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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 18, 1920)
A 3 MAY • J The Chemawa Americ an Ü P r in t e d a t C h e m a w a , O re g o n , a n d D e v o te d to th e In te r e s ts o f In d ia n E d u c a tio n Vol. X X II W ednesday, February 18, 1920 No. 19 have placed you at the top because it took too much effort. Follow this line of surrender for a year or so On the evening of February 8th Supt, Hall in an and where are you? address to the students assembled in chapel drew at Just examine your backbone, test your mind, your tention to the necessity of cultivating strength in the formation of proper habits. It was a splendid, prac moral strength, your conscience also. See how your whole capacity for achievement has been weakened tical talk, and was as follows: until you are incapable, probably forever, like the great Every one of you students who have reached the mass of lunk heads that you see around you. age where you can think rightly have a well-defined It appears to me that a boy or girl with any sense idea that you would like to attain success, honor, in fluence. In fact, all young people have this idea. at all will first try the other way, which is to tackle But practically 90 out of every 100 fail liecause they the difficulties as they come and be their master in lack the backbone to overcome difficulties, the hard stead of their servant. Master the problems or knotty things which present themselves on the way. And questions in your school work and realize the joy of why is it a fact that so many dodge the difficult things victory—see how strong you will be for the next day ’s work. Master those hard things faithfully until it as they come up? Because it is the easy way. becomes a habit. Then see how strong your mind Judging by my own experience when I was a school has become, how you jump ahead in your work, how boy, the first thing that occurred to me in the morn you grow to be a master instead of a nonentity. Try ing was a intricate problem in mathematics, science or this habit of honest effort; commence right now this translation, which I found difficult to handle, or obstacle-conquering habit, and if it fails you then go tome knotty question concerning my work. In order back to the weak method of surrendering to difficulties to solve the problem or master the lesson it would and take your place with the great mass of people who take a couple of hours or more, while it would take accepted defeat for being helpless, as this helpless hab but a few minutes to get my parents or a teacher to it begins early and it grows. It commences by dodg help me out. To yield to the latter method was ing responsibility, with a desire to unload your work mighty easy; to resist and do the work myself was onto someone else: by never doing a thing that is hard. It follows that the surrender to obstacles and not required of you. Never broaden your mind by hard wrork is the general rule and successful resistance study or proper reading, but just drift along. In time the exception. However, here and there you find you will wonder why other boys or girls are getting bo\ s and girls who do overcome obstacles, and who to the front while you are in the rear. keep it up in nearly everything that presents itself to Your mind may have become so stunted through them and who triumph over difficulties. In these students we recognize masters, those who acquire the laziness, and lack of ambition, and inability to think conquering habit, and we find this class of students right, that you lay all the blame for your failures on rejoicing in their strength, which comes from repeat your teacher, your department, your school, for you will not have enough discernment to know that it is ed victories. absolutely all in yourself and you alone. Habitually mastering difficulties places a student on So, students, cultivate strength, determination a sure road to overcome all obstacles in whatever vo cation he engages, and the large majority of fellows rather than weakness, and in time take your places in who weakly yield when difficulties arise are the very the company of the strong men and women—the material on which the conquering man builds. There world’s helpers of today. are two ways to deal with hard things: One is to “ How much are potatoes worth now?” give up, yield to that lazy feeling; give up mathema “ They’re worth no more than they ever were, but tics on account of the study being hard; pass your lessons up generally, and give up a fight which would they’re costing about six times as much.” OVERCOME OBSTACLES
