Connecticut western news., 1921-06-23
VALEDICTORY ADDRESS
By Miss Elizabeth Lee, Class of 1921,
 Canaan High School

The statement made by the Ro- man sage, that work wins everything,
 seems at first thought to convey too
 broad meaning, but, after careful
 consideration, it is found to be in- finitely true. Skill in literature, art,
 and invention is often accredited al-
 most entirely to genius, but without
 energy on the part of the individual,
 genius would not be recognized, for
 it would never be developed Work
 has been the keynote of success all through the ages, not only for those possessing natural ability, but for the average man and woman. Those whose names are given a prominent place on the pages of history, have succeeded through their own efforts, and in this way have won true great ness.
 The paramount importance of strong bodies to progress is well known, and the surest road to this physical strength, is that of hard work. Closely associated with bodily
 strength, are those fundamental
 qualities which constitute strong character. Perhaps the best and most widely-known example of a man of this type is Abraham Lin coin. Early in life he was compelled to spend much of his time m out of door work. As result he gained rugged health, which, coupled with patience and perseverance, enabled him to obtain knowledge, in spite of all the difficulties which he had to encounter. His outstanding charac- teristics of honesty, and an unwaver- ing stand for the right were impor- tant factors in his career.
 The prosperity of nation depends upon the industry of it's people. The truth of this statement was early impressed upon the minds of the people of Greece, as we'll as of Eng land, and rigid laws were enforced against idleness. Several states in our own country have passed laws requiring all able-bodied men to have an occupation. The American people realize that a country's workers are it's chief wealth. Gold is a splendid asset, but laborers are of greater value, for without them it would be impossible to utilize the natural resources. This type of worker tolls with his hands. The other type which is necessary to maintain m in- f1uential nation, consists of brain workers. These are needed to su- perintend industry, and to fill the government offices. A nation of efficient workers is especially valu- able in time of war, as was demon strated in the Great War. TVh.1e our boys were giving their best lover there, thousands of loyal Americans young and old, in the United States, worked and sacrificed for the cause, and in 1918 the joyous news came, that victory was ours.
 America, the land of opportunity, s an inspiration, and education in itself, but what man is there with any ambition at all, who is not con- st&ntly striving for something bet Ter? Work is the solution; it makes T hi@her education possible, and, | when once attained, makes it worth while. The rewards reaped from knowledge are greater to those who l work, and thirst to learn more, is l aronsed in this way. Such student, l with an intense interest in his stud | ics, gains that learning most desired | of all, which can be applied.
 In our present day surroundings, we see everywhere inventions which the American of colonial, or even Civil War times thought impossible, if he did think of them at all. At this period . poet recorded for us an imaginary incident of an ambitious young man, Darius Green by name, who decided to navigate the air as men were accustomed to sail the seas. The sad conclusion of this poem marked the failure of his ex- pertinent. How greatly this narra- tive emphasizes the utter absurdity with which flying was formerly re- garded! We, of the present time, consider this feat a common occur ence. Such accomplishments as this have been attained through hours of work. Thomas A. Edison, the wellE known inventor, had an averageE working day of nineteen hours for twenty-one years. When he was not experimenting, he spent his time in studying books on chemistry and electricity. These were the happiestE moments in the inventors life. Through his toll Edison has procuredE for civilization the electric lights which we enjoy in our homes, andt has given to thousands the advan-g tage of hearing the worlds greatestI artists, through his invention of the musical instrument first known as the talking machine.
 Art in all of it's branches possesses most convincing evidence of theI wonderful results obtained through 5