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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 16, 1925)
The Chemawa American ¿13 Printed at Chemawa, MAT S Oregon, and Devoted to the Interests of Indian Educate on CQPY^J956 Vol. XXVII Wednesday, December 16, 1925 A HIGH PURPOSE Young people, if a high purpose at Chemawa is your starting point and the all-conquering motive, no time must be lost in proving it. Now is the time— right now! The decisive time with every one is when his ambition is fired and his will takes command. Un til then, impulses, freaks, indifference, perhaps lazi ness, rules. Must we admit that with the great ma jority of young people the higher ambition is never fired at all? We admit that soft surroundings stifle motive and paralyze effort. It is said, with some truth, that our Indian schools do not require sufficient self-denial and sustained effort on the part of a student, because it all comes too easily; that a good many who attend our schools simply drift; a comparative few with manhood and womanhood of the higher type realize their oppor tunities and take full advantage of them. Laziness is natural and easy; labor is hard. Candidly, now, do you think the effort required to fit you for something in life is worth while? High character costs some thing. If it was money, and if the school, or father or mother would pay it, by all means have it. But suppose it means hard, unflinching intellectual work and denial of a lot of things that you like? Why, of course, then it comes too high. The greater number seem inclined to reject the terms. They will not pay the price. Here and there a strong boy or girl, with faith in himself and his undeveloped powers, sets a high aim before himself, summons his will to the command and goes forward. After the aim is focused on the purpose of using every opportunity to advance and work is started character begins to build. If the purpose is a high one the ambitious student will attain his end much more readily by knowing how best to use the means at his command. There is one powerful aid that should be seized at the very outset; it will work for one early and late, never tiring, never varying, and stops only when life ceases; either for good or evil, and it is hard to shake off if you conclude at any time that you’ve had enough of it. What is it—this aid? It is “habit.” It is very easy to form or prevent a habit, but very hard to break one when formed. If any of our readers No. 13 doubt this let them try out on that habit which they “Can stop at any time.” It is positively vital that you form correct habits and crush bad ones right at the start—and right now is the time to inventory your stock of habits, good or bad, and weed out the latter. The longer a habit is tolerated the more hopeless is the uprooting of it. Here are some things which should be formulated into a habit: Think carefully on every subject in connection with your class and in dividual work, assimilating the knowledge that comes from observation, study and reading; be as correct as as you know how to be in conversation and manner; keep regular hours and take physical culture exercises; practice industry and economy, and use method in work of every kind. It is is needless to say that the opposite of each of these good habits—slipshod thinking, careless ob servation and reading, lack of physical exercise and regular hours, laziness, and so on—is easier to crystal- ize than the right and helpful way. So it behooves the young man or woman who wants this potent in fluence of habit to work for them in the struggle to reach the top to stop every bad habit, to rally the full force of their will and crush it out. In like manner let them patiently, persistently, plant, cultivate and nourish the habits that help until they are unalterably fixed and become sure companions for life. It has been said that “time is the stuff of which life is made. ’ ’ Every one of our young people have exactly the same amount of it in a year. One improves it and reaps great results; another wastes it and reaps failure. The first is called lucky; the second unfortunate, and the unfortunate form the mass of mankind everywhere, it should be noted. So, to use your time rightly, shape everything to it, and then make things go that way. This scheme will go to pieces quickly unless backed up by a persistent purpose and a determination that wins. When you work, mean work—live work. Put your whole mind and heart into it. Know nothing else. Do everything the best possible; distance everybody about you. This will not be hard, for the majority of the other fellows are not trying very hard. Always be ready for the (Continued on page 4)
