St Josephs High School - Crest / Signet Yearbook (Garrett, IN)

Page 13 text:

Reverend Father, Teachers, Friends, and Classmates: We are here tonight to bid farewell to the surroundings that have been familiar to us for at least twelve years. Retrospection, if at all serious, is always followed by one or more resolutions. Perhaps that is why we, though eager with expectation of the life before us, find that uppermost in our hearts tonight is a manly resolve to go out and ‘make good.’’ We shall do this if we but remember our motto, ‘Not how much but how well.”’ In “The Imitation of Christ’? we read that ‘‘a man doth much who doth well what he hath to do.”’ Is it not true that the most popular Saint of modern times, Saint Theresa, was raised to the dignity of sainthood because of her faithfulness in little things? Too, we have seen in our own lives as we served as officers or as members of a committee in our little affairs that it is “Not how much but how well” that really counts toward success. All of us have experienced the thrill of having done some task well but none of us can boast of having done much. This is due to the fact that quantity has a limit while quality does not, and also to the fact that of the average human being much is not expected but only that he does well what is his duty to do. Reverend Father, to you, who have so earnestly taught us to be real men and women, we offer this pledge, that we shall at all times try to do well and with manly courage whatever we find is our duty to do, so that though not numbered among the world’s immortal heroes for great deeds we may be numbered among the many men and women who have lived and died bravely but lie under unmarked graves. Classmates, tonight we part, but before we go let us express our grati- tude to our pastor, teachers, and parents. Gratitude is better shown by con- duct than by words. Therefore let us resolve tonight to live lives worthy of the lessons taught us by our pastor and teachers, of the sacrifices made by our forefathers and parents in supporting Catholic education and of that Supreme Sacrifice of Love made for us upon the Cross nineteen hundred years ago.

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Nie tee hide ‘ F iG or mf ev pepe me . Rae ROBE: pia 2 Sead PLY @ a MeL AAO VU eee eee eee Te ee ee eae te eee eet EtG hw piel RNa ep ee) ot we Dear Fathers, Mothers and Friends: - It is indeed a pleasure to greet you and to welcome you tonight to the commencement exercises of the Class of 1939. Since our entrance into this school four years ago, we have been zealous in our attempt to attain our ‘“goal’’—the day of our graduation. The years have been full of pleasant anticipation, and if we did occasionally find the path wearisome, as most boys do, we have never failed to receive inspiration from the seniors going on before. We have been studying and putting into practice, though sometimes imperfectly, the philosophy of true living. What we have gained can never be taken from us. We have a knowledge that shall make us good and honest citizens, Catholic in mind and heart. It is this Catholic training that we value most. We are now old enough to realize to a certain extent, dear parents, haw wisely you have acted in sending us to a school where we were not only taught the academic subjects but also how to live happily as real American Catholic men and women. If we fail, though God forbid, the fault will not be yours nor will it be that of our instructors but only our own because we cannot say that we have not been taught. We are ready to enter the busy world with unbounded hope, courage and faith. And now, dear friends, we welcome you most cordially to these, our last exercises in St. Joseph School. 4 i ‘ ‘ inet ) ens we 7 ‘ me

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eee ee eee ee a oe ee ee 2 AVG SR lt ee OP et we ep fo Did ee SO creer x Keot Ullal If there is any one thing we should have learned in the long term of years we spent in school it is the need of accepting responsibility. From the very first day we entered the class room we assumed certain duties as ours and were taught to perform them. Early in our training we took part in drills and recitations where failure of one of the members of the cast or team would throw the entire production into chaos. We scarcely realized how important we were because, no doubt, we were too young to evaluate things at all. But it was not so long before we took ourselves and our responsibilities more seriously. In the middle grades we became conscious of the fact that failure was disastrous, and at that time readily assumed responsibility. Noth- ing could keep us from being present when our class was to appear on a pro- gram. And so it went on until now we should have become so given to the idea of our responsibilities that no further fear need be felt about us. How- ever, the records of those who have gone before teach us that not all with equal training have been shining lights in bearing their share of the burdens of civic, religious, or social life. Is it because in the dull routine of life they lack the support that comes from group enthusiasm? Could it be that their former dependability was due to fear of criticism of teacher or parent? Or perhaps it might be due to lack of character which prohibits the grim determination to do one’s duty even though difficult. Whatever the reason we must confess that too many have been disappointments to their parents and have brought no honor to the school from which they were graduated. May we not learn from this something that will be of incalculable value to ourselves? Certainly we ought to be able to analyse the causes of failure and systematically work to prevent such occurrences in our own lives. We should also bring home to ourselves the fact that one who assumes responsi- bility as a part of a group is not necessarily the same person who would staunchly perform his duty when he is alone. Nor is it a guarantee that the one who is faithful under the eye of the instructor is going to be so regular when left to his own devices. From all of this we must come to the conclusion that the acceptance of responsibility is something within the person. It is character; it is loyalty; it is genuine honest-to-goodness manliness.