GD-Mable fO11y5 if W6 C2111 but see, even if dimly, the true vision, we will have spared to the world one more servant to do his part toward making it grander and better. ' 1 V Happy indeed is the man who retains this vision clarified and pure, who realinzes that he has a m'ssion to perform-a responsibility to his fellowmen which requires time and effort in preparing himself for the larger usefulness of brotherhood as well as self-preservation. He will not permit his life to be circumscribed by ungenerous preparation. His mind will cease to be filled with trade and commerce and other al- lurements so as tg preclude the culture oi mind, body, and soul., From 8 to 12 years after the young person has completed his eommonnschool education must be spent in equipping himself for the really great positions in life. There can be-no quick way to success. The right power of achievement like all other noble tli1n.SS 15 bought WY1U1.?l great price. The man who realizes this necessity will examine his powers, decide in what way he may serve in larger usefulness the whole human fHYU11Y, and .then he will Drepmel For every person has a talent and can find it, and once -realizing its pres-, . 1 S . d t to develop it Neglect of it means death. There is no talent that ence ia a. u y Y , 1 Comes unagked, there is' no grace of mind and heart that stays unurged. Happy indeed 139

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M1 ' A 1 ' 6 I Ti The Message of Life Leona Edmondson, '16 :I I'V1'7Lf1f'7' in fJ0f'lJljf Cvvzfrsl I wonder what I'm livi-ng for? My soul so many times has cried, M hen the whole world seems an empty place, And the doubts from my heart I cannot efface And my faith is sorely tried. The world seems dark, though a sunny clay, My sky is filled witlrgloomy cloudsg And my soul doth -seem but a wandering thing From all things bright it has taken wing To the abode where dark care enshrouds. But out of space there comes a voice- A voice so full of strength'ning powerg Arise it calls, take up thy work, Why dost thou thus thy burdens shirk, And idle the passing hour? There's work enough for thee to dog Thy fellow-creatures grief to shareg There's some dark spot that needs thy smile, Some weary hours you can help beguile For those bowed down with care. And thus my gloomy soul is stirred To feel the need of other meug My love for others rises up, With joy of living o'erfloWs my cup, And my sky is smiling again. 1-'li