Pasadena High School - Campus Yearbook (Pasadena, CA)

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YOUR PHILOSOPHY-WHAT IS IT? There are two types of current life philosophy: the one may be stated by an interrogation, the other requires an alhrmation. The one asks What's the use? The other asserts It's worth while! The one debases life and its meaning: the other exalts life and enriches its contents. The one makes incompetents-weaklings. The other makes royals-giants! livery one shares one of these attitudes-the one leading to a fatal pas- simism, the other eventuating into a sane, wholesome optimism. The lfligh School students' philosophy, which is wisdom made practical, is dependent upon experience and is proportionate to the volume and intensity of experi- ence. But limited as it may be, that philosophy portends the students' fu- ture, and will determine his career. Wlhether the accomplishments of that future shall be large or meager, whether that career shall be gratifying or disappointing-will depend on whether his philosophy may be stated by a question or a declaration-whether it asks What's the use ? or asserts It's worth while. lf your l-ligh School course has made you a cynical adherent to the What's the use? philosophy, you are foredoomed to obscurity and defeat, life's struggles will be tedious to you, and this world for you, as for llamlet, will be a prison indeed! llut if you have learned to believe in thc worth while philosophy, if you have learned that it is worth while to live, to love, and to sacrifice, then your future, however circumscribed, will be fraught with happiness and usefulness, and your fellows will confer upon you the title of Artist of Life . , Basic in this worth-while philosophy are these fundamental principles, closely resembling each other-self-confidence. man-confidence, and God-con- fidence. Each one is essential, and each requires the other for its comple- ment. Self-confidence-how indispensable! Are you a believer in the worm- of-the-dust' theory? Are you one of the falsely humble souls who insist on calling themselves mere worms of the dust, mere clods of earth? Then you must be content with a worm's vision, and fulfill a worm's mission. Rather are you not a great, pulsating, human being, with infinite possibilities, with the very seal of Divinity itself stamped upon you? Then discard all vestiges of a self-depreciatory philosophy-which antedates even to the his- toric Biblical character to whom it is ascribed-and believe in yourself, in your own power to achieve, in your own inherent qualities of worth and greatness-and life is a battle with the advantages all with you. Man-confidence is the next essential. It is but an extension of self-con- fidence. It is self-confidence applied to the other fellow. Do you believe in your fellow man? Or do' you concur in the philosophy of Carlyle, VVhat is man? A foolish baby, Vainly frowns and strives and frets: Demanding all, deserving nothing, One small grave is all he gets Y Do you agree with the cynic who said The more I see of men, the better I love dogsu? Ur do you indorse that insidious lie that every man has his price ? Is that your estimate of your fellows? Then your attitude toward them will be reflected in their treatment of you. It is recorded of the Master of Men He knew what was in man. He believed in man-do you? ' At the apex of the worth-while philosophy is God-confidence-a faith in the all-pervading spirit, in which we live, and move, and have our being. 15

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THE PASSING OF A GREAT CLASS A great year has passed, and with it the largest class has been gradu- ated. Three hundred students have left the school to take their places in the world of work and accomplishments. This has not been a year of championships. llut the hard-fought battles of gridiron and cinderpath have developed men who have learned the lesson of the losing game. They can greet disappointment with smiles. For the Student llody, 1916-1917, has been a period of great achievement. Starting during registration week. a whirlwind campaign for Student llody members and Chronicle subscribers resulted in a Final count of more than twelve hundred. This gain, alone, is worthy of highest commendation. At the beginning of the term a deficit of eleven hundred dollars faced the incoming commission. X'X'ith determination they faced the difficulties. and wih the support of a great Student llody have cleared the slate and given the future commission a clean ledger. This year has developed a greater co-operation between Faculty and student. Pasadena High School may well be proud of her instructors, people who have won the respect and support of eighteen hundred pupils. ln her obligations to the community, the school has not been found wanting. The usual high standards of scholarship have been advanced, showing a marked progress over those of other years. ln all, the Class of '17 may be proud of her record. United, it has been a powerful instrument for good. Scattered. may it retain its power of achiev- ing great things! 1. 1 ll Z H' ma if 1 -in 4' vi Nu' ax 1. IQ.-6 we b.: -'-X :Q .u 4 i . - '- it -Q ,,, +3 A - ,if ll. E .'L.?' 14

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This may express itself in a thousand different ways, but fundamentally it is a living confidence in the beneficence of The Divinity that shapes our ends Rough-hew them how we will. The poet sees a water-fowl making its flight across the heavens. He watches it come nearer and nearer, and begin to disappear, and finally it be- comes a mere infinitesimal speck, and is swallowed up in the great void of space. Then in a moment of ecstatic poesy, the bard exclaims to all genera- tions, Thou'rt gone, the abyss of heaven Hath swallowed up this form, yet, on my heart Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given, And shall not soon depart. He who, from zone to zone, Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must tread alone, VVill lead my steps arightf' Is that confidence yours? Then let's believe in ourselves, in our fellow man and in the God who made us all. -,-,.i.i-i-1 IN TIME OF WAR PREPARE FOR PEACE Every preparation is being made for the VVorld VVar. XYithin a few months the United States will have an army on the battlefields of Europe. Even now, the Navy has taken its proper place in the squadrons of defense. Let us not overlook the World Peace to follow. With the close of the struggle will come a lasting peace. Great democ- racies will join hands in forming one world power for good. Dented King- doms and moth-eaten Empires will drop their rulers. A race of self-ruling people will spring from the ashes of autocracy. Once more the fable of the Phoenix will be repeated. But with this outlook, will the people be fit to rule? The Socialist, with his ideas of government by everyone, vigorously asserts himself affirmatively. The Anarchist, with his views of each man ruling himself, is forecasting a rosy future. More conservative thinkers, however, are uncertain of results. They fear the future. The sudden cataclysmatic change from autocracy will shake this world from its present orbit. There is a great danger of Anarchism de- stroying iself on the rocks of Socialism, a danger of men unskilled in govern- ing destroying civilization. In time of War prepare for Peace. Let us not, in frenzied preparation for VVar neglect future Peace. Let us not empty our schools and universities to such an extent as to deplete the ranks of educated people beyond a safe limit. The future will demand even more thinkers than the past. With serious intent, let us prepare to face the problem of organizing democracies from the shattered remains of autocracy. It is our duty as students, as instructors, as citizens of the world, to face the cominig situation gravefy and sensibly. Let us prepare to take places in the army of reconstruction. 16