The Snyder signal. (Snyder, Tex.) 1887-????, 1913-09-19
I. F. BAKER DE-
L|vERS ADDRESS
Mr.. Superintendent, Teachers. Ladies
and Gentlemen.

dering II there is boy or a girl here
this morning who has made the lines
OF Bryant to Autumn days III his
conception OF the days before him.
THE Melancholy days are come the
! saddest OF the year"
would like 10 believe that not
one OF you, entertain such feelings.
but on the contrary that you have
come 70 this, another annual begin
ming of a school term with happy
hearts. active minds, and with en-
thusiasm sufficient, when turned In
the proper channel will arouse every
latent power OF your minds into a
potentiality that viii carry you swift
ly along the rugged but royal road
OF achievement.
Some one has said, There Is no
royal road to learning" II by that
expression Is meant. there are no
flower strewn paths over which we
can idly and aimlessly walk 20 sue
cess, that there are no richly up-
holstered cushions upon which we
may recline, while some fairy whisks
us up the mountain Of achievement.
Il is correct. But say that the road
leads through a land where our ef-
forts at digging and delving are re-
warded, by finding magnificent
jewels Of pleasure and satisfaction as
a reward for our labors, and there is
ever before us a grand vista OF
majestic beauty that beckons us on
ward and upward and the brightest
and best is at the very top OF the
mountain
But my young friends, I am to
speak TO you few moments about
the choosing Of an ideal. II YOU de-
sire to accomplish anything in this
life. IL You wish to leave your foot
prints upon the sands Of time. you
must have a worthy ideal as your
guiding star No doubt many Of you
already have fixed an ideal in life
toward which YOU are striving. Il is
Of great Importance that the ideal
be fixed early In life. and that II be
definitely and permanently fixed.
and II YOU have fixed high ideal
1t is worth more TO you this morning
than all the gold OF upair or the jew
els OF tabled Atlantis.
ln speaking Of an ideal ] refer TO
1t In that ethical and altruistic sense.
tho sense OF state or condition
which we can never abso 'utely at
tain In this life Our ideal should not
De fixed where we can ever catch up
with H. II we overtako our ideal all
progress viii stop and decay ls in
/ yited Neither would have you con
fuse the ideal OF which am speaking
with ambition You may have ambi-
lions without such an ideal as
would have You see This morning. but
You can not have an ideal without
having ambition I am not one OF
those who believe that al ambitions
are unworthy and unholy and that
/ all ambitions should be- curbed and
held .n check but believe it possi-
bile fo have O. worthy and holy ambi-
tion. however. it is always backed
boy e high ideal and $50 long as our
ambition Us directed Boo pursuit OF a
high ideal iu Ifo feel perfectly safe
that the ideal and not the ambition
WIZ Doe the controlling force But ~
we should lose sight of our ideal
and discard those principles that we
are compelled fo follow iu iss pur-
suit then our ambition becomes a
danger to ourselves 3s wen az 10
others about ue
You may have an ambBf0u to be a
statesman. but your Ideal should be-
90 De- such a statesman. that unseIf.
ishIy You could sacrifice yours sif up-
on the altar of your country 20 make
&C. glorious land In which 10 live.
and She torchlight OF the nations OF
earth
You may have am ambition to De
Ia lawyer. but your. ideal should be.
to be So skilled and learned In the
science of the law that you would
leave ycur impress upon the jurispru-
deuce of your state or nation. and
that the administration or justice viii
have seen new lights because OF
your having passed that way.
You may have an ambition 20 be
physician but your ideal should beno
To- collect money. because OF the suf-
ferines and MS OF humanity. but 10
fro-tfnref III, n.,ce a.