Erasmus Hall High School - Arch Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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Message from the Edltors Eellow Students, ' We have tried to incorporate in this issue of the Arch a few of the ways we feel about Erasmus. First, there is the feeling of BELONCINC, of being an integral part of the school. We know that we are not the only ones who feel that Erasmus Hall is our home. We can see that alumni, when they visit their fonner teachers, or when they return for the Spring and Christmas Concerts, still feel that they are Erasmians. Next, we have tried to show the CHANGES which have occurred in the Old Crey School. First, there is the change in the students. Of course, we have matured. Then there is the change in the school. From a small, private, boys' academy, Erasmus Hall has grown into a large, co-ed, public high school. The number of buildings has increased, the campus has been made more attractive by the addition of new flowers and shrubs, and a bustling thoroughfare has replaced the quiet dirt road which ran past the Dutch Academy. The very tradi- tions of Erasmus Hall have changed, not always for the better. The Manual- Erasmus game, for example, has become a poorly attended event. Some see this as a decline in school spirit. Most important of all, we have tried to show that it is the PEOPLE-the students, the faculty, and the benefactors of the school-who make Erasmus Hall what it is. We cannot forget Mr. Cregory Weinstein, a patron and friend of our school, who wrote the paragraph which hangs framed in Dr. McNcill's of- fice. Nor can we omit the people who have silently done their parts so well for so long, such as Dominick Sabia, who has been the gardener herc for 35 years. In fact, so many people are part of the traditions of Erasmus Hall that we cannot tell about all of them in one issue. In this Arch of 1954 we have made a small start which, we hope, will point the way for future issues. Sincerely, The Editors

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To the members of the Class of '54: Another year-the 167th since Erasmus Hall first opened her doors-and another class being graduated. We of the faculty join your parents and friends in congratulating you and in wishing you the fullest success and happiness in the years ahead. Early in the life of the school, the Trustees stated that the object of Erasmus Hall was to educate youth on a liberal plan and to frame their manners upon the principles of virtue and politenessf, More than a century later, at the formal transfer of the old school to the city, Dr. Gunnison accepted the gift in these words: Erasmus Hall shall stand for sound scholarship, for general culture, and for that character that shall be self-reliant and manly. The traditions of the past shall be cherished and shall ever be an inspiration for the future. Your years in Erasmus Hall have resulted, we hope, in the kind of growth in personality, mind, spirit, and character implied in both these statements. Your education should give you a working command of spoken and written English, discriminating taste in reading, some knowledge of the world around us and of the scientific principles that govern that world, a rich appreciation of our country's heritage, and such knowledge of the history of other countries as will enable you to understand world problems today. We hope, also, that you have grown in the power to distinguish right from wrong and in the moral character to stand up for the right and to do the right thing, no matter how' great the temptation to take the easy way out or to go along with the crowd. Today there is an urgent need for young people of intelligence, idealism, ability, and character. We feel confident that you will help meet that need and that you will vindicate the confidence we have in you. For all of you we pray that the years ahead will bc many and full of peace, accomplishment, and hap- piness. Again, heartiest congratulations and best wishes. Sincerely yours, f0fl1'l F- McNeill Principal