Classical High School - Classic Myths Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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Q assi c Ofnyfhs guide a nationis growth across a continent, and, with this accomplished, was threatened by enticements of gold and power. Not without good cause did Clarence McCartney cry, '4Empire and military glory lure us on, but above their siren songs I hear voices of the past crying to us from across the ages. From dungeons, from martyrs' stakes, from all the battlefields that scar man's upward path, countless voices acljure us to be faithful to our trustf, Let us remember that the Constitution had to accept into its fold peoples from many lands with many differences, and the fact that it did so suc- cessfully demonstrates the universality of its nature. Let us recollect the menace of the growth in strength of the Second United States Bank until the question actually arose whether this organization or the government was the more powerful. And we must remember that in destroying slavery and surviving nullification the Constitu- tion suffered the saddest test it could possibly undergoefa bloody Civil War, and, following this plunge into the depths, it weathered the rough waves of reconstruction. And yet, not weakened, but wiser and stronger from its misfortunes, this beacon has led its people to a position of unparalleled prestige and unequalled glory in the history of nations. But what was it,-one may well inquire,fwhat was it the founding fathers had learned from their experiences that enabled them to produce this living code? What was it Jackson and Lincoln and all the great succeeding leaders perceived that em- powered them to preserve this supreme law of the land? What is the reason this form of government has survived while others have risen and fallen? The answer is a simple one. Our chiefs were aware of a great truth. They recognized that secular rights are derived from spiritual rights. Taking their cue from the teachings of religion, they asserted in the Declaration of Independence that all men are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that to secure these rights governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governedf' So it was that the Constitution was made to begin with the words ive the Peoplew when it could quite easily have had as its commencement 'aWe the Statesfi Thus it was that the American Bill of Rights was made to end with the words, MThe powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states, respectively, or to the people? Herein lies the great- ness of the American form of government. The Constitution not only has a body-it has a soul! Yet to-day, l fear, the Constitution faces its sternest trial. From without, we be- hold raging about us hatred, tyranny, and war. ln nations throughout the world, for the sake of false hopes of economic security, men have sacrificed their most precious possession-personal liberty. Dangerous doctrines of classes and masses have arisen, and here lies the threat to America. ln our very midst there are some who would abolish the guardian of the Constitution, the Supreme Court, there are others who fC0ntinzLed on Page 3U Nineteen,

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The Con titution and il Changing World mfhis Constitution for the United States of Aniericaw was the result not of theoretical doctrines or natural desire, of spontaneous determination or continued prosperity, but of a struggle against the consequences of mistakes, of trial, of dis- appointment and pain, of the stern lessons of experience. MWe the People sought to form ua more perfect Union because we had experienced the disadvantages of disuniong we longed to establish justicen and uinsure domestic tranquillityn because we had felt the lash of tyranny and had endured armies in our midst in times of peace, we desired to Mprovide for the common defense and 'gpromote the general welfarew because we had been forced to realize that the prime interest of us all was the same, indeed, the dread rumblings of anarchy were close at hand when the repre- sentatives of the people gathered to try Mto secure the blessingsa' of their hard-won liberty. It was at such an unhappy time that our forefathers had to establish a new form of government in whose eyes all men should be equal-and the only predeces- sors to guide them Were unsuccessful attempts of others, a few gleamings from Roman legal philosophy, and some maxims from the English law which they had so recently found oppressive. Wlell did they know what a mighty task would be the founding of such a government, and they knew, too, that if it proved unsuccessful and short-lived it would be, as Alexander Hamilton said, udisgraced and lost among ourselves, dis- graced and lost to mankind foreverf, Yet, summoning to the task not only all their intellectual brilliance, but remarkable courage, patriotism, and understanding, in the words of James Beck, wllhis people, without shedding a drop of blood, calmly and deliberately abolished one government, substituted another, and erected it upon foun- dations which have hitherto proved enduring. The quality of our great document is made still more amazing when we realize how few have been the changes in its original articles during the more than one hun- dred fifty years of its existence. Only the method of electing President and Senators, and the time of the meetings of Congress have been changed, the powers of Congress have been altered merely to permit the levying of an income tax, while stateis au- thority has been varied only as regards the right of suffrage and the Supreme Court's prerogative to prevent seizure of ulife, liberty, or property without due process of lawf' But the very fact that this production has survived practically in its original form tends to make us forget that the hardships, the difficulties of maintaining it many times were as great as those of creating it. Let us again recall that it had to Eighteen

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We, the Classical class of '40, Being both healthy and sane, And no longer seniors proud and haughty, But graduates, would fain Leave to posterity and our friends Our possessions great and small, 'fStuff we've collected as means to ends Or any old junk at all. To number our many belongings, We fear, ls a task beyond the ken Gf any but mediums or seers, For each of us ladies and men Has property he or she desires To leave behind, or forget, And acquaintances who to wealth aspire, Through us may reach it yet. Though we leave to others our lesser gains, There are things will be preserved, Memories galore of sunshine and rains, And of marks we richly deservcdl The ideas and ideals instilled in our minds By pedagogues great and Wise, The cord of love that to Classical binds Flach one of us, 'fgals and guysfl But people are wondering What they'll get From the departing class. So here you are, stay ready and set, And I'll turn off the gas. We bequeath: Twenty Class Will S9.rma.Ed Bakefz To the school in case the lights go black, 'fZeke Zetterburgls suit and shirt. This 4'sun of Classical had the knack Of flashing till it hurt! To Bob Fitzgerald, one great lover, 'fRomeo Simonian leaves The advice and 'gblack-booksv of another. lt's junk he really believes! Future twirlers in Classicalls band Will use a famous stick, A charmed baton, a fairy Wand, lt's left by Norma Dick. To nerves that tire of Cicero, Of Caesar and of Cato, Wve give realization they'll never know, foe SlLf3l'l7lfLUL,S sweet potato!!! 'aCount Zavw Pachanian's left some- thing, An instrument thatfs Hsuperf' To the band, to make the rafters ring, His giant, polished tuba. To Classical's future romantic pairs We leave a Cupid's Chalice, ln it a draft, a goodly share, Of the faith of John and Alice. Classicalfs athletic teams Have always been the best, So in this testament it seems, 6'Butch, Bennie, and the rest,