Happy New Year
by keithpaugh
I say to you: “Do something”; and when you have done that something, if it works, do it some more; and if it does not work, then do something else. Yes, you young people want action. You believe, as I believe, that the something which needs to be done, can be done.
The vigor of our history comes, largely, from the fact that, as a comparatively young Nation we have gone fearlessly ahead doing things that were never done before. We subdued a wilderness that men said could never be conquered. We established a civilization where others insisted a civilization could not survive.
We did all these things with zest. The very air was exhilarating. We were young; we were getting things done—worthwhile things. And it is part of the spirit of America to believe that now, in our day, we can do equally well in getting things done.
I, for one, do not believe that the era of the pioneer is at an end; I only believe that the area for pioneering has changed. Our country richly endowed today in body, mind and spirit, still has need of many things. But I am certain that one of its chief needs today is the releasing and the enlistment of the spirit of youth.
You ought to thank God tonight if, regardless of your years, you are young enough in spirit to dream dreams and see visions—Hold fast to your dreams.