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About The Chemawa American (Chemawa, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1930)
CHEM AWA« AMERICAN Printed at Chemawa, Oregon, and Devoted to the Interests of Indian Education Wednesday, Nov. 5, 1930 Vol. XXXII FAITH IN OURSELVES (From Heart to Heart Talks) Uy T he S uperintendent To believe one’s self capable of accomplishing any reasonable undertaking is the first essential of success in anything. Faith in ourselves is even more impor tant than native ability, for with self-confidence, self poise, and serene self-reliance no task is too great and no ambition too high to be beyond the possibility of accomplishment by anyone of reasonable intelligence and untiring industry. We must believe ourselves capable of great things and then strive with all the power of our might to realize the object of our desire. What has been done can be done again, and what others have accomplished you can accomplish, pro vided, of course, you believe in yourself and back up that belief with all the courage and determination of a soul zealously seeking to satisfy its righteous yearn ings for achievement. Who is the harbinger of that thing we call success, who determines it, and how may it be won? Is there a Supreme Intelligence who marks each one for suc cess or failure at birth and follows up, step by step, each individual, here Dieting out to one individual good, and there giving to another evil? Or, do we all come under that same great general law which pro claims each one a master of his own destiny and the builder of his own future? Surely there is justice for the just, honor for the upright, and reward for the deserving. Then, who determines whether or not our ambitions shall be realized, our hopes sustained, and our ideals achieved? The answer is, ourselves. We are the architects of our own fate; we build our own fortunes; we limit our own achievements. Do you ever become discouraged? Of course you do. Have you ever experienced disappointment. Certainly you have. Every person of ambition be comes discouraged at times and also meets with disap pointments. These are not important in themselves. The important thing with you is that you do not per mit discouragements and disappointments to weaken your efforts or lessen your determination. Rather, they should urge you on to greater effort and point the way to victory. An editorial writer, in a recent issue of his paper, gives us this by way of encouragement: Has disappointment come to you? Have you failed in what you had most set your heart on? Have you lost faith in those you trusted most? No. 9 Well, don’t be downcast; don’t give up; don’t lose faith. After all, there is but one question which is really vital to you—do you believe in yourself? If you have this belief, strong and steady, it will urge you to your goal just as surely as the magnetic force draws the steel to the magnet. What if you are now in bard luck? Many a great achieve ment has been left undone because a man was too rich to keep at it. Poverty really is more prolific than prosperity. Great ideas and great achievements, like the photo negative, must have time in dark rooms to develop. Every step upward in the splendid march to success is based on belief in self. Don't begrudge your years of poverty and struggle; they are the richest of life. They are the years in which you give no energy and thought to making a show; and in which the best there is in you is growing stronger than the obstacles in your path, stronger than the limitations that shut jou in. It is faith in ourselves that reveals the pleasing visions of the world’s comforts and blessings and places them within our grasp. It is faith in ourselves that bids discouragement and doubt take the wings of the morning and fly to distant climes beyond our horizon. It is faith in ourselves that causes the mists to clear away, and the sun of hope to dispel the dark ness and the gloom when the night of discourage ment would draw its curtains of despondency about us. Faith in ourselves bears us up and carries us on when doubt would assail and visions of failure dismay. Faith springing eternal in our breasts preserves our enthusiasm undiminished and bids us endure the pangs of misfortune and bide our time, believing as we do that the sun shines for us also. Therefore, have faith in yourself and be diligent; then shall victory be in your right hand and the fruits of success in your left; the joy of a useful life shall be your recompense, and the esteem and respect of all good men your inheritance. THE PICTURE IS ALL WRONG It is always refresh’ng for us to read an article where it is evident that, Poor L,o, if he is the subject, is get ting a square deal. Under the above caption a recent issue of the Seward (Alaska) Daily Gateway has the following to say: We have heard much about the terrible conditions among the natives and Indians of the Westward; of their alleged low morals, drunkenness, sickness and ig norance, so we w’ere quite prepared to view with pity these things upon our visit among them last summer. We w’ere not exactly disappointed but w’e were greatly surprised to note a total lack of all those things. We saw three drunk and they were whites. We saw some sickness, yes, but not more than w’ould be found elsewhere; of ignorance we saw’ none.
