Academy of the Holy Angels - Echoes Yearbook (Fort Lee, NJ)

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as 3 gli. 6 as ,ff VX if v sfi fair, s- 29 A ' 'M in-93 ! . llll n I ,C-Y i. .i L ge, fi ' a xxmxxx kxxx aww , x vu who exercised such wisdom and foresight in the framing of the Constitution? Why, then, do we not use that prudence in amending that precious document and in maintaining the the government it has so securely established? Why do we, in our ignorance, persist in choosing for ourselves biased leaders, and allow them even to seek to instill into our minds their own perverted ideas-ideas that will prove to be only a menace to that freedom which we are now permitted to enjoy? Prudence tells us that we have but ourselves to blame. lt has been said that the Constitution has changed in the spirit with which men regard it, and therefore in its own spirit. Change, we know, is inevitable, if it is to adapt itself to the conditions of a new age, yet, are we warranted in allowing it to change for the worse? Is it not, rather, our duty to safeguard and to protect the sacred trust handed down to us? Franklin says: Our Constitution is in actual operation, everything appears to promise it will last, but in this world, nothing is certain but death and taxes. Although not overfproud, the framers built the Constitution better than they knew. True to ap' pearances, it has lasted these long years. Are we now to allow it to decay rather than further insure its safety? As at the entrance to our glorious harbor stands forever the symbol of our liberty, so at the very threshold of our own American Government stands the Constitution-the true fulfillment of that symbol. Let us never lose faith in or love for the Constitution of our Fathers. Let it not be merely written with ink on parchment, but, with flaming letters let it be engraven deep in our hearts. Then, if the thoughtlesslyfadded work of present generations totters and falls, the foundation will yet stand, it will not fail, but will remain despite the present inf difference of its citizens and the restless spirit of an impatient age, facing the unknown future, a noble ruin of the Temple of Liberty and Justice. -GRACE M. CHRIST, '28 My Lady Moon On summer nights she brightly gleams, My lovely Lady Moon, A golden ball with drifting beams, My lovely Lady Moon. On winter nights, a silver sheath, My lovely Lady Moon, Glows gently on the snow beneath, My lovely Lady Moon. A ray of heaven's own bright light, My lovely Lady Moon, Floats softly o'er my pillow, white, My 'lovely Lady Moon. And when tonight your fair face beams, My lovely Lady Moon, Of you, my love, will be my dreams, My lovely Lady Moon. -CLAIRE R. POHLY, '28 68

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4 if I-gg., 5 A 'C' ECHOES Ei i s 1'9'Qf'8 is . , . , if 2 S 19 F, J lllllllllllllllllllllllllllla 5 iii , The Constitution Let us hail it as that which has served the cause of human freedom and world democf racy as no other doctrine has ever done-our Constitution! By its adoption, our country passed, without civil revolution or military dictatorship, from probable anarchy to order, from weakness to strength, from death to life. It far surpasses the landmarks of democracy in all other countries, although they were laid years before it. As first established, the Constitution was intended to be the strong, wellflaid foundaf tion upon which future generations were to build an imposing and noble edifice, the Temple of Liberty and Justice. The comparatively small assembly that met to enter upon that stupendous task of drawing up the Constitution consisted of men of great political wisdom and foresight. It was not an assembly of demifgodsfas Jefferson would make it, it did not embody most of the wisdom and resourcefulness in the land-it was a gathering of diverse types-it consisted of men of different abilities, different temperamentsg and widely different ex' periences, and therein lay its strength. Was it not said at that time that the genius of republican liberty seems to demand that all power should be derived from the people? This, then, was the task that faced them-to establish a Constitution that would hold the interests of its own people as para' mount, to establish a workable document that would meet the emergency that demanded support at once, and one that could be adapted to the needs of the futureg briefly, one for all the people for all the time. The Constitution, as it left the hands of its framers, was not entirely satisfactoryg therefore it contained a provision by which any unforeseen future condition might be remedied-the provision for its own amendment to meet the demands and needs of any age. The Constitution is without precedent in the manner in which it has withstood the ravages of time and developed and enlarged itself in many ways, the foremost being by laws, by judicial interpretations, by usage, and principally by its amendments. People have maintained of late that our government is a government of laws and not of men. Yet, the Constitution, as it was drawn up, stands for government by the people. It is the people themselves, according to its provisions, who make the laws by which they themselves are to be governed. Is it, then, the fault of these foundation' builders that the succeeding generations, restless and impatient instead of steadfast and true, as their forefathers had been, have added hastily, thoughtlessly, and uncertainly to their most noble beginnings? As the leaders of the State are, so will be the State itself. If the laws passed and the amendments of recent years added to the Constitution have not met the expectations or fulfilled the desires of the people, is it not the fault of the people themselves who have elected the leaders and thus indirectly made the laws? The Constitution of the United States ranks above every other written Constitution for its simplicity, brevity, and precision of language. It is by this very simplicity of lan' guage that we are made to understand that it stands for freedom. Freedom is its one great cry. Freedom of life and liberty, freedom in the pursuit of happiness, freedom of religion! Do we not consider ourselves as prudent as those able and conscientious men of our country 67

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4 41 -1- B Q Z? ' ' '51 ECHOES cr iggrfigi mgse rs 1-9-9.'8 ra K , 1, ' 2 s 9 X ,. lIIlllllllllIl1llllllllllllh i 75 if V J' 'Xi' A x5 E,f g9,,uxnxx x,.X m vmumnn-us nu Glory, at What Price? Seated in a luxurious apartment in the beautiful City of Washington were two noted scientists-a man and a woman. They were discussing the importance of a discovery the latter had just made. A success! Why, my dear Miss Merton, this will bring the whole scientific world to your feet. For centuries, scientists have endeavored to produce this element in the laboratory and have failed. But, I don't+ Their conversation was cut short by the entrance of several newspaper reporters who had come to learn from her own lips the story of Miss Merton's career. She consented, much to their satisfaction. The next morning millions of newspaper readers scanned the story which had been elaborated by the reporters, but which Miss Merton had told in the following simple words: From the time I entered high school my greatest ambition was to be a chemist and, eventually, a great scientist. Accordingly, after my graduation, I pursued the study and in time received my degree in science. All sorts of offers came to me, and I finally decided to accept a government position in Washington. Since then I have worked and experif mented almost incessantly to accomplish this result, and at last I have succeeded-and far beyond my highest expectations. This was the story of her scientific career,but she did not tell what had been sacrificed to gain this success. Her faith, her most cherished possession in girlhood days, had long since been lost, due to the influence of her worldly companions and neglect of the advice given her while in school. Ik Ik Pk The scene changes to an island far away. On a rustic bench in the coolest spot in the garden sat a blackfrobed nun, resting after her day's work in the blazing sun. Her thoughts flew back to the scenes of her girlhood when she was about to graduate from high school. Her eyes grew misty with memories, and she pictured herself at school once more, listening to the advice of her teacher. But I am sure I have no vocation. I wasn't made for that life. It is too hard. You cannot be certain now, child. Wait and pray, or you will regret it later. The months flew by and Commencement Day came-so joyful, yet so sad! There was Mass in the morning and the graduation exercises in the afternoon-so beautiful, so solemn! The exercises came to a close and the procession of whitefgowned girls moved slowly down the aisle, and then-the fond farewells to teachers and classmates. 69