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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (March 7, 1923)
MAP r; ]9 2 3 The Chem P r in te d a t C h e m a w a , Vol. XXV O re g o n , a n d erican D e v o te d to th o In te r e s ts o f In d ia n E d u c a tio n W ednesday, March 7, 1923 AM BITION M any people seem to th in k th a t am bition is a q u a l ity born w ithin us; th a t it is not susceptible of im prove m en t. B ut we believe stro n g ly th a t w ith a great m any am bition is a laten t q u ality and th a t it requires aro u sin g , aw akening. F o r th a t reason we are con tin u a lly endeavoring to pound into th e heads of our y o u n g people th e need of stim u latin g th a t laten t energy w ith a view to aro u sin g them th a t th ey may b rin g out th e ir la te n t forces. W e th in k it is a passion th a t responds very quickly to cu ltiv atio n , b u t it requires co n stan t care and educa tio n after it is aroused. If we do n o t try to realize o u r am bition it will not keep sh a rp n o r well defined. O u r faculties become dull and soon lose th eir pow er. A great w riter once said: “ W h at I need m ost is som ebody to m ake me do w h at I c a n .” It m akes all th e difference in th e w orld w h eth er you b rin g o u t th e best th in g in yourself, o r th e w orst —w hether you u tilize ten, fifteen, tw enty-five or ninety-five percent of your ability. E very one of o u r young readers have an enorm ous pow er, laten t force, slum bering w ith in them , w hich could w ork m arvels if they w ould only aw aken or arouse it. It m akes all the difference im aginable to you w hether you are w ith people who believe in you, set a good exam ple for you, encourage and praise you, or w hether you are w ith those who are w reck in g your ideals, b lastin g y o u r hopes, th ro w in g cold w ater on your asp iratio n s by their actions, as well as in other w ays. W e have all seen p h o to g rap h s of In d ian boys and g irls as they used to come from th e reservations to our school; and then p h o to g rap h s of th e sam e stu d en ts w hen they grad u ated , w ell-dressed, in tellig en t, w ith th e fire of am bition in th eir eyes. W e predict great th in g s for them . T h ere are, of course, some failures b u t those of stro n g ch aracter resisted th e dow nw ard d rag g in g tendencies of th eir hom e en v iro n m en t and m ade leaders of th em selv ts. W e w ish to observe, how ever, th a t if we could interview the failures we probably w ould find th a t th ey never got into a stim u la tin g environm ent and th eir am bition died, or th a t th ey w ere not stro n g enough to rally u n d er depressing, d isco u rag in g , or vicious su rro u n d in g s. Y oung people, w hatever you do, keep in an am bi No. 20 tio n -aro u sin g atm osphere, an en vironm ent th a t will stim ulate you to self-developm ent. K eep close to people who u n d erstan d you, w ho believe in you, who will help you to discover yourselves. S tick to those who are try in g to do som ething and to be som ebody in th e w orld— people of high aim s, lofty am bitions. Keep close to those w ho are d ead-in-earnest. A m bition is contagious. You will catch th e sp irit th a t dom inates your en v iro n m ent; the success of those about you who are try in g to clim b upw ard will encourage and stim u late you to stru g g le h ard er if you have not done q u ite so well yourself. Are you am bitous? Most of th e th in g s w hich m ake life w orth living, w hich have em ancipated m an from d ru d g e ry and lifted him above th e com m onness and ugliness— the g reat th in g s of life—we owe to am bition. T h e am bitious persons have ever been those w ho have achieved th e seem ingly im possible. T h e ability to lift oneself out of all perplexities, trials, troubles and discordant en v iro n m en ts into an atm osphere of harm ony and beauty and tru th is beyond price. H ow m any of us w ould have h eart enough, hope en o u g h , and courage enough to continue the stru g g le of life w ith enthusiasm if th a t qu ality or power of being am bitious was taken aw ay from us? Being am bitious is especially a ch aracteristic of the typical A m erican. No m atter how poor, or w hat his m isfortune, he is confident, self-reliant, even defiant of fate, because he believes in his am bition and has faith th a t better days are com ing. Ju st in proportion as you m ake y o u r am bition real shall you become stro n g and effective. As each new am bition is realized you are inspired, step by step, to new endeavor. I t is in the pow er to m ake good your am bition th a t you will find th e hope of th is w orld. E nco u rag e your visions an d believe in them . C herish them and striv e to m ake them real. A spiration is the hand th a t points us to th e road th a t leads heavenw ard. As y o u r vision is so your life will be. T h e g reat th in g , y o u n g m en and w om en, is to try and fashion your lives after the p attern show n each of you in the m om ents of y o u r highest in sp ira tion; to m ake your highest m om ent p erm anent.
