Northern Oklahoma College - Roundup Yearbook (Tonkawa, OK)

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Loyalty Esgay by Miss Nelsie Starr which won first place for the Literatae Society. Loyalty is the will to believe in something eternal and to QXDTGSS that belief in - - l ' l life of human bein . thc Iiiaifiii man has a-cause winch he personally values.. Otherwise, he could not be devoted to it. He takes interest in the cause and loves it. But loyalty never means following merely your own pleasures viewednas your. private pleasure and interest. It means so choosing a cause and so serving it that, in consequence of our life loyalty among men shall prosper. . , Since we must decide for ourselves as to which cause we. are going to serve, and are ignorant of the outcome, we must, if we can, decide knowinglyg 1f not, then lgnor- antlyg but in any case decide, and not fear our choice. Tradition has .usually held that a man ought to be loyal to that cause which his social station! determines for 'h1m. It also holds that if a man is born in a certain country and still lives there, he ought to be loyal to that country, and to that country only, hating the enemles across the border whenever strife requires him to. In our own country during the Civil War and many years after. the churches of the North and South were enemies to. each other, and there a man's politics determined his religious loyalty. But we have found that true loyalty includes some element of free choice. Let us bury the natural body of tradition. What we want is its glorified body and its immortal soul. - Some of the causes for which men have worthily died are: devotion of a martyr to his religion. as Wycliifeg devotion of a patriot to his country, as Abraham Lincolng and devotion of a ship's captain to the requirements of his office, as Captain Smith of the Titanic. We all do not have these chances, or it is not our will to. serve so romantic a cause, but we are under the same obligations. Any one who for a time, is in charge of the lives of others-for instance, anyone who takes a party of children on a pleasure trip- may have the opportunity to show as genuine a loyalty as does the true hearted cap- tain of the sinking ship. Any one who has friends may devote his lfe to some cause which his friendship defines for him and makes, in his eyes, a sacred one. Loyalty may therefore exist among the lowlies and among the lofties of mankind. We all have various opportunities for loyalty. The habit of loyalty is one that should be cultivated during our school life, it cer- tainly will not spring into full-iiedged development at some future time when it hap- pens to be wanted. Some fantasies of chidhood are indeed but a preparation for loyalty. In childhood there appears, in many different ways, forms of conduct which include a simple. but ac-h1a.l loyalty to the cause the child understands. We all know some of these forms. The members ot' a gang of boys, sometimes of bad boys, show loyalty to the cause represented by the gang. The parent or teacher who triiies with the honor of children by encouraging the talebearer is simply encouraging disloyalty. Student loyalty may be easily divided into two forms, which have become important in the life of the American student. One form is loyalty to the fraternal organization, very often to a secret fraternity. The other form is loyalty to. one's school or institu- tion. Both forms have their bad as well as their good qualities. The secret fraternity may become an organization for general mischief 5 while loyalty to the school may over- excite the student. and may even do. harm to the general loyalty of the school by incit- ing him to adopt the spirit of unfair play. This is especially true, of both forms when they are initiated in the lower schools. This shows that lovaltv should grow a,s does the child. . But yet we must not overlook the good it may do for the student. Fair play 11? E301-ts ii a gocpdlinstagnce ofmlOYalty, which may be learned in school. The leaders in eiliiiiaif 03123511llesttllilllfiiizllaflifi Elaiifreit Wk for the Ballot' it they a traitor to the students and to the nation. p ay IS no uppel most' ls Slmply 162

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'Elie 1' is u l-1 ., .. - D V, - V 4- I, VJ. it-s-.1-1 Qs. .F ' e5.,. :',:f,, ,,,., f s Our Campus Leona Edmondson, ' 16 b theyRSiaE11?1KflJigSig3iSraidtigltleiitlbigyxaii,,tha leaves:glitter-in the autumn sunshine as modest 0'r en of tl 0... . fgqm' lem xyllig flier' golgeousi C0101'S.Wlth the W 1 s ge Q ie' 314155. ountains splash and play, sending high the1r'crystal ?ll1fLf'SdNVlrtlittl1e muitrsical vmurmurlot a inountainlbrook. Gayly tinted flowers, still un- bouc ie .31 ie lthlglllllllg 'hand ot the Winter king, nod -21 bright farewep to the ieezes, inhanswbei to their caress. The little birds give forth their happy, careless songs, adding lite and cheer to the beauty and sublimity of their little world. A soft, shimmering sunlight bathes all in a golden flood, and the flying hours are touched with the tranquil spirit of peace and good will. Morning robes all in a dewy light: evening enshrouds the scene inthe purpling shadows of the Coming night. The joy and ex- uberance ot youth intermingle with the sage wisdom and profound knowledge of the disciple of learning. A veritable garden of the gods-our campus! Away from the dusty street of a busy town, let us seek a place of quiet and re- freshment. We emerge from a wilderness of flowers ot every color and variety on the outer edge of the campus, and follow the broad, white walk, bordered on either side with ever blooming roses, to the time worn steps of Clentral Hall. The vines cling lovingly to the wall of this old building, as if to shield them from the ravages of time. As we sit beneath the windows, we hear the busy Click of typewriters l'rom above, and the busy hustle of the machine shop below. Far above us, from the tiny. windows in the top of the building, floats a clear, sweet soprano voice, singing From the laand of Sky-Blue Water. We resume our walk. To the north we hear the lively strains of a well-trained band, and follow the gravel walk to learn the source of the music. Through the tall trees we see the brown brick walls' and gleaming white pillars of North Hall. The band music is now hushed, ag save for the strains of a violin, and the tinkling melody of a piano, the sound here is more subdued. T-lere resound the echoes' ot the modern and ancient classics, mingling with the busy hum of printing press and sewing itchen, and the strong odor of chemicals tell machine. Savory smells issue from the k . us a laboratory is near at hand. We hear not only the voice of the past, but also the trumpet call of the present and the 'future bringing to the eager boys and girls the vrictical knowledge of our HSE l i - D ,' , . . . l , One by one these sounds die away. Directly east ot us we see another building ol red brick. As we draw near it, we hear merry shouts, and at the door we are greeted by a Class of girls glowing xvith health, and with eyes sparkling with excitement. This of course is the gymnasium-the palace of health which equips so many lives with the 1 ' s , . p v Y. . weapons of sound minds and sound bodies and high moial pimciples. . .V - encircling the campus, southward. we pass by the Power As we follon the ioa , s V1' l f inishes heat for the buildings. But we pass on, and at last the ruins House u uci u ' I e , , of Wilkin H311 loom up before our eyes as a sad memorial ot va happy. past. Deserted zyncl Vine-C0vered they remind us of those ivy. mantled towers ot old which romance and asre have made famous. Here the 311155 if JuSt HS Eileen- the fl0W9l'S' Jllst HS bflglll as around the other buildings. Fitting tributeslto the, memory 'of our loved hall. Just as the sun sinks to rest, we come again to the place from which we started, HOW beautiful it appears to us in the Sunset glow! i The stately trees in their autumn 1, Q., mn Clover and blue gl-ass iawns, the sparkling fountains, the beds ot tlowers. Fleim, AI . yvith their trailing vines, the restful, shady seats, all have an en- me GM?c an.uUlS eve,-V loval student ol' our sc-hool, And above all. bearing in its demlmg Chiliml no .tv ,Qeicgme fo every freshman, and waving a farewell to the honor- F?,:3,iei?I1g,Z11T01-wal ' ' 2 - A ' fl' f the Jeace 'ind prosperuy ol' our great institution, ld Glory is unluiled as the Q-llfllflflll 0 1 L 161

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. 'ap I. .,, When we are through school and go out into the affairs of life among our fellow men, if we become employers of other men we shall lay great stress on the loyalty of our employees, and if we cannot trust them and they do not Work for our intrests, we do not want them, however skillful they may be in their line of work. The same test will be put to us if we seek employment. However, the matter simply reduces itself to this, that a man who is not loyal is not wanted by anyone for anything. Everyone has some cause to which he is loyal after he has given his first devotion to. his work. Some possible causes are: friendship, the devotion to the members of one's own family, and the government of one's own country. All social functions may furnish causes which may call forth loyalty. But it is plainly to be seen that no one can be loyal to all the social causes that exist. A robber band, a pirate crew, or a high- land robber clan of the o.ld days, might furnish causes to which someone has been or is loyal. Yet all of us readily see that they are causes unworthy of a person's loyalty. The loyal man may often have to show his loyalty by some act which has not been predetermined. He may have to be as original in his conception of his duties as he is faithful to them. An incident of English History, which I now call to mind, shows that personal worth and beauty of original loyalty. In 1642, just before the outbreak of the hostilities between King Charles I and the Commons, the king had resolved to arrest certain leaders of the opposing party in parliament. The king sent his herald to the House to demand that these men be turned over' to. him. The speaker of the House in reply appealed to the privileges of the House, which gives to that body juris- diction over its own members. The king resolved to force authority upon them the following day. He went in person, accompanied by his soldiers, to the House. He stationed his guards at the doors, and went up to the Speaker, Do you espy these per- sons in the House ? The speaker of the House at once fell on his knees before the king and said, Your Majesty, I am Speaker of this House, and being such, I' have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak, save as this House shall commandg and I humbly beg your Majesty. A cause is good, not only for me, but for mankind. It is an aid and furtherance of loyalty in my fellowmen. My causefis an evil one, if it is destructive to the loyalty of my fellowmenf If I have any cause at all, I have fellowmen whose loyalty mine supports. But if my cause lives by overthrowing the loyalties of others it is an evil cause, because it is disloyalty to the very cause of loyalty itself. Everyone inevitably finds himself as apparently occupying the center of his own universe. The starry heavens form to his eyes a sphere, and he himself is at the cen- ter of that sphere. We must be individualistsg seek our own individual' good, and in- dividual loyalty, unsparingly and with all our heart and soul. This in the end is no selfish policy, for This above all, to thine own self be true And' it must follofw as night the day Thou canst not then be false to any man. Loyalty has its religious forms also. Loyalty tosreligion brought men across an uncharted sea to the vvilds of America. It took David Livingstone into the heart of Africa, and lifted the veil from that Dark Continent. It was Christ's loyalty to His teachings which caused Him to give ,up His life for us. Therefore, let loyalty he our pearl of great price. Loyalty, like mercy, in Port1a's mercy speech, is not alxvayg uinightiest in the mightiest,', but becomes the thorned monarch better than his crown. 16?