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MAT
o
The Chemaw a A m erica n
P r i n t e d a t C h e m a w a , O r e g o n , a n d D e v o t e d to t h e I n t e r e s t s o f I n d i a n E d u c a t i o n
Vol. X X III
W ednesday, N ovem ber 24, 1920
THE W A STER S
Students, and readers, time wasters are everywhere.
It is said that lost wealth may be regained by economy
and industry, lost knowledge by study, lost health by
temperance, exercise and care, but lost time is gone
forever. One hour a day withdrawn from frivolous
pursuits and profitably employed would enable a person
of ordinary capacity to be well informed in ten years.
An hour a day might make all the difference between
bare existence and useful, happy living. Consider,
then, the mighty possibilities staring at each of our
Chemawa students who have at least ten hours each
day for self-culture.
Some young people pick up a good education in the
odds and ends of time which others carelessly throw’
away. W hat young person here at Chemawa is too
busy with fun and diversion, or too indolent to em
ploy his hours for self-improvement? No-one is
anxious about a young man or woman while they are
busy at useful work. The great majority of youths
go to the bad during leisure hours—if they go at all.
Evenings, holidays and vacations are periods of crisis
in the careers of young people. Waste of time means
waste of energy, w’aste of vitality, waste of character.
It means the waste of opportunities which will never
return again. It means the difference between a per
son of high aims or no aims at all.
True success lies in acting well your part, and this
every one can do. Better be a first-rate coal shoveler
than a second-rate anything. Everybody hates botched
and half- finished work. It is thus with those who
talk big but accomplish little. The great difference
between those who strive to succeed and progress and
those W’ho take no interest does not consist in the
amount of work done by each, but in the amount of
intelligent work or study. The man who knows one
thing well, and can do it better than any-one else, will
succeed. No-one can pursue a worthy object persis
tently without succeeding.
We tell our young people to aim high, but we sug
gest that our students be very careful at the same
time to aim at what they wish to hit, for a general
purpose is not enough. You must think and plan
and then work to your program—follow out your
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ideas and thus hit the target instead of aiming at no
fixed goal.
It is ever the persons who believe in their own ideas;
who can think and act without a crowd back of them;
who are not afraid to stand alone; who are bold, orig
inal, resourceful, who have courage and grit, that ac
complish things. We believe no human being ever
yet made a complete success in trying to be somebody
else, no matter how great or successful that person
might have been. Success is original. No imitator
ever amounted to anything until he stopped copying,
imitating, and began to be himself. The person with
an idea is wanted everywhere. The world is looking
for the man with original force—a force which is coiled
up inside of you—your energy, your pluck, your grit,
your determination, your originality, your character.
A really progressive student does not care how
other students employ their time at frivolous pursuits
so far as its influence on him is concerned. All the
comforts, conveniences and pleasures, and we may
say, luxuries, of modern living were conceived in the
brains of men and women who were bold enough to
break away from the crowd and in spite of difficulties,
opposition, influence and ridicule established a sys
tem, as related to their preparation for life’s work,
that pushed them forward to success and power.
An overmastering faith in yourself will enable you
to do marvelous things—feats which sensitive, doubt
ing people shrink from attem pting. A great success
may have its source in expectation, in self-confidence,
and in persistent endeavor to attain it. No m atter
how great the ability, how large the genius, the
achievement will never rise higher than the confi
dence. Self-faith has mastered more obstacles, over
come more difficulties, and carried through to a finish
more enterprises than has any other hum an quality.
There is something in the atmosphere of boys or girls
who have a large and true estimate of themselves,
who believe that they are going to win out. Obstacles
vacate the path of the vigorous, positive, determined
person—his mental attitude seems to be set so stub
bornly toward the goal that the doubts and fears which
hinder and frighten the other fellow get out of his
way.
(Continued on page 4)