Valparaiso University - Beacon / Record Yearbook (Valparaiso, IN)

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RAYMOND G. BRESSLER nascimur poetae jimus oratores frangas non flectus GROVER C. MAC LAREN

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17 CLASS POEM BY ELLIOTT JAMES Before a class distinctly Kiitll High-sounding terms in some way fit T0 subjugate my native wit I sorely need; Or else how can I make the hit Fate has decreed? But if the muses I implore, They went enrich my empty store; Nor can they aught of poets lore In me distinguish, So I resort to nothing more Than common English. Nor shall I sing in mystic lays 0f childhood, or maturer days, When cupidls wild and antic ways My heart affected; For now my Illonelinessll betrays Those hopes rejected. But my review is most concerned About the little things Ilve learned; Things that more tllarned men have spurned As inconsistent With those, they think, have strictly earned Supreme enlistment. :tGreat oaks from little acorns growf Is no more valuable to know Than that these giants hold below Their lofty boughs, Much wormy fruit to overthrow What good it sows. So many men have won a name Stripped of the just reproach and blame . That should fame, attend their ttwatered And social prestige, That rectified, would portion shame Their only vestige. And many women seem to feel That all their Hfadsil to men appeal, That width of hat and height of heel, Define their worth And think such things will best reveal Their noble birth. To this our silence makes concession And so we get the same impression And dare not make the least digression From such devotion, Though we may have in our possession A better notion. But motives, good, held in seclusion, Require some radical intrusion; A real enthusiastls illusion Of bounden duty, Ncr should he be, for that infusion, Denied the booty. Yet some are born With a suspicion. That cruel fate, perhaps tradition, Must serve a pre-arranged commission In their existence, And thus they lose their free volition And strong consistence. And others Iind a sweet content In any way the twig is bent; And never offer to invent A new condition That might incite or supplement' Their dead ambition. But some believe they can secure Distinction that Will long endure, If they but make a pleasure tour Through dutyls portal; But fancy dreams will not insure Our names immortal. And only faithful service gains Respect, and all that yet remains Of just renown, and best maintains A high position Of trust, that, in the throng, sustains A recognition. For if the work is vainly done, That help, the needy poor will shun, And if the doer has begun To court his praise, Then what of fame he may have won Will turn disgrace. Then humble work Will best atone For wrongs to which we all are prone; Then may the better seeds weive sown On our removal To Judgment, at St. Peterls throne Meet his approval.

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19 CLASS ORATION WEALTH AS A SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY. RAYMOND G. BRESSLER. E ARE standing tonight in the radiant glow of twentieth century Cm progress. The events of the swiftly fleeting days of the present era will soon fill out the pages of that volume which records the most wonderful period in the history of man- kind. The history of the past is sufficiently full of evidence to convince us that the downfall of nations is a result of internal disturbances, rather than from any incursions by external fees. The American commonwealth, with its democratic principles, takes great pride in the fact that there is no power mighty enough to invade this country. But we dare not underestimate the forces within that are slowly and surely pursuing their courses, receiving an addition here and apparently administering relief there, until they burst upon us with tide wave strength. The great social problems rise before us in stupendous magnitude and demand a solution. By whom should they be solved? What part do we play in the role? When are we to make our entrance? These are some of the questions which confront us at the present time. They cant be solved during childhood, but in childhood we mould our character and lay the foundation for future usefulness. Children feel the infiuenee of external conditions much more keenly than do older people. They have comparatively n0 responsibilities. But as they develop they assume a more and great responsibilities. They begin to perceive a deeper meaning in life. They arrive at a better conception of local conditions, and guided by that they form their ideal. This ideal is almost certain to be in accordance with their surroundings. Thrice blessed is the young man, who has been raised in a community where the people have the welfare of their country at heart; where politics, religion, and civil education perform their proper functions; where a man meets his fellows face to face in all transactions. That young man will then have a better idea of what ought to be and will be better prepared to cope with some of these great social problems. The time when we must take our glimpse of the larger life has come. Shall we join the mfriends of humanityH and tour the country preaching