Western Hills Night High School - Annual Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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J A Philosophy of Life Prize Oration of Senior Class Bx HELEN BITTER ' So li ' :t that icltfn thy summons comes to join The innnmerable i ' afu ' jan which moves To thai mysterious realm, v)here each shall take His chamber in the silent halls of death. Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night Scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave, Like one ' vho wraps the drapery of his couch About him, and lies do ' J:n to pleasant dreams. MANV OF YOU will recognize this as a quotation from William Ciillen Bryant ' s immortal Thanatopsis. To live, so we may lie down to pleasant dreams. But we want this not only as the poet says, when we pass through the golden gateway, but throughout all our life. I recall reading somewhere that Life, lived beautifully, is an art. Most of us are acquainted with art in some form or other, poetry, music or painting, and know that while a few of us may have a special talent for some of these things, the rest is acquired through desire and intensive study. If these things are in us and can be brought out b y desire and study, then we all can live beautifully because in everyone is the desire for beauty and happiness. This beauty in our life — where are we going to find it? I ' ll tell you. It is everywhere and in everything — waiting for us to discover it. I say that emphati- cally because I sincerely believe it. You must believe it. You must think it. And you must be conscious of it all the time. Therein lies our philosophy — knowing we are getting the most out of life, and that we are viewing the things we encoimter

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MKIA IN j. A HKin who can e. isiTv execute a mulntude i t positions efficiently; one to whom the editors of this book and the stutient liody are ever obligated for his excellent manage- ment uniler which was produced this artistic year book at minimum cost; the highest caHber business manager this AxxLAi. could ever dream. I DWARO W 11! INS Eddie is the type of student everyone Hkes. His popu- larity has been acquired by his methods of friendliness, well known to his classmates. He has taken an active part in many of the school activities. I KF.D J. WINKLER We may safely say that Fred is one of our more active students who combines earnestness and honesty in his school work. He has a ready greeting for his many friends and is capable of finishing everything he begins. + + + ' ' Laugh It Off X IT ' hen oh feellike ' ' Falling in, ' Laugh it of. Jl ' hen xou are sorrx Yon have been, L.angh it ojf. Feeling Blue don ' t help a bit. Better to be glad of it. Laugh it of. Keep onr Sense of humor bright; Laugh it ojf. Polish it with all your tnight. Laugh it off. Nothing matters over much. Tighten up our IJ ' isdom Clutch, ' Laugh it off. I am zvriting this for you — Laugh it off. Like as not ' tivill help me, too; Laugh it off. Worry never made a man. Let ' s just do the best :ve can Jnd laugh it off.

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■n v. in (lur daily lite with an optimistic and hopeful attitude. We cannot live without it. And it depends on what sort of a philosoph - we develop, and how well we make it work whether we are going to be happy or otherwise. It is, therefore, a mental attitude, depending entirely on the quality ot our thoughts. It is our own indi- vidual problem to develop an outlook on lite that will work successtulh ' — one that will take us over the rough places with undaunted courage. We want our philosophy to be big enough to face tacts and to season them with hope. Xot in thinking if we coulci go to some new place every time we are discouraged, trying again would be an easier thing. Not in wishing if we could he somebodv else, or do something else, it might not be so hard to have fresh faith or courage. Xo, we have to face things here and now. The old faults have to be cone]uered, the old trials and discouragements before which we tailed yesterday have to be faced again today and challenged to a mental battle and beaten. Success comes, not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. The harder we ' re thrown, the higher we bounce. We must come up with a smiling face. It isn ' t always in having and getting, but in giving and serving. It isn ' t worrying about things that are past, which we can ' t help — holding yesterday over until today, and carrying today into tomorrow— it is living day by day, and doing the ery best we can each day. It is beginning each morning with a resolve to find something in the day to enjoy — and enjoying it. It is being big enough to recognize merit in others and being generous enough to admit it. It is throwing out of our minds small thoughts of: Selfishness, Regretting the past. Pessimism, Doubting the future. Fear, worry, Knvying the other fellow. There is too much to be achie -ed for our progress to be dela ed by petty annovances. We must rise above the things under our feet. We must substitute go(5d thoughts for bad — cheer for woe. We must give to the world the best we have so the best ma - come back to us. We are the window through which we view the world around us, and if we want and expect to see a bright, clean world, then we ha e to be that way. Never to miss an opportunity to recognize and acknowledge the good and beautiful around us; to learn to forgive and forget; to be tolerant and kind; to be generous; to learn to hide our aches and pains and turn life ' s discord into harmony. To meet the world with a smile and l(jse no chance to give pleasure. Not to have our mind take root in cine spot — but to be ever seeking higher and nobler things. To be soothed by the unfaltering trust of believing everything that comes to us is worth while and has a place in our life; of knowing we have made the most of what we have; that we have given as we have received — and a little more. These are the things to which we aspire. We know this will not come to us overnight. We must develop it, cultivate it, and cherish it. .And when we have learned to live each day as if it were our last — when we have learned to look up — to laugh- to love — to lift — then may we lie down to pleasant dreams. is: gt gt