The Gavelyte, April 1912

CEDA ' \ ' lLLE COLLEGE 2\H I t was Shake spea r, who, in " Haml et ', made Polonius say to hi s son, Lea rtes, who was lea ving home . " fhi above all : to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night th e day, thou can t not then b e fals e to any man." This is ad vise wh ich well mi ght be g iven by fath e rs o f the twentieth century, to their so ns and daughters, and if foll owed it wo uld give to the world many mo re men and women of ideal characters who would not go against the dictates of con science even tho not to do so might mean the loss of po ition or social presti ge. And what is it, to be tru e to one's self, but to foll ow that inner, God given law that not on ly acts as a perfect will of life but also brings commendation when we succe ed a id puni shmen t when we fail to obey the still small voice which we call conscience, the commend at1 on coming as increased power and pleasure in doing the right and t he puni shment as weakened capacities and increasing suffering if we pe rsist in the wrong. In otlier word s what is it, to be t ru e to one's self but to be true to God, the creator and mora l Gove rno r who not only madt! us but who e lse established the laws ot nat ure and in our own physical and mental make -up and who be– sides this assists us in con formi ng ou r lives to these laws. Let us then endeavor to di scover these laws. Let us try to find th~ place for which we are best fit ted, and then strive to make our lives ht the divine mold, or rather, let us end eavor to know one real selves and then be true to that self in tliat, word , and d eed.