Article April 27, 1940 Issue

Taking the Hurdle

[Written Especially for Young People]

WILLIAM JOHN CORLEY

All young people are familiar with the periodical tests which are made in school to discover how they have responded to training. Often the thought of these tests causes considerable anxiety to scholars. They may have a good understanding of their work, but the necessity of proving it creates an atmosphere of fear; and the result is sometimes failure. Other students enter the examination rooms with confidence. They do not doubt their ability to meet the demands of the examiner, and they face the situation fearlessly. The tests may be likened to hurdles in school sports. Some are able to clear them with ease, while to others they present a formidable barrier.

A young student of Christian Science worked hard and conscientiously at school, but he frequently failed in the examinations. The tests were too much for him, and he was a great disappointment to his teachers. From an early age he nursed an ambition to become a marine engineer, and the time came for him to continue his studies at a specialized school. Here he found a hurdle which seemed much more difficult than any he had met before. The course of study was expensive, and the family had struck a period of severe financial strain. It seemed that the proposed career would have to be abandoned unless he could win a scholarship. With the memory of his past experiences and the doubts of his teachers, it seemed useless to make the attempt, and the future was faced with very disturbed thoughts.

However, with the encouragement and guidance of a friendly schoolmaster, the student started training. He worked with energy and determination, sat for the examination and failed. Brushing aside disappointment, he continued his studies; he entered for another examination and failed again. Young people with similar experiences fresh in their memories will understand how unhappy he was. He seemed to be enveloped in an impenetrable gloom.

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