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The Chemaw
Printed at Chemawa,
Vol. XXVII
Oregon, and Devoted to the Interests of Indian Education
Wednesday, January 20, 1926
THE WASTERS
Students, and readers, time wasters are everywhere.
It is said that lost wealth maybe 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 One hour a day withdrawn from frivolous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
ot 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. What young person here at Chemawa is too
busy with fun and diversion, or too indolent to employ
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 ca
reers of young people. Waste of time means waste
of energy, waste of vitality, waste of character. It
means the waste of opportunities which will never re
turn again. It means the difference between a person
of high aims or no aims at all.
True success lies in acting well your part, and this
everyone 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 who 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, andean do it better than any-one else, will
succeed. No-one can pursue a worthy object persist
ently 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 ideas and thus
hit the target instead of aiming at no fixed goal.
No. 17
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 attempting. A great success
may have its source in expectation, in self-confidence,
and in persistent endeavor to attain it. No matter how
great the ability, how large the genius, the achieve
ment will never rise higher than the confidence. Self
faith has mastered more obstacles, overcome more diffi
culties, and carried through to a finish more enter
prises than has any other human 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 stubbornly toward
the goal that the doubts and fears which hinder and
frighten the other fellow get out of his way.
If you go about with an acknowledgement of in
feriority showing in your face and manner, if every -
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