EDITORIAL The Spirit of Christmas Joy It is the one great pleasure of the year to wish you "A Joyous Christmas." May we, one and all, be filled with that indescribable love that reigns through Christmas tide. The law of change is the secret of happiness, and the joy that never ends is woven of mingled strands of labor and repose, society and solitude, music and silence. So Yuletide trips in with her secrets of happiness. Then may smiles and love be our foremost Christmas gift. Let them be tokens of personal thought and feelings of unselfish interest in the happiness of others. The shepherds who were watching their flocks through the calm, peaceful night on the hillside plains of Judea were filled with a most glorious peace and happiness as they listened to the heavenly strains of "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace, good will toward men." We wish our message to our friends and fellow-men to be one of this same universal peace. But through all this rejoicing let us remember that while we are away, Dear Old Weber slumbers in Christmas solitude, awaiting our return when she will embrace us within her strong, old motherly walls. Then let us ever remember that we are her students, that we shall stand by her as we would stand by our mother. We should conduct ourselves in such a way that we may return at the beginning of the New Year with renewed interest and a determniation to make our Alma Mater more proud of us than ever before. The ACORN, through its Christmas publication, wishes to extend to all its readers, advertisers and patrons, happiness and joy throughout the year. ACORN 13 Knockers Every time the "Acorn" appears there are certain fellows who begin to "knock" its contents. "That's a 'rotten' story," or "why did you print that picture?" or "why don't you get some good jokes?" and many other unfavorable comments are made. Now the Acorn is supposed to be a representative paper and every fellow in school has a chance to make it a successful one, but it generally happens that the habitual "knockers" are the ones who neither can nor will do anything for it themselves. They delight in giving adverse criticism but are afraid to receive it. We are endeavoring to please the majority of our readers, and therefore it is an impossibility to meet in every detail the approval of every individual. We are not conceited and do not think that our paper is anywhere near the point of perfection, but we do our best with the material that is handed in. It seems that in every high school paper the Literary Department is the weakest part and it is to this department that the most time and space is usually given. Students, if you want to see the "Acorn" maintain the high standard in the future that it has in the past, get in and write something for it and you will surely be repaid for your effort. Courage Courage is that strength of character within us which makes us strong in determination and ever ready to stand up for what we think is just. You will find that wherever such a person is, he is respected by all who come in contact with him, not only because he is a very good man, but because he is one who can conquer himself. Courage does not only consist in doing brave things, but in conquering ones self. People who conquer themselves are as great heroes as men who have conquered nations. Columbus was a great hero because he stood firm in his belief that the earth was round, notwithstanding all the ridicule that he was subjected to, and finally was able to prove it to all the world. Beside physical courage there is another kind, moral courage. This courage is as powerful in its own way as physical courage, but differs from it greatly. It does not consist in going out and conquering men by force but rather by good example. Moral courage makes a person brave enough to stand by the right and scorn evil.