Chester High School - Flamstead Challenge Yearbook (Chester, VT)

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FLAMSTEAD CHALLENGE 7 THE VALUE OF MUSIC Henry Trombley Richard Wagner once said: The language of tones belongs equally to all mankind, and melody is the absolute language in which the musician speaks to every heartf' How true this is when we think back to a concert which we have attended. Some musical numbers make us laugh, others make us sad. The composer truly has to be careful when composing a song, opera, hymn or what-have-you, to put in the right chromatics, tempo and the other musical terms that are necessary in the work. Then, someone has to play this music. These people must always be on the alert, watching for the expressions and being positive that they carry out the idea set in the number by the composer. Students in high school, or any grade for that matter, can start their begin- nings of musical knowledge while they are in school. If they learn what the different expressions mean, then they are able to understand a composition more fully. Chester High has been fortunate in that it has such a wonderful music pro- gram. Everyone who takes part in the program, including the teachers, enjoys every bit of the time spent with music. Much value is derived from each minute used to the advantage of music. Perhaps the most important value is that music appreciation is much grea-ter than before. If a student learns to play an instrument, he always retains the ability to play the instrument and can fall back on playing the instrument if for some reason he cannot make a success of the career he has chosen. Recently the newspapers announced that C. Petrillo said, If your child wants to become a musician, discourage him unless he is a genius. Good musicians are always needed to fill in the places that are left vacant by the death of musicians or other reasons. With reasonable practice every day, any boy or girl can become a fairly good musician. If every boy and girl could play some instrument, most of the petty things that make this world of ours as bad as it is would disappear. Let's everyone of us be most grateful for the things we have here in C. H. S. All the programs and clubs that are carried on in school are developing our char- acter and personality. Music, surely, has as great, if not a greater, role than the rest. TAKE IT FOR GRANTED! Cecil Waldo, '49 How many people today realize the value of their American heritage? Not many! Do we as Americans evaluate our health, prosperity and general welfare to the fullest extent? If any of us are sick we take it for granted -that the doctor will come and administer a few cc.'s of penicillin-which has been perfected by scientists-and we'll soon be up and around. Not so long ago we would have lain in bed, sick and racked with fever, not knowing which 'breath would be the last. Today we take too much for granted. We think it only natural that we can go across the street, enter the store and then come out with what we want. It's only natural that the boy next door will grow up to be a man and not have to die at a young age simply because there is no cure for his sickness.

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6 FLAMSTEAD CHALLENGE EDITCDRIALS CAN THERE BE WORLD PEACE? Barbara Jeffrey The most important and talked-of question in the world today is: Can there be world peace? Of course all of us like to fool ourselves and say, Of course there can beg there has to be. I do not like to take the pessimistic side of the question, but look at it this way: Nations are still arguing over trivial little matters like boundary lines, neigh- bors are still not speaking to each other, families are still having their little dis- putes over such matters as wills and so on, children are still fighting with each other over a toy or a piece of candy. 4 There is still race prejudice in the world today-more, I'l1 venture to say, in the United States than in any other country in the world. There is more greed, craft and cut-throat competition. I do not say competition is not good, it is, for it keeps a producer on his toes trying to make better products than his competitors, but when competition gets so that one company will use unlawful means in order to Put its product across as best, then competition ceases to do its good work and becomes dangerous. I say that if neighbors in one small town cannot live together in peace and harmony, if families cannot live together, if races cannot live together in one coun- try, how can there be peace in the world? We of the graduating class, of every graduating class, have a job to do-a job that will take us one step at least toward world peace. We must not let our- selves speak falsely against our neighbors, our families, our friends. We must be tolerant to all people, youngiand old, black or white, rich or poor, we must be forgiving and forgetting. , We have a long, hard job to do, but the way that leads to good things is not easy. Many -times we will want to turn back, some of us will, but still others must go plodding on until at last our goal is reached. Then when families can live together, races, and countries, in harmony, then and only then can world peace be achieved. I think it is. a goal worth striving for.

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3 FLAMSTEAD CHALLENGE We take it for granted that we will continue to live and, work here in our country without any interference from Communists, or Nazis. We just don't realize how easy life is for us. We don't have to work from early morn until late at night clearing the land or building a continent or nation. And yet we complain. We don't like the food we get, the prices we have to pay, the clothes we wear and the taxes we have to pay. What's the matter with us? Are we getting soft? Could we endure the hardships of crossing the plains in a covered wagon.? Would we be willing to spend a winter at Valley Forge under the same conditions that Washington had to face, for twen-ty-two cents a month? I should say not. We are used to having things easy. We don't know the dan- gers and -tears which were overcome for us. We had better gain a better knowledge of what our American heritage is and try to build a better one for posterity. IS THE MARSHALL PLAN THE WAY TO SECURE WORLD PEACE? Mary Bentley, '49 The second world war ended nearly three years ago. Is a third world war evident? There are several war stricken countries in Europe. They need help, but how? The Marshall Plan, proposed by Secretary of State Marshall, seems the most lo-gical method of giving aid. The Marshall Plan is to have sixteen countries in western Europe specify what products they have and what products they can exchange with one another. Then they are to state what products or goods they need from the United States, and what ones they can exchange with the United States. Those who oppose this idea state that the United States cannot afford to give so much aid, for it will drain our resources too much. Still others say that by aiding these countries we will establish them on a footing so that we -may be enveloped in a third world war. If this should occur, what will happen to the world? There are people, a large number, no doubt, who: support the Marshall Plan. They sta-te that we cannot have lasting prosperity in this country unless the rest of the world is prosperous. If these countries arenlt helped, how can they pur- chase products from the United States and how can we trade with them? By aiding these countries in establishing a high standard of living we destroy one great cause of war-poverty and discontentment. They also say that in the future these countries may turn to Russia for leadership, and if they turn against us, it may cost us more to defend ourselves than the Marshall Plan will cost. All the above is true, and I can say that I agree with certain parts of the Marshall Plan. Giving aid to foreign countries is worthwhile, especially as we will be able to trade with these countries and have them on our side should another war arise. But I also disagree with some points. What about some of the people here in the United States? There are several people who need help right here at home. High prices make it hard for some peope to purchase enough food and other supplies to make their living. When this plan is carried out, I believe that it should be carefully watched and supervised to see that it isn't carried into the wrong hands or carried on to the harm of this country. Only through understanding and co-operation can world peace be obtained and a third world war avoided. ,