Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-06-11

honorable than the record Of this
institution. For the past thirty
years that record has been written
by one who is now Severipg his con-
nection with this school. His work
here lras been well done. l could
wish for myself nothing better than
that, whenever it may become my
duty to surrender trust, l may be
able to carry with me from its dis
charge, something of that conscious
ness of work faithfully performed,
of esteem and honor and love won,
and confidence always merited, that
must be his today.
Education is the making of men
and women. You students gathered
here this morning are part of the
more than twenty-One million boys
and girls in the schools of America.
The most serious task this nation
faces today is the fitting of these
boys and girls for intelligent citi-
zcnshp. In a government such as
ours, based upon universal suffrage,
where every man is a king, educa
ton is the all-important factor to be
sought, and here the teacher faces
eSpOnSbilities that do not obtain
under any other form of government.
The existence and perpetuity of this
nation depend upon the manner in
which your teachers here at Keut's
Hill, the teachers of Maine, and of
the other states, perform their work.
Well may each of them pray for
guidance and inspiration in the
words of the ancient philosophers:
"Scire quod sciendum. da mih1.
Domino" 20 Master, grant that l
| may know that things I ought to
/ know" The ideal American school
/ is the nursery of intelligent citizen
ship and the inspiring source of a
genuine patriotism. From it must
! that makes up the sum total of our
national life. The world of today is
! in great need of such leadership.
youth is n time of dreams. of
vision and ideals. The world owes
much to its dreams and its dream
crs. Joseph of old as n lad hadt
dreams of personal supremacy, and
saw visions of his own glory in after
years. His brothers tainted him
with: behold, the dreamer cometh."
but he lived to bring his dreams to
| reality, and, as the preserver of the
Jewish people, lead his race into op-
portunity and destiny. Raphael and
Columbus, Napoleon, Edison, and
W
their dreams come true. Hold fast
to Your dreams, boys and girls, and
many of them will he wrought into
reality. "Where there is no vision,
the people perish"
But more important than the
| the dreams, arc the ideals of youth.
In the development of character,
either individual or national, there
is no more constructive force than
the recognition and acceptance of
high Ideals. Ideals are wonderful
transformers. We tend to grow into
the likeness of that which we admire,
and to become like the best that we
profess. Men is always a product in
the making. We never really are but
| are becoming. The body the soul
that changes not, is dead. Scientists
tell us that every cell in the human
body renews itself in period of
seven years, AS the body changes
and renews itself so does the living
soul. OF this physical recreation
man has no consciousness or control;
hut in his psychic re-birth man NAV
/ become co-creator of his own self.
! in that he may consciously govern
and direct those mental processes
that change him spiritually for better
or for worse. Here proper ideals
play most important part. The
1mpulSlVe force OF lofty idealism has
shaped the characters of all great
mon and women and been the in
aspiration Of all that is great and good
IN history, religion, art and literature
Far away, up there in the sunshine.
are our highest aspirations. We can
not reach them, but we can look IN
to them, see their beauty. and try to
follow where they lead" In pro-
portion to the sincerity and intensity
OF that admiration, in proportion to
the honest and consccrated effort
expanded in the attempt, we shall
approximate those aspirations and
ideals. and in so doing, make our
/ lives worth while. to ourselves and
to others. We shall be judged at last
by our fidelity to our ideals. They
represent our hottest contribution to
the world
You boys and girls. with the
advantages of splendid education
received in these loved halls, with the
strength of youth. and with its
dreams and ideals, are going forth
to live your lives among men. To
each of YOU is given. free and without
price, all the worthwhile things in
life.-God's world of field and forest
song of bird and fragrance of flower.
snowy winter and golden spring. the |
sunlight and the starlight, love OF
man and woman and child. What
are you going to do in that world:
What service render? How add to
the sum total of human happiness?
What will be your attitude toward |
life and its labors?
will you be one who sees in the task
only the sordidness of the present
work and thinks only of the pay to
be received? Will you be one who
sees his own little accomplishment