JY on Ambition (school paper)

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Ambition

We are living at a time when to be young is one of the proudest things in the world. The world is going to be a fine place to live in when we grow up. What are you going to do in it? Are you going to push your way through until you come to another life or are you going to make yourself know to the world?

The Greatest task set before us in the days of our youth is to prepare ourselves for work that is to come in future years. We must be able to do our work well and not be quitters. Nothing can keep us back if we mean to go forward. Waiting for us are open doors that will lead to success. Make up your mind what you want to do, put faith in yourself and then go ahead.

There are low ambitions and high ambitions but to be a success we should have a high ambition and follow Emerson's words 'Let us hitch our wagon to a star.' You may live in a small country town and have not seen the many wonders of the world or have not had access to good Books but this should not keep you back if you mean to go forward. Some of the greatest men of the world such as Edison, Lincoln, and Henry Ford were once handicapped in a similar manner but they had a high ambition and set their minds to going forward. Desireing a high ambition and a good position you should follow the following formula. A well spent youth, evenings of recreation and study, Good companions, Good Literature, a definite idea of what you want to do and a belief that you will be what you make yourself. From Shakespeare's Julius Caesar we get the following quotation:

'Tis a common proof, that lowliness is
Young Ambition's ladder,
Whereto the climber upward turns his face
but when he once obtains the upmost round,
He then unto the ladder turns his back,
Looks in the clouds, scorning the base degrees
By which he did ascend.

Then too there are those who seek a low ambition. These persons are those who can be seen loafing every evening, not having any desire to see the things of the world or to become know. Men found in prisons and poorhouses give you the sure recipe for failure. A carless, carfree school life, wasted evenings, reading of undesirable literature, bad companions and living 15 to 20 yr. without a definite Idea of what they wanted to do. This recipe has never been know to fail. A famous man once said "as you are in boyhood, so shall your manhood be." Almost every time failure can be traced to one thing to boys and girls shutting out opportunities.

The next thing in order are the qualities we need in going thru the world. Everything must be done with a definite purpose, we must have an aim in life. We must also make up our minds what we want to do and then go ahead. In all things we must be honorable, for dishonor never gets us anywhere. You want to be that kind of boy or girl that men and women can trust. Do not give yourself so many things to do that you cannot do any of them well. Do not be a jack of all trades and master of none, but take one particular thing and do it well. We must have determination; if we start a thing we must believe that it can be carried out. There have been many men who said that the conviences we have today were utterable impossible. People thought that it was impossible to have railroads or steamship lines. Sir Walter Scott once said that a man was an idiot to think that London or any other city could be lighted by gas. But someone discovered that gas could be used and today as we all know London and all cities of the world are lighted by a greater thing even than Gas, electricity.

In every country there are two classes of people those who keep its honor and those who spoil its name. As citizens of this country we should belong to the honorable class, be capable and anxious for nothing but good. We must think that this is the best of all countries and be proud of it which has given us more than we can ever repay. By so doing you will serve your country, love your companions, and have success in the world.

In closing a few lines from the distinguished English writer Adelaide Proctor:

Rise! For the Day is passing,
and you lie dreaming on.
The others have buckled their armour,
and fourth to the fight are gone.
A place in the ranks awaits you,
Each man has some part to play.
The past and the future are nothing,
In the face of the stern today.