Ursuline Academy - Yearbook (Cumberland, MD)

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From a distance I once again see that magnificent new Science Hall. It has now be- come a center of activity. The American Hag Hies from the towers, the college colors are entwined about its pillars. From within come the strains of Hail! Alma Mater, Suddenly the portals are thrown open, and in cap and gown come young men and women. Each carries in his hand a document which contains the official signature of that institution, each carries in his heart a desire to build mansionsg each carries the realization that obstacles are in his way--that difficulties must be over-come. As the din of activity dies away and the profession passes slowly before me, I would that each one would turn and raise his eyes to the stately towers that seem to proclaim the message of the architect in the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes: Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, As the swift seasons roll! Leave thy low-vaulted past! Let each new temple, nobler than the last, Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, Till thou at length art free, Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sealn l:fFf Fl Thought So teach us to number our days, prays the Psalmist, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. A man of wisdom looks below the surface of things, he is not content with the trap- pings of learning. In humility he goes to Nature and to the sages, like Abou Ben Adhem, he asks, Write me as one who loves his fellow-man , smitten with a sense of his own nothingness, he bows his head to Infinite Wisdom. True wisdom, therefore, has little to do with books, it, is, rather, the possession of those who attune their hearts to that inner voice, where whispers the poet in each of us. It is the true poet, as Iames Russell Lowell writes, Who utter wisdom from the central deep, And, listening to the inner How of things, Speak to the age out of eternityf' Wisdom separates the wheat from the chaff which exists in every book and in every life. Whatever bit of a man's work is honestly and benevolently done, said Ruskin in his mellowed old age, that bit is his book. It is mixed always with evil fragments and with ill-done, redundant, affected work. But if you read rightly, you will easily discover the true bits. Knowledge in the mind and wisdom in the heart-how different they are! Cowper has drawn that distinction for us: Knowledge is proud that he has learn'd so much, Wisdom is humble that he knows no more,

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Mansions Last summer, I stood in front of the new Science Hall at one of the leading universities in the mid-west and marveled at the strength and the grandeur of the massive structure. The huge white pillars seemed to defy the ravages of time as they supported the giant blocks of granite above them. The lofty towers seemed to point heavenward with a sense of pride. As I stood and gazed at the structure, I lost sight of the four walls, the pillars and the towers, and thought only of the energy, the talent and the mind of the young architect who had built them. It seemed that his heart and soul had created a symphony of iron, steel and stone. Quickly the story of that young man's life ran through my mind. He was a carpenter's song as a boy, he had few of the pleasures that other children had. While his comrades were playing, he was busy helping his Father. The Fatherls ambition was to have his son to be a carpenter, but deep in the soul of the boy there was a burning desire to go to college, to be a great architect. Several times he tried to broach the question to his parents, but each time he met with opposition. At last when he was old enough to make his own way he registered at one of our large universities. Today, the dreams of that young man have come true, and that new Science Hall stands as a monument to his child- hood dreams, a mansion of his soulis great desire. The life of that young architect and the mansion which he built should awaken in us a sense of opportunity. These are days of panic, war and suffering. Across the skies of Europe and Asia can be seen the fiames of burning cities, and each and every nation sits fearful lest the great war-god work havoc within its boundaries. The cries of women and children resound throughout the streets of the war-torn coun- tries. In our own America, social and economic chaos reign. We need only to look into the hearts of our people to realize the suffering and unhappiness of mankind. For the past ten years we have been attempting to climb out of the pit we fell into in 1929. During that time, we have seen some ten million men out of work, thousands of others who have been unable to follow their chosen professions, and still others who have never been quite sure' that with their next pay-check there will not be a notice concerning their dismissal. Under these conditions does man ever stop to look into his inner self and to ask, What man- sions am I building? Do we ever realize that we have great possibilities? In the face of present day difficulties some feel that circumstances are against them, hence seldom make the effort to accomplish the apparent impossible. They have ceased to realize that one's best efforts should be put forth in the face of opposition. The greatest mansions ever built have been constructed under adverse circumstances. Demosthenes, overcome with an apparently unconquerable impediment of speech, became one of the foremost orators of ancient times. Ludwig Van Beethoven, deprived of hearing in the later years of his life, composed great symphonies which have never been surpassed. Louis Pasteur, in the fact of ridicule and scorn, forged ahead against opposition and suc- ceeded, even at the risk of his life, in perfecting a serum to combat rabies. Robert Louis Stevenson, even after he was confined to his bed, produced some of the world's greatest literature. Abraham Lincoln, whose immortal memory shall forever be linked with that of liberty, fought his way from childhood to establish the ideal of freedom from bondage. Helen Heller, deprived of sight and hearing, proved to the world that these difficulties can be overcome. Thus down through the ages, men and women have risen above their difficulties and have built many mansions. Today their messages echo and re-echo in the hearts of men as never before, we must heed their example and build as they have built. In the face of our present day difficulties, we should make the most of our talents and not be overcome by the almost insurmountable obstacles that are on every side. There are unlimited oppor- tunities for those who would build mansions. The world needs men and women of vision, men and women who are willing to sacrifice their own selfish pleasures in order to build mansions for the betterment of humanity. If each and every man, each and every country were to set about the task of building, there would be no place in this world for greed and avarice. It is our task as Catholic High School graduates to direct our energies so that the next generation shall look with pride on the mansions we have built.

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We Build The Ladder By Which We RISE As we look over the history of mankind from the earliest period of civilization to the present, we find characters that have risen from positions of obscurity to others in which they have exerted a marked influence upon their associates, and upon the age in which they lived. There were no carefully constructed steps to assist them in climbing to these positions, but upon some foundation they began the construction of a ladder, adding to it round after round by patient toil, and rising step by step, till they reached a place where no others were able to stand. There are few people in the world who have not engaged in the branch of architecture called castle-building. These airy palaces contain the most pleasant abodes for the builder. We may have planned our way through life, but as time passes, with its inevitable ups and downs, what a different picture is presented to our view! We learn that we must build upon a surer foundation, for life, with its duties and difficulties, is a reality. We are sometimes inclined to think that the little incidents of common, every-day life, are of little consequence, and if we could only do something of some importance we would be happy, Great things are not done in a day. Twenty-four hours are far too short to do anything that will make one famous, but it is not too short to do something, and the many little things added together make the great one. The earth is composed of atoms, the century of moments, and our lives of little acts. If we expect to reach a higher posi- tion, such common tasks must be performed, and perhaps after these we will find our greater life-work. Life would hardly be worth living if our thoughts were for ourselves. All the beauty in nature was made for our enjoyment, so our actions should be for the good of those around us. The present alone is ours, and wasted opportunities are never presented to us again. Every one should have some work to do, and after selecting some object worthy of at- tainment, work for that alone. VVe must start at the lowest step, but if our chosen occupa- tion will bring us at last to a higher one, we need not be discouraged. Many of those who have gained the object of their labors worked years for it, as many years may have been spent by another of equal ability, who sought a number of prizes and gained none. A good education is almost indispensable as an aid to one who is struggling to gain a place in the front rank of the world's workers. I used to think that when the a b c's were learned, the most difficult step toward all education was taken, but these are only the im- plements with which we work to acquire facts and learn truth. Those who have reached the higher round are never satisfied with what they have done and willing to lay aside their work, but still push on, hoping to attain higher eminence. Only to careful study can we ascribe the progress made in the different branches of science and art in the past. The earth has been called the geologist's puzzle-box, and in the starry heavens above us the astronomer has found problems too complicated to be solved by ordinary processes. A We may not be building a structure by means of which we expect to make our names famous, but we are building the invisible framework of character. May the material of which it is composed be the best, and may it be held together by the nails of pure motive and noble purpose. Life is made up of success and failure, and those who are the most successful are the truest and best workers. We all expect success, and this stimulates us to greater activity. Often, however, instead of our efforts being crowned with success, we meet with failure. but our failures, as well as our successes, should be steps by which we rise to greater use- fulness. Now, we rise only as we place our difficulties under our feet. Usually the greater the natural endowment, the higher the aim. Buffin's definition of genius, It is patiencef' does not seem exaggerated when the achievements of patience are considered. It is an old and oft-quoted proverb that Where there's a will thereis a way. Though the way may be beset with difficulties and progress seems almost impossible, yet