The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1912-06-10
SOUND ADVICE
TO G. S. SENIORS
Continued from first page.)

, your business. There is such a thing
as permitting your business to absorb
you to such an extent that you become
narrowed, even in the very lines OF
thought about which you know the most.
1t is part of your life, great part,
!, but still a part. DO not let it exclude
everything else.
You must give citizenship an i'm
portant place in your plan OF life. You
cannot help doing so. Be good Amer
leans, familiar with the grand history
of your nation, your hearts filled with
patriotism; you cannot shirk your du-
ties as citizens and you do net intend
to do so. The first duty which you
owe to your country is to do your part
in governing it. Unless every citizen
takes some part in governing this coun-
try, our whole plan of government is
wrong, because it is based on the idea
that everybody is going to contribute
toward solving its problems, his portion
of wisdom to make up that total which
| is greater than the wisdom of any one
man. True, your part in the govern
ment may be a very humble one. In
our state at the present time, if you
are woman, you cannot even vote.
The fact of your being born here, edu-
Gated in our schools, familiar with our
| institutions. counts for nothing-you
cannot vote. ] cannot explain to you
why this should be so. Ii is the fact.
But the Importance Of the part does
not matter. The vital thing is to take
some part and to take il intelligently
and honestly.
! "Your social duties, too, will form an
important part in your life plan. 1t is
easy to get a wrong proportion there.
Easier perhaps than in any other part
OF the whole scheme. Man is q grega
rious animal and the social instinct is
so strongly implanted in us, the social
habit so thoroughly developed, that there
is not much danger but that we will
make that part of our life prominent
enough. The danger rather is that we
shah make it too prominent, or at any
rate give too much prominence to the
least useful and attractive side of it,
But to make society a cult, to harass
weary body with the labor of much
entertaining and to render tired mind
more tired by excursions into boredom,
to burden oneself with debts, financial
and otherwise. in order to keep up
certain Kind of appearance, to strive
and strain in vain attempt to initiate
the rich and idle, to ride in mortgaged
automobiles when livery or hackfare
would strain your income, TO waste your
lives as myths waste theirs, that is de-
plorable, almost criminal and frequent
precursor Of crime. Give society prop
or place in your life and make it
place which You can give it without eff
fort.
You are going to give study place
in your life and no small plaza Not
the study of books alone, but of your
selves, vour fellowmen, of life itself, as
we'll But you are not going to neglect |
books. If you have the reading habit /
hold on to it. II You have not, form it.
And do not confine yourself to one kind |
of books. Vary your reading. Learn [
to accommodate your books to your |
moods, to your needs of the moment !
Read the same book good many times,
when you find that it is worth read |
ing DO not, OF course, become a mere /
book worm. that would be to place |
wrong value on your libraries; but no |
matter what our duties, and what your |
pleasures, what your environment, re-
serve little time each day for read |
ing.
My concluding words to you, mem
bers of the class of 1912, are these: Try |
to view life clearly. Try to see it as it is.
Learn to disregard trihes. Learn to hate
Draw your life plan carefully.
Draw it modestly yet distinctly. Pre-
serve the proportions and make the lines
strong Study yourself until you know
that figure, strength and meekness, good
qualities and bad. Be sure that no one
can deceive you about that You viii
then be safe both from fattery and from
unjust criticism.
Surround yourself with these inn
portant, necessary things which make
life worth while. Leave out the rest
Plan neither to be rich nor poor. Make
your profession a part of your life, not
all OF it. Remember your duty to your
state and do it. Make society your rec
reation not your task master. Make
truth and honor and kind -heartedness a
part of YOU. Shut out the shams and
frauds, that answer well enough to fill
the lives of fools and hypocrites. You
want the real, the things that count,
for you are men and women your race
and generation need and call for, ready
10 do the work Of men and women and
bound to leave the world better than YOU
found it and better because you did
ind it,
The Weeks Program.
The program of the week is as fol-
ows:
Wednesday Glass day exercises at
800 p. m. Concert by musical depart
nents at $500 p. m.
Thursday-Fourth decennial reunion of
Ilumni Annual alumni meeting at
0:00 a. m. Alumni literary exercises
It Loo a. M. dwelling of Shipman
memorial tablet, Rev Stanley G. Spear,
Do. Grafton. Arthur w. De5oosh, 80,
Boston. Mass. Poem, Blanche j. Til
len, 10, Barre. Banquet at loo p. m.
Reunion of classes from, 500 to $3.50 ,
, m. Prize speaking in Goddard hall at
400 p. m.
Friday Exercises of graduating class
{ 1000 a. M. Reception by teachers
nd class at 500 p. m.