Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1914-07-03
o behalf Of my class 1 greet you:

In behalf of my class / greet you:
We meet to-day for q purpose that has
dignity and tenderness. My first duty is
to express to the students here assembled
my grateful thanks for the honor they
have conferred upon me.
"The man who seeks one thing in life, and
May hopsto achieve it before life is done. >,
Who has not felt irritation and impa-
tience created BY deep, rich country,
visited for the first time-with winding
lanes and high hedges, and green steps
and tangled woods, and everything smil-
ing indeed but in maze?
Much the same feeling came upon ms
as we entered High School, and passed
into its unexpIored country.
We have had but one purpose during
these four years-and that purpose, to
gather the rich grain awaiting our efforts.
When we were Freshmen, and our ex-
periences were new and varied, we were
2ushed with the pride of our achieve
nents. 1t was not long before We learned
our lesson-that vain conceit often brings
disaster, and great good sense and mod
esty obviate multitude of mischiefs.
F" IT'S common proof
Whereto the climber upward turns his lace.
Bat when he once attains the upmost round
He then unto the ladder turns Ills back,
h. Il IL u
degrees By So which i he did sss oa's
When our hearts were heaviest, be-
cause the standards to be attained seemed
beyond our human power, and happy
hopefulness gave place to encouragement,
We had only to lift our eyes to behold this
golden future, and WEAKNESS was forgot
ten and life had new meaning.
The diplomas we receive will always be
an evidence Of our achievements; shall
we make practical use Of the lessons
learned, or shall we lose by inaction the
real advantages that shall come to us by
education?
We can no longer look to those whose
lives and interests have been go closely
interviewer with our own; we must learn
self-reliance, make decisions, assume re-
sponsibilities, all the while remembering
that success or failure depends upon our
own efforts.
Many before us have been Just as tai
ented, just as enthusiastic, just as worthy
of honor and success.
What shall be our ambitions? Our an
swer to this will largely determine the
future. t
"We SOW q thought and reap an act,
we sow IN act and reap habit, we sow
. habit and reap a character, we SOW q
character and reap destiny"
feel the necessity OF firm resolve, 10y
atty to dissemination, more vital ct the
present moment than 1t has ever been.
Without strength, confidence or wind.
with a voice weak and ill-managed, q
clumsy, and an articulation de-
fective, Demosthenese made his 6rst pub
lie appearance. which provoked derision
and uproarous laughter. The youth had
the strongest incentives toward oratory
and determined to be heard later. Hence
the pebbles and the mirror and the dec
running by the resounding shore.
He studied BY day and BY night, with
one great purpose always before him-of
rousing patriotism which he believed
only slum6ered in his beloved Athens.
To this patriotism he added qualities
which we're the result of slow, careful
and painstaking toll, preparatory to en-
tranos on public life Of unremitting labor
during al its active yean. He enrolls
himsslf among the geniuses in all time
who have bean able to 60 out OF them
'elves and be masters Of thsir opportu-
nifty.
For years the Idea Of the man Column
bus won for him only deridon. So pos
,eoeod Wae he with this ideh that h0 con.