Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts - Mohawk Yearbook (North Adams, MA)

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Could we save that which meant so much to us? We were determined to make an attempt. By means of individual and collective efforts, small when taken separately but powerful when combined, the alumnae and supporters of this school won their battle, and the college found itself again standing firm and secure. As we look back on this crisis, we see that little did we realize what our school really meant to us until we were forced to fight for its existence. So it is that wherever we go and whatever we do in life, those things which signify most to us are those which we struggle for. That is why our education means so much to us, because we have struggled three years for it. This unusual experience of saving the school, and the traditional experiences of forming friendships and sharing in many happy social events, and great lasting friendships have made our past in this school deeply appreciated and precious and one which is and will be the source of life' long memories. Perhaps this poem by Hamlin Garland can express for us something of our joy in the symf bolical heights in our environment: The mountains are a silent folk: They stand afarfalone, And clouds that kiss their brows at night Hear neither sigh nor groan. Each bears him in his ordered place As soldiers do, and bold and high They fold their forests round their feet And bolster up the sky. EVELYN SMITH, '36 PRESENT Three years of our work have been accomplished, what our future was three years ago is now our present. Our ideals were high, our reach exceeded our grasp, but little by little we climbed to the height we have now attained. Yet, we are still at the opening of an unpaved road. The barriers at this opening are about to be taken down and we are entering a new world made possible by our parents, citizens of Massachusetts and the faculty of our college. Our college means much to us, for we have toiled together toward one goal, that of making ourselves ready for our chosen profession, that work of guiding minds and hands, the teaching of little children. Every task we have undertaken has memories dear to us. Our college has become almost a sacred edifice. We have memories about her that are so deeply linked with pleasant associations we shall never allow them to escape from us. She was established as a normal school by our earlier citizens but has now grown into a degree granting institution. Yearly she grows, and now to meet new demands a junior High course is being set up to interest those girls especially interested in training in the upper grades. This will undoubtedly mean a larger enrollment. The high aims of our Alma Mater are constantly kept before us. We want them high and we build on what was given to us by our founders. We want success and we keep the same ideals before us which brought satisfaction to those who led the way. We are the builders of today. Let us make our constructions strong, pure, dependable, and be ready to face what life has to offer. As we are gathered here today let us keep this creed in mind: There is a destiny that makes us brothers, None goes his way alone, All that we send into the lives of others Comes hack into our own. -- Markham ELLA MAB KARREY, '36 FUTURE Heaven is not gained at a single boundg But we build the ladder by which we rise From the lowly earth to the vaulted skies, And we mount to its summit round by round. How truly significant this is to us, teachers of the future. By constant and faithful work we hope finally to reach the pinnacle of success-not success for our own material gain, but for the betterment educationally and morally of the children entrusted to our care. Ours is a long and unending task, one which invites discouragement, one which beckons to despair many times, but 31

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All about you we have left the utilitarian taols for buildingestrong tools called books and teachersesmall, delicate tools called songs, memories and laughter. Use them all in your building. Today, looking back on those years we are so soon to leave behind there comes a strange pang of regret. We did not treasure enough the little friendly things about-ethe click of heels in the hall+the brisk hilarity of the Greylock hike or the sunny quiet of the library. There comes the thought that perhaps we have not always wielded our tools wisely but at lastesomehow our stairs have reached a height that enables us to step over the threshold into a new work shop. Freshmen and Sophomores, no longer will we be here in shining example. You in your turn will find that you can show the way to new underclassmen and we hope you'll find as much satis' faction watching them come in all the inconvenient doors as we did. To you, a little regretfully, we give over all rights to dictate, lead and exploit the new under' classmen and when you in turn reach the threshold may you take with you as happy a memory of them as we have of you. Eiizaxoii COIKIKIGAN, '36 RESPONSE Look down, oh sophisticated ladies, yes and smile too. The frivolous freshmen and silly sophsn are thumbing their way--trying to get a ride to the top. We are just beginning to realize that there are no escalatorsin this long climb. Each step must be carefully mounted and before mounting, there must be something on which to place our feet, something solid and secure, somef thing which will stand the test through the years. Tools are a means to an end, but we must know how to use these tools. At first the young carpenter awkwardly handles the implements of his profession, but after watching the master, he comes to know the use and beauty of them. For him it is now a joy to behold the created product of his own apprenticeship. So, we the underclassmen, have watched you fullffledged carpenters build and mount your stairs, and with your tools, and ours too, you have gained the goale the door at the top of the flight is open wide to you. I dream that, step by step, timber by timber, we too, will rear a stairway as successfully as you. We realize that the heights which you have reached were not attained in one glad bound, but slowly and tediously have you climbed the stairs. May we say with Whitman in his utter' ance of the manifesto of the new generation: a better, fresher, busier sphere, a wider untried domain awaits, demands you. W,lNIFlKED K. SMITH, '57 TRADITIONS AND IDEALS PAST Three years ago we found ourselves among a multitude of new countenances, and surrounded by new personalities. Around us were stately buildings, dignified, impressive. The college seemed to us as stable as the neverfchanging hills which rise in beauty around it. We had always known about the State Teachers College at North Adams, always considered it a permanent feature of the landscape, literally, and taken it for granted that it would always exist as one of the important centers for the spread of culture in western Massachusetts. Qlt seemed incredible that it might cease to functionj But soon after our arrival, suddenly there began ominous rumors, like the thunder of an approaching storm, that our beloved college might close, might cease to function. Could we remain unmoved in the face of this threat that we might be shut out of existence? We were not unmoved, and neither were the countless alumnae and friends who for years had loved and honored this school. Not only those who had lived here and to whom the college had become a second home, but those who had looked forward to coming here and who had been, as it were, traveling with this as their destination felt this threat of closing as a personal injury. 30

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we resolve here today to do all in our power to overcome the odds, to rise above the nu'nerous obstacles we may find strewn in our paths. We shall aim high and strive for perfection, We shall try to accomplish the most with the material we are given. We promise to infuse into our hearts and spirits all the openfmindedness, all the fairness, all the tolerance which seem to us the requif sites of a real teacher. Because we are cogs in the wheels of this huge democracy, we shall cope with the weak and the strong, with the brilliant and the dull, giving all as fair a chance as possible and treating all as individual personalities. We shall play our part in the shaping of the mass. Let us make each as fine a shape as we are able. Let us leave an indelible stamp, one of which we may be proud, upon the mind and character of each of our charges. As the years go by let us uphold the ideals of our college, let us treasure the counsel she has given us. May we all be worthy of our profession and may we at last mount to the summit of the ladder round by round . IVIARY A. WALSH, '36 C5 1936 CLASS SONG Those fruitful, joyful college days, We're leaving them behind. They came and went in harmony Our minds and hearts to bind. Henceforth they'll be but memories, We gladly shall recall The kindly words, the cheery smile Of friends in this stately hall. We sought and found the knowledge here Our teachers did impart, And tho' we faltered, sometimes failed, Felt courage from the start. Oh dear gray walls, in ivy clad, In mem'ry,s chain you'll beg The helpful thoughts and smiles you gave Shall ever be part of me. Music by IDA MAINO, '36 Words by MARY WALSH, '36 32