Westport High School - Herald Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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l I y z .. ill' ' r yi My yi i i l , . i l.t ii l mg , l l l i l wi lt mi al Ml ii 'tt .ii ijl W. .ll it if ll 5 1 Ll ii. Jill rip INK till! ill? ti ' i i l lil lei 1 lil t Isl l Ill l IEE f ii, ,. :fl iii N ll -, lvl it wi' ll: 'l 21 tri 'rl Q. 'FH ,I l ,N sl 1 Elly ill 'tl Il its U11 ill T l X ilu l ll! Vi l till . ,N . llgil' ' Nall yi I . ti I6 THE WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. VALEDICTORY. THE VALEDIGTORYF' H. GUY PORTER. So much is contained within the term valedictory that one can scarcely grasp the full import of its meaning at a single glance. The word has come down to us, through years of time, from the Latin vale, farewell, and dico, to say, hence valedictory, to say farewell. This word implies more of gladness and more of sadness than any other word in the English language because the person who bids farewell to friends always has the hope of success before him and the ones to whom the farewell is spoken are anxious for his welfare and happiness. Usually the term valedictory is used only when speaking of the departure of a gradu- ating class from its parent college, but there seems to be no good reason why we should confine the term to this one class of indi- viduals, for everyone knows that this world is filled with partings and farewells for all. If we consider the word in its broadest meaning, we may say that the first valedic- tory in life comes when the little child who has played about his motherjs knee for four or five years must say good-bye to his play- things and start for school. Although he is yet too young to realize th-e meaning of this change we find him eager to enter school, but his mother, on the other hand, cannot help a pang of anxiety for his safety as she stops h-er work and watches him trip lightly and happily down the street each morning. The next breaking of the ties comes to him when about seven years later he is grad- uated from the ward school and must say good-bye to techers, classmates, and friends, either to start out into the world to earn a living or to step into a higher school. If he choose the latter, in the course of a few months, we may find him preparing to le-ave home for his chosen college. We see him moving about, his face radiant with joy, cheerfully taking his leave of this friend, or that one and impatiently awaiting his de- parture, so 'that he may speedily enter upon the brilliant prospects which he fancies are strewn along the path before him. He looks only on the bright side of things, he thinks that no matter what may happen to others all will be well with him. But his parents who have learned 'to make allow- ances for the optimism of youth, have an entirely different idea. They fully realize the possibility that some of the many tempta- tions to which he will be subjected may prove too strong for him to resist. Almost a man, he arrives at college, where he remains several years, so thoroughly wrapped up in the diligent pursuit of knowl- edge that he scarcely finds time to make more than an occasional short visit home during vacation. In time he becomes so much at- tached to the college that he almost regards it as his home. But then just as this feeling has gained a firm hold upon him, another graduating day arrives and he recognizes more fully what it means to sever all his school friendships and relations which seem dearer to him than any others he will after- ward form. ' 1 No doubt, when he entered school he looked forward to his graduating day with intense longing and even. wished to change places with some of the seniors of that year. How- ever, since that time many changes have taken place. Many friendships have been formed 5 he has grown to honor and respect his teachers and even 'though the future is very bright and full of promise for him, yet he hesitates to say farewell to his college days-the happiest period of his life. He begins to realize that he can no longer look upon his teachers as bearing quite the same relation to him as when in school. That they consider he has received enough of mental and moral training 'to know what to do and what not to do and moreover that he should be able to set a fitting example for others to emulate. He feels that he owes a certain debt to the school which he can repay only by prudence, diligence, and honesty, so that even if he does not make his Alma Mater famous he shall at least bring no dis- credit upon her. He knows that the world expects him to use, to the best possible ad-

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care L the , If t not that indi- eme- izen- rents .kers .thin y to him :heir the ndi- and self, akes gnet ture ele- has lou- 1 of rich old. lard gins the nus war r be rld. . to . to dor her ire, s to hen me wssrpoar moe scnoor HERALD. IS Columbus started across the Atlantic he was lured by the fabled stories of the wealth of Ormus and of lnd,'i that had been sound- ing in his ears. When after three months of tossing on an unknown sea, he reached land and learned that this was a new contin- ent, these a new people, it was the story of the gold discovered in the possession of these people that he carried back to the old world. Great expeditions were fitted out and sent to this new land and occasional settlements sprang up along the coast. But few came with the intention of remaining or making themselves a home while many came with the idea of finding great wealth and return- ing home to enjoy it. But as they must dig and delve they needs must have shelter-rough habita- tions were thrown up which grew and spread and then, as if ' by some fickle turn of the earth, the gold vanished, leaving only the rude homes and the untilled soil around them. One could almost fancy it a plot of nature's to trick men into filling up these unfilled lands. With only this rough heritage left them they must force from the earth, at least the means of sus- tenance and in their struggle they, by and by, found the soil had entered into their bone and sinew-they loved it-their chil- dren loved it, something better had entered into life. Gold, the magnet, no longer drew them. Will it have no power over their chil- dren? Four centuries passed away, the whole At- lantic slope echoed to the blows of hammers, and the sounds o-f many industries. Man came in contact oftener with his fellowmen, occasionally he trod upon him and frowned because there was not room. There was a vast region to the westward, but it was a savage country that he did not care to enter. Nature- beckoned once more, and on that far off Pacific coast she flung a shining nugget under the spade of a man as he turned the sod and gold was discovered Vg not gold only but a territory vast in extent and rich in re- sources. Man hurried there, and in the first frenzy of his desire to gather all he could he forgot everything but himself 5 forgot the rights of others and before long was as degraded as the dirt he worked in. Might was right- but only for a short time. As in all other cases with the settling up of the country, man thought of bettering his new abode, and as his children grew up they knew no other home. Schools were built for their educa- tion and churches for their worship and soon the town grew into the city. The output. of gold grew greater and the unsafe prairie schooner that carried it to the East gave way to the great Pacific' railroad. After the building of this road, towns rapidly sprang up 5 these later developed into cities, and the whole western portion of this great country of ours was populated. Then as before, the gold gradually disappeared. One can scarcely realize the hardships man will suffer and endure in his search for this yellow metal. After gold had been dis- covered in Alaska, countless numbers went into that cold and desolate count-ry. There, with poor food and insufficient shelter, they toiled to obtain this king of metals. In the first few years of mining it was not thought safe to remain in this bleak climate through all the cold months, but now it has been improved so much that winter is not dreaded more there than in some of the neighboring states. Not all who journeyed there have been fortunate enough to gain wealth, but they have become accustomed to the country and found other values than the one they sought. Now, looking back over the places where gold has been discovere-d the question arises, Ts this Nature's method of populating and eivilizing the world P Whenever a new region is ready, to be settled this great metal makes its appearance and after it has drawn many people to it then it passes from view, leaving its victims to improve the country in other lines. Nature has her own magic means of ac- complishing her purposes and why not the placing of gold in hidden places, at the right time to reveal it to mankind? Surely there is no better way to send man to the utter- most parts of the earth.

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S Ellie ings 3 PP911 .t his llow- 'e an zalize upta- Jrove vhere ighly cowl- more uring h at- gards :cling other gnize-s .l his seem af ter- ooked itense Jlaces How- have been aspect ire is n, yet ollege onger te the chool. trough what r that ale for iwes a repay sty, so Alma io dis- world le ad- THE WESTPORT HIGH SCHOOL HERALD. I7 vantage, the preparatory training he has re- ceived. To him the eyes of all are fastened upon him to see if a college trained man really is more capable than a man who has never had the advantage of such training. Yet, a glance at the boy who stopped school, on account of financial difficulties or for other reasons, will reveal that he, too, has progressed. He has now attained his ma- jority and his mind begins to burn with an uncontrollable desire to see the world and what it has in store for him. During the last few years he has begun to understand the great privation it has been for him not to be able to complete his school course, and this only makes him all the more anxious to get out into the world so that, as far as possible, he may atone for the disad- vantages he has been compelled to labor un- der. At every turn he is shown more and more fully the extent of his loss. He works faith- fully in his position, but soon sees himself surpassed by a better trained man who may not apply himself half so diligently as he. He feels that his manners are uncouth, that he lacks that polish and ease of bearing and action which is so evident in those who have received college training and that whatever he accomplishes in life must be accomplished under many unfavorable conditions. But the one thing that offers him consolation is that he lives among a free people, where men, who have been deprived of a college education, have risen by industry and close application to business. We seldom stop to think that much that we have and much that we are as a nation we owe to that farewell which our forefathers bade to their native land three hundred years ago. We seldom stop to think what that farewell meant to those who were leaving their homes and friends, crossing a broad ex- panse of ocean, to explore a strange country, to hew out a home from a dense wilderness, abounding with strange perils and disastersg to build schools for the educaition of their children and churches where they might wor- ship their f'reator as they chose. Truly, honesty, ambition, and industry-the three characteristics from which none of us should ever part, the three fundamental principles of a successful life-must have been their hope and guide. But ever and always, the valedictory clings around the class, and the name valedictor- ian, around that one who is chosen to bid farewell to friends on behalf of the whole class. Some count it an honor, and it cer- tainly is, to say farewell to teachers, class mates, and friends, and to receive their best wishes for the entire class. But what a heavy weight this honor is and what a bur- den of responsibility it carries with it. The valedietorian is impressed with the thought that of all the class he is expected to uphold the class honor and pride. He feels that he, at least is expected to do noth- ing which may bring the slightest shadow of dishonor upon his class, even though he be unable to bring it great fame. What a weight of responsibility, which others are free from, bears down on his shoulders! How timid and grave he feels as he faces the representatives of the Board of Education for the last time and realizes that, in a meas- ure they are responsible for him. As he looks into the pleasant faces of the audience, they, too, seem to take an interes't in him which lends him an inspiration for better work in th-e future. True, later in life, he may point with pride to the time when he was valedictorian, but yet he also recognizes the fact that unless he amounts to something in life, unless he has made a record to be proud of, he will be ashamed to refer to the occasion, for his friends will wonder why he has not accom- plished more and will be disappointed at his failure. And now, classmates, as graduates of Westport High School, may we write in in- delible characters upon the pages of our memories, 'cldsse duam vid-erif' so that when we have reached the afternoon of life, and it comes our turn to say that last farewell, be- fore stepping into that land where there are no farewells, we shall go with as much joy and expectation as we depart from our school life into young manhood and young womanliood to-night. Farewell.