The Mena weekly star., 1908-05-14


 superintendent, to see for the hrst time that there is such thing as duty, principle acting upon you, as it were with authority, and have learned, in identifying yourselves with the school of Mena, to breathe that higher moral atmosphere Wnlcn the sense of membership Tn a noble body of itself creates. And so lar as any of these supposltlons are true, you have been admitted to 8 noble feast, of which no fragment should remain ungathered. En- deavor to recall them even now while speak and resolve to store them up for future use.
 Remember always that there, IS nothing manly in neglectlng that which gives us strength. No man is wise who refuses to learn from those who can give him knowledge, nor do we think it a proof of moral strength to neglect those means which God has provided to make us strong. I think I might condense this-just as scattered bits of mols- ture are condensed into drop of dew and say that youth IS oppor- tunity-in point of fact this IS the great thought that have been lead ing up to and wish at this time to impress your minds that youth IS opportunity to do something and to become somebody. This opportunity belongs only to the young. When one becomes man or woman, the full opportunity is gone; one must for the most part, remain what one is, and keep on doing what one be- gins to do. do not see much change in people after they have arrived at the age of twenty or thirty, except going on in the way they started. And it does not re- quire much of prophet to foretell the character and career of people when they have come to adult years.
 As I look over those with whom l grew up; they have turned out just about as they began. Now is your opportunity; now is your chance to become the man, the woman, you wish to be; now is the time for be- ginning to do those things that you expect to do in all your coming years.
 But the thing that am most con- cerned about is your character, be- cause sooner or later every shing turns on that. I do not mean merely that if one is vicious or indolent or low one will make failure in life; everybody knows that, but rather, that unless one early becomes fixed in certain high principles of conduct and feeling, one will not only never attain to them, but will turn out badly.
 There is a great deal that might be said on this subject, but l will speak only of four things that seem to me to lie at the roots of all high character and attainment, and so I will give you four rules in regard to them. But as l wish to go a little deeper than rules, l will call them principles-habits of feeling and thinking, as well as mere ways of acting. These rules or principles may seem to you quite commonplace, but that is the very reason they are important. First, learn to love and to speak the truth and to hate a lie. 1 consider the tendency to, or the habit of lying the worst and most surely fatal sign that young person can show. A liar seems to me just this hollow, without substance or reality; lay hold of him with strong, honest hands and he crumbles into dust and nothingness.
 Next learn to hate all impurity or indelicacy of thought or speech or conduct. God has put into all of us a sense of modesty; it is both grace and a protection. Nearly all l can say on this subject is this: Respect and obey to the uttermost this di- vine law of modesty that you find in your minds; it is Gods voice with in you. Keep a rigorous control over yourself in this matter-in other words, respect yourself. It is the glory of man to have clean lips and clean mind; it is the glory of woman not to know evil even in her thoughts.
 The third rule is about honor. mean very nearly what you mean when you speak of fairness, the of what you call meanness, only think honor somewhat better and nobler word. For the most part, young people have a pretty keen sense of honor. so that the m ain thing is to keep it fresh and active. Butit is something also that needs to be used with intelligence. There is such thing as a false standard of honor. and it is apt to get mixed up with pride and conceit.
 Sometimes we are honorable and to our set and unfair or to others, or to those beneath us---though in fact none are i really beneath us. True honor makes us honorable to every human being, and even to animals. If II were to define it, would say it is. irst fine sense of self-respect, and hen and equally fine sense of respect or others and their rights. wish III young people would read the 'Idyls of the King" by Tennyson, ust to get filled with the spirit of lobiliCy that pervades them, espe- ially as seen in King Arthur. And would not object if all were to read 'hackery's "Newcomes" in order to btain true picture of a gentle