Oxford High School - Ravelins Yearbook (Oxford, MA)

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RAVELIN 'S lucky individual. See if that doesn't give you a better personality? How can you be any- thing else but optimistic with a smile on y'our face? Smiling and laughing is good not only for your health, but also your pocketbook. You will get much further in business with a cheer- ful disposition. Look at Eddie Cantor. Why he has gained such a reputation as a comedian that if he were to come out in all solemnity on a stage and announce, Father's dead, every- one would roar. Of course everyone shouldn't be a comedian, but we can go halfway and ob- tain a sunny disposition. Then, learn how to get along better with other people. Instead of trying to get people interested in you, get yourself genuinely interested in them, You have seen illustrated the uppish city woman who goes out into the country to visit her relatives. She determines to impress them, to show,oE her importance. She is not interested in their homely country life but compares everything they have in the country with what she has in the city. When she goes away, instead of leaving a fzood im- pression on them, she leaves behind her the hope that she will never come aqain. With a little tact, she might have gained a big heart- ful of love from those people whom she really wanted to win. Therefore, be interested--ew thusiastic about other people, and their ac- complishments. Don't let the feeling of jeal- ousy get you. When someone strikes good for- tune in the mine of life, be glad for him. It is only natural to have good luck now and then. The next time will be your turn. Be considerate. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. In this fast-moving life, people are becoming less and less chival- rous, but chivalry will always be in stvle fes- pecially with the ladiesi. Cultivate the habit of waiting your turn. People are continually elbowing others out of the way so they can be first. D'on't be too sensitive yourself, but sympa- thize with those who are. If you Wince at ev- erv playful thrust, if you cringe at everv tiny jab, if you swallow your Adam 's apple at every cross word, coat your skin with some all-pro- tecting armor and treat very lightly tl1e speech of the sarcastic talker, who flavors his vocabu- lary with equal parts 'of sulphuric acid and rizor blades. Face realities, don't dodge your duties. It will result in your failure. It was this weak- ness in the nature of the late Czar Nicholas of Russia that led him to his final tragedy. He continually evaded important issues. There is a true story that illustrated this. He was re- ceiving ministers of state who Were submitting their opinions on important affairs. To the first minister's opinion on a subject, Nicholas said, I quite agree with you. This minister was ushered out and another entered and offered his opinion and suggestions which were entire- ly different. Again, Nicholas said, I quite agree with you. The Czarina had been listen- ing. You're crazy, she told the Czar. How can you possibly agree with both of these men? Their ideas are as far apart as the poles. My dear, I quite agree with you, said Nicholas. How much faith would you have in a person who talked like that? VVho is admired more than the person with poise? At a horse or dog show, chief considera- tion goes to the bearing or carriage of the ani- mal. The same applies to people. Did you ever see a person get up blindly, bumping into all obstacles near him to shake hands with a person a few feet away? Exercise on your part will give you the proper bearing. When you have had enough exercise so that you are graceful, you should mix your gracefulness with self- assurance, confidence, and common sense. Then you will be well on the Way to a mastery of bearing and poise. To acquire self-confidence, never say you can't do a thing, say you can do it 'or at least you can try to do it. How can you expect other people to have confidence in you if you haven 't yourself? But, don 't become egotistical, and conceited, be- confidence in over-confident, cause that is a sure way to become a failure. Furthermore, don't overlook the fact that a person has more self-assurance and confidence in himself knowing that his appearance is be- yond criticism. There is a vast difference be- tween the well-groomed individual and the con- spicuously dressed one. Some people think they must dress in a Hashy attire to attract at- tention. Excessive jewelry and vivid colors are things to be avoided by people who wish to make good appearances. Speaking of dress We are all acquainted with l2ll

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RAVELIN'S SELF-ANALYSIS By Viola Lyman HAT is personality? It is the sum total of you-of your qualities, characteristics, disposition, and tendencies. The impression you make should be the best possible. Every day you hear it said that So and So has a very strong or pleasinr personality, or vice versa, that his personality is weak, and even to the extreme, that his personality is bad. Of course, there is no question in our minds as to what type of personality we want. But, if we haven't a strong or pleasing personality, hard work on our pirt will help us acquire it. If it is weak, we should make it strong and if it is bad, we should make it good. Now in de- veloping a personality, we should be sure not to imitate or affect another's, because this can- not be done successfully. For the same reason that there are no two people alike, there are no two personalties alike. Why do you think of evil and wrong-doing when Al Capone's name is mentioned? What do you think of as con- nected with President Roosevelt's name, but a man with high marnetic powers to draw people to him in admiration. What do you think of when you see the cartoon 'of Mr. Milquetoaste in the funny papers, but of a timid little man always in ferr of gaining the disapproval of someone. Why do you do this? For the sim- ple reason that each personality is original. From these three illustrations, you have seen an example of the evil, the weak, and the strong, likable personality. There is no need to distinguish which is which. When a person thinks of you, he has his own conception of your personality and when you think of someone, you generally connect some peculiar thing that person does with your thoughts of him. You may ask yourself, What good will it do me to have a pleasing personality? Then you might answer yourself by saying, I will have more friends because personality breaks down barriers. I will be able to overcome great ob- stacles as personality paves the way for its owner to follow. I will be happier because per- sonality makes life 's road easier and more pleasant to travel, and lastly, it will help me be successful and popular. You are the keeper entrusted with your per- lac sonality, so shape and fashion it to Your spe- cial liking. Don't let yourself be uninteresting to anyone. Have a good heart to heart talk with yourself and see if you are lacking any of the essentials 'of a charming personality. We shall see in the next few paragraphs the quali- ties best befitting a likable person. Have you ei er seen a popular grouch ? Isn't it much better to see a face lighted up with smiles than one a yard long with frowns? Then, smile, he cheerful. You know that just as sunshine dissipates the clouds, so do smiles break up gloom. Think of how gloomy l'fe would be if every one greeted each other with a hard-luck story. Did you ever wake up on a bright spring morning, feeling light-hearted and gay, and then have the first person you meet say, 'fl didn't sleep all night, I had indi- gestionf' After a few such greetings, your mind is so filled with illness, disasters and hard luck stories that there is little room left for cheerful thoughts. You dislike hearing other people's troubles, so whv not keep your own troubles to yourself. Constant talking about them is like looking at them through a magni- fying glass. The easiest Way to aggravate an illness is by referring to it time and time again. Vllhen you do smile, mean it. A smirk, other- wise known as a sarcastic grin, bears no more relation to a smile than a crystal to a diamond. Therefore, get in the habit of smiling until your smile looks real. Do you realize that it takes forty-two more facial muscles to frown than to smile. Why not take the line of least resistance? Then, don't Stop at just smiling, laugh often. Laughing and smiling are con- tagious. If you find, in summing up your per- sonal qualities, that you aren't laughing or smiling enough, for your own sake, beg, borrow, or steal a companion who is a hearty laugher. Soon, you will succumb and be initiated into the mysteries of Laughdom. There is a certain group of people who have the obsolete idea that to smile or laugh is to lose one 's sense of difrnity. Forget that silly idea, and cultivate a becoming smile and a well-modulated laugh. Look in the mirror once in a while and see how pleasant you can look, then keep that look in your mind until you can bestow it on some l

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RAVELIN 'S the attire of Mahatma Gandhi. You would be surprised to know that Gandhi the Dandy was the nickname of the Mahatma M. K. Gan- dhi during his university career, when he was known as the best-dressed man on the Oxford campus. Gandhi, it appears, was a sheik with the ladies, as a youth in England where young wealthy Indians were pampered. I don 't know that anyone could call him well-dressed now unless the well-known human race imitated his fashion and draped sheets around themselves. With Gandhi on our minds we immediately think of originality which everyone should pos- sess. Tolo many people are cast from the same molds. They talk, dress, and act the same way. Why not break away from the monotony of it? If the Jones family buys an expensive car, why not be different and buy a cheaper one, even if you can afford one as expensive as theirs. Be original! ln France years ago, a diminu- tive actress cherished a desire to be taller so that she might better portray a certain charac- ter. As a result of this, French heelsn for the womanhood of the world followed. You can start being original tomorrow by thinking your own thoughts. Change your diet, your conver- sation, and habits all for the better, and be or- iginal. Conversational ability plays an important part in our personal make-up. The chief fault with poor conversationalists is cramped vocab- ularies. People may have splendld ideas but lack the words to express themselves. Too of- ten a person makes use of one adjective for everything he talks about. As an example, some well-meaning folks verbally feel that ev- erything is gorgeous from the Grand Can- yon down to the latest idea in canned goods. Then, too, many people lack the knowledge on different subjects of the day. A good conver- sitionalist is always welcome and popular, so start now using a dictionary to enlarge your vocabulary and read magazines to become ac- quainted with the interesting topics 'of the day. And don't forget that newspapers contain. be- sides the funnv strips, important knowledge on many subjects. When you have talked over all your defects and good qualities with yourself, make up your mind to correct the defects and strengthen the good qualities which make for a better person- ality. Even if you have always had a fierce temper, you have the power to rid Yourself of it if you really desire to do so. Don't think your personality is something you possessed since you were born-learn that it is something you must shape yourself with your own will power. Archimedes is a follower of the first faith. He said, Give me a standing place and I will move the world. We should say like Goethe, Let us make good our standing place, and move the world. ' ' CLASS SONG By Edith Munn. Tune: Flow Gently Sweet Afton Dear Oxford, we are leaving, we bid thee adieu, Our four years are ended, our courses we're through. VVe leave all our teachers of whoni we've grown fond, We depart with the knowledge of what 's right from wrong. Let's remember each classmate as onward we go- Let us cherish the memories as older we grow. Now, hold wisdonfs lamp us, with spirits held hi h We say once again fond farewell, Oxford High! l 22 l