Wethersfield High School - Elm Yearbook (Wethersfield, CT)

Page 10 text:

but a dismal failuref, And, without further effort, he quits. Now he has failed! Or he may be honest with himself, and ind out why he failed. He may make that failure the foundation of his future success. And he will succeed, if he goes into his work with the determination to make good. It does take time and toil to accomplish anything. In school, this is very true. It takes four long years, sometimes even five, before we grad- uate, many of us, it is true, drop out along the way, but those who per- severe obtain results. It takes days of hard practice before the boys play a game of baseball, and if they are determined that they will win, they will! It will take a year or two before we have a good working student government, but with the support of every boy and girl in Wethersheld High School, it will succeed. Thus it may be seen that perseverance is necessary for the success of any enterprise, whether in school or in life. -Hl'lt'1'l Gtltfll, '27. TRIFLES Trifles are the foundation of human existence. There can be no great masterpiece without detail. lndustry, progress and art are founded on precision. The boy who starts out in life determined to make the most of every- thing and let nothing escape him which he can possibly use for his own advancement, who seizes every opportunity, who is ever on the alert for everything which can help him get on in the world, will be sure to live a successful life. Think nothing a trifle. There are a thousand tasks to be done whether we want to do them or not, and there is a difference between doing them just right or a little wrong. I cannot see that you have made any progress since my last visitf' said a gentleman to Michael Angelo. But, said the sculptor, I have retouched this part, polished that, softened that feature, brought out that muscle, given some expression to the lip, and more energy to the limbs. But they are trifles! exclaimed the visitor. w It may be so,', replied the great artist, but trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle! That infinite patience which made Michael Angelo spend a week in bringing out a muscle, makes all the difference between success and failure. It is individual effort that has accomplished everything worth accom- plishing in this world. -Miner F. Wells, '27,

Page 9 text:

KINDNESS Kindness is a virtue. It is that disposition which delights in making others happy, and which is used to gratify their wishes, or to help them when they are in need. Indeed, if more people would only practice the art of kindness, there would be many a heart-burning saved in this world, many a pillow would be soothed, many a difficulty would be eased over. In a thousand ways, every day, acts of kindness are carried on about us. Some are made known to the populace, and are perhaps written in the pages of history, but more are passed by, unnoticed except by those for whose benefit the act was committed. All of us are, of course, familiar with that former great President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. During his life, many many persons were made happy by his benevolence. Men can be found like Lincoln today, and men can make them- selves like Lincoln, by following his excellent example. When one has accomplished some good deed towards his neighbor, great satisfaction should be aroused within himself, and a longing to do more-not only for mankind, but also for animals, upon whose lives many of us depend. Therefore, at the end of the day's toil, sum up the acts of kindness that you have done, and count that day lost if you have made none happier. Strive always to love your neighbor, for kindness ever accompanies love, and kindness is one of the golden things of life. -Olive Symonds, '29. PERSEVERANCE Everywhere you look you see signs of discouragement. It is a germ which, once planted, is not easily killed. Yet, when you fail in a certain thing, when your task has proven too diflicultg when the world seems to be against you, when, at last, you are hopelessly and bitterly struggling be- tween two points- what are you to do? Will you quit, and sell your- self, or will you do your best to the end? That is the thing that makes life worth while, we can always keep up the struggle, no matter how rough the way. Perseverance brings suc- cess. You fail, not because you did not succeed, but because you did not profit from your failures. Notice the business man who fails once. What becomes of him? He may stop then and there, and say, What's the use? I've been honest and loyal with everyone, now look what it,s brought to me. Nothing, -4.5-

Page 11 text:

SSVTO SO LZ6I