Lafayette High School - Oracle Yearbook (Buffalo, NY)

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VALEDICTORY 0 One more Lafayette graduating class is ready to take its leave. But like all departing travelers, we must pause a moment before saying good-bye, to check over our baggageeto take stock of what we have gained through four years at Lafayette, and to reflect for a moment on what we are leaving behind. 0 Perhaps in no other four years of our lives will we accumulate so many things of permanent valuefthings which, in the busy routine of our school life, we have gained almost without realizing it. Most tangible of these acquisitions is the mental training which we have received, and which, after all, was the primary object of our being here. This will be of immeasurable value to us all, and its worth will be appreciated more fully as the years go on. To some, it will be the basis of further educationp to others, it will be an immediate means to a livelihood, to all, it will be a stepping-stone to a better under- standing of the world in which we will live. It should inspire us to further self-develop- ment, and enable us always to see more, feel more, and do more than we otherwise could. 0 Less obvious, but equally indispensable, are the attitudes which we have almost unknowingly acquired-attitudes toward work, toward society, toward government. We have been taught accuracy, promptness, thoroughness, in all that we do, a spirit of co- operation and fair play in dealing with othersg a recognition of, and an obedience to proper authority. Those ideals of Loyalty, Honor, and Service for which Lafayette stands will remain with us always. Finally, we take along an independence of thought, an open mindedness in forming opinions, and an interest in vital questions which we should never fail to exercise with the greatest diligence in this day of changing concepts. 0 While we are carrying these things with us, we are, paradoxically enough, also leaving them behind for future classes to share. But in leaving them, it is our perhaps vain, but nevertheless earnest hope that we have added something to the body of tradition and influence which has been our heritage here. 0 But now the true function of the Valedictory-literally, to say farewell-can be post- poned no longer. From time immemorial, men have parted from one another, and many ways of saying good-bye have been evolved, but there is no single way which at this moment seems adequate to express our feelings. To this building, its halls and class- rooms where we have spent many happy and profitable hours, we can say simply Au Revoir-'lTill we meet again, for here we may always return. Cur farewell to our classmates is a more serious matter. Our paths will soon diverge, and for many of us, they will never recross. The finality of this parting is beyond our control, and is best expressed by the lapanese word of farewell. Sayonara, let us therefore say to one another, Sayonara-l'Since it must be so. From you, Mr. Gott, and the members of the faculty, who have praised and blamed us, helped and endured us, during the last four years, we can, in a sense, have no parting, for you will always be with us through the influence you have exerted. Neither can we adequately express our gratitude for all you have done. Our appreciation will best be shown by the use which we may make of that which we have received. But for this severing of our formal relationship, let us use, for lack of a warmer word, the simple and sincere phrase of the Anglo-Saxonsf'lGood-bye. May God be with you. -RICHARD G. STONER 23

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SALUTATORY ' We, the Class of 1937, are very happy that you have come to join us tonight. Class Night is a joyous occasion for us-one for which we have worked and planned for many monthsgand we are eager that you should enjoy yourselves as much in watching, as we shall in taking part in these exercises. ' ' At this juncture in our lives, there is a tendency to pause on the threshold of a new and different life, and to think of what we have done and what we are to do. Like all true thresholds in life, this one divides a world well-known, from one completely foreign. Somehow, one always feels that when he leaves high school, he will perhaps have another sensation, an actual consciousness of his own adulthood. But now, he begins to realize that never is he so wise as he honestly believes he ought to be. The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. ' Yet, inexperienced as we are, we do not go forth unprepared. Mr. Gott and our teachers have worked with us, taught us, and guided us, through- out these four short years. lt has not been an easy task, but they have been ever willing to encourage us, and we thank them from the depths of our hearts. ' As the last class over whom Cap Mellen was principal, we continue to feel his influence keenly. Somehow, Lafayette's spirit is embodied in himp it is a living, moving spirit, and it will remain with us wherever we may go, in the years to come. ' Now when we are about to leave, we feel more than ever before that Lafayette High School belongs to us. Her traditions are our traditionsg her spirit is our spiritg her success is our success. Next year, another class will have taken our place, to receive this priceless heritage. ' A deep sense of pride fills us, that it is our heritage as well. Whether we are assimilated directly into adult life, or go first to seek more learning, this tie will bind us. Our roles in life will probably be as varied as the types we represent-for we are a cross section of American life, a group of typical young men and women-but this bond will always unite us. Although our paths may diverge into alien fields, the principles that will lend impetus to our endeavors have sprung from the same source, and will, we hope, lead us to the same goal-the successful achievement of our life's work. -IANE AUER 22

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CLASS POEM Before us glides a river deep and dark, It is the swift and boundless stream of Life, Whose shadowed currents hint of storm and strife. Upon its bosom broad we launch our bark, Questing those enfabled shores which mark The golden land of fancy, lush and rife With sound of song, with shrill of fife Whose magic tones enchant and bid us hark. Silver white its strand before us gleams, As, like a white swan gliding, our bark sails Toward the fair harbor of our isle of dreams. The pearl-gray mist of venture thins and pales, Upon us bright the gold sun sheds his beams And, lo! That glorious land our advent hails. MARTHA-LOUISE WORTH