Petaluma High School - Trojans Yearbook (Petaluma, CA)

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ENTERPRISE) ‘0 6. HIGH SCHOOL ure of the great city. The earthquake and the fire cannot prevail against it. It stands there serene and unmoved when its less sturdy Neighbors are laid low in ruin. The demand of this day is primarily for stalwart men. The better equipped you are with knowledge and skill when you go out into the world, the greater will be the honors and successes which await you, but the one indispensible thing which the world will demand) if you are to come into your own is that you bear the simple but eloquent inscrip¬ tion “Sterling.” Victor Immanuel by holding fast to the constitution Which his father had granted the people, in spite of Austria’s efforts to buy him or to frighten him into repealing it, won for himself the con¬ fidence of Italy and the title ‘11 He GalantuOmOthe King Honest Man. When the publishing house of which Mark Twain was a member failed he assumed all the obligations and with infinite fidelity worked away UfiU he had paid the last dollar. Would he exchange his nobility for all the millions of the frenzied financier? Day by day you are establishing a character among your friends and acquaintances of trustworthiness or the reverse. Do not mistake your high calling and. miss the prize. The soldiers of the Tenth Legion did not possess the genius of Caesar, but they are no less immortal. —J. B. NEWELL. “What is the secret of success?” asked the Sphinx. “Push,” said the Button. “Never be led,” said the Pencil. “Be up to date,” said the Calendar. “Never lose your head,” said the Barrel. “Do a driving business,” said the Hammer. “Spend much time in reflection,” said the Mirror. “Do the work you are suited for,” said the Flue. THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. “Find a good thing and stick to it said the Glue. “Strive to make a good impression,” said the Seal. “Turn things to your advantage,” said the Lathe, “Make the most of yoUr good points,” said the Compass. “Be ever ready to do a good turn for anyone,” said the Crank. “Never take sides, but be round when you’re wanted,” said the Ball, “Keep a good heart, though you be drawn and quartered for it” sUid the Oak.—f5x. — 30 —

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HIGH SCHOOL ENTERPRISE ’0 6. •hat [ow- up part : or leet lent the ting :lass ck. ren- isult The TeQth Legion “If no one else will follow me I will go on with only the Tenth Le¬ gion; upon this legion I can rely.” Thus spoke a great commander when the larger part of his army, terrified by the reports of the huge stature and mighty prowess of the barbarian enemy whose very eyes shone fire, refused to advance. Nineteen centuries have not sufficed to dim the glory of those four thousand men. There were plenty of other men in that army able to fight, these were the only ones who were sure to fight. No matter what the odds, how great the danger, they could be depended upon. As in the time of Caesar so today men may be divided into two class¬ es—those who can be trusted and those who cannot. The latter are not altogether inefficient, they have in their several avocations more or less skill, and they accomplish a good deal of the work of the world.. But at the critical moment they are found lacking, they never measure up to their full capabilities, and often their lives enidi in ignominy. Henry Clay, a mian who was admired and beloved by a large por¬ tion of the American people to a degree quite without parallel today, might have realized his high ambition and have become President had he not at the critical moment led men to doubt his fidelity to the prin¬ ciple on which he was supposed to stand. For his vacillation he paid a heavy penalty of dissapointment and chargin. “I don ' t care; ” observed the head of a large firm, “whether a young man knows anything about the business. He can learn. But I do want a man who can be relied upon.” This is the supreme test before which all other things are but incidentals. Do not be deceived into thinking that increase in knowledge, whether it be ability to construct an electric battery, to apeak a foreign language or to understand principles of government, it is your prime concern during your school days. These accomplishments are useful, but only relatively so. The degree of their usefulness depends upon the person¬ al integrity of their possessor, upon the reliability of his character. Clay found that eloquence and political skill and engaging manners were of no avail apart from personal integrity. Similarly endowed with brilliant gifts and similarly lacking in the fundamental thing, a prom¬ inent senator from New York is at the present time closing a bright career in sadness and disgrace. He is only one of a number of men, regarded as the pillars of the financial world, who have recently been found not worthy of our trust. In these days of your youth your habits are forming, your character is in the making. You are now determining to a large degree the sort of men and women you will be later on. If in all the work you are doing mow, whether in school or at home, you are thorough and accur¬ ate and conscientious, the severe test, the insidious temptation which is sure to confront you in later life will find you steadfast and un- swervable. If you are dilatory and behind hand with your work and indifferent as to its quality, you are preparing for that fateful day when you will be tried in the balances and found wanting. Reliability is not a garment or a suit of armor to be put on or laid off at will. It is rather an element of character built into the very edi¬ fice of your being as the steel frame is built into the towering struct- — 29 —

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