Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1915-08-05
AN APPEAL FOR
GOOD CITIZENSHIP

ship to his grauuatil.g class of
1915 and it so strong that all good
citizens should read it. Its the
cream of advice to old and young
alike.
Members of the Glass of 1915:
l would like to emphasize fur ther
all the good advice and all the en-
couragement you have heard and,
tell you again of th, confidence this
college feels in you. would like to
emphasize again that you should
tlearn to look a long distance ahead,
for in that way you can most cas-
lily chart your course.
But my last word to this class
will be to urge you to attend faith
fully to the privileges and duties of
citizenship. Wherever you go remem
ber that the citizens of this coun-
try are enjoying form of gGTern-
ment for which many of our ances-
tors gave their lives on the battle
field. And the present generate on
would be willing to make the same
sacrifice, if necessary, to protect
our government. 1t is then both a
privilege and duty to support it
in peacs. But the responsibilities
of citizenship are cruelty and shame
fully shirked by far too many citi-
zans, and therein lies the greatest
danger to our form of government
College men and women should
help actively in making the govern
ment of their communities strong
er and better They should help Sc
lect~ candidates for office, help e.
lsct them to Office, encourage them
by expecting efficient service from
thsm in all that is good In the
course of time every college grad
uate should be willing to accept and
carry his or her share of the respon
sibility of pu9lic office and in say
ing this have in mind particularly
the Offices that do not pay salar-.
les, eyzn this hunlblest.
If college graduates would be ser
vic 5able and influential in these
ways tn must be efficient in their
own vocatlons. They must be thor
ough a.. d SUCCESSFUL in their own
work ii they would influence others
Do not think tn this means sue
csss in big things alone. 1t means
for each one of you success in
small Things, many of them, per-
haps for long time the big things
wall BE- excluded. Some one says he
has been in c5llsge four years and
now he hardly knows where or how
to gat into the wo Ids whilI. l will
give you "a suggestion. Do your ap-
pointed task promptly and thorough
ly so that III viii Lot have to be
done over. do net dispise the
small thing, VIII ch is net absolute
ly + quired. Do not neglect the
cheerful "gocd n orning" to the per
son who works n ar you.
1t IS not too much 10 say to the
college graduate that in time he or
she should become u leader may
be lead of a small group, or
of muitatudes, lut a leader whose
fee is turned im the right direc-
ton and who is not marking time.
j. me tell you the most impor-
tant til. ng about rsal leader. He
is MT S ll-selected. He is one
VIII s. superior qualities are evil
ci ts W thout hams If pointing
thsm out. He is one, without os-
t ntation, makes good i'm his af-
fairs, does his duty honestly toward
his government, and is willing and
glad always to help his b, other.
Such as one becomes a leader
| automatically whenever the time
arrives that he is needed. And US
ually this happens withouthis know
ing it has happ ened. AS of sud
den he has come into a position of
leadership ard he does not know
how nor why, or even that 1T is so
All over the land we have leaders
of this kind, who a& unconscious
of their leadership but they are
Leading neverthel SIS. Many of them
are college graduates; many are not
Graduation from college does not
make leader but it may help
greatly in making him.
So I ask you now in all earnest
ness to feel that you have become
a vital part in great machine
which is your community and that
you have duties to perform that
affect yourself and the whole COM
munity as we'll. When these duties
are performed faithfully, then you
are serving as your Anna Mater is