North Andover High School - Knight Yearbook (North Andover, MA)

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19 4 1 THE GOBBLER CLASS ESSAY YOUTH WILL SHOULDER ITS BURDEN w E present-day youth find our lives cast into a world of astounding vicissitudes, many of which have as their basisgreed, hate, and jealousy. Sandwiched in be¬ tween the two greatest and most diabolical wars of all history, we become the victims of the subsequent social and economic dislocation. Pessimists are inclined to the attitude that civilization is disintegrating, and that before long mankind will he confronted by another epoch similar to the Dark Ages. G. K. Chesterton once wrote that there are two ways of looking at everything — the sun is either rising or it is setting. The youth of today prefer to think of the sun as rising. We can see that the night has been long and dark, full of illusions of false dawns, and that the present hour appears darkest of all. In this hour, we must fortify ourselves with the thought so aptly expressed by Longfellow, “The darkest hour pre¬ cedes the dawn: the lowest ebb is the turn of the tide.” It is the duty of each one of us of the younger generation to do his part to keep the lights burning on this earth. Four main problems confront the youth of today — education, health, recreation, and employment. I will discuss them briefly. Our education must be both general and concrete. We will need specialized train¬ ing in our field of endeavor. Industry and business require skilled, efficient workers. Various agencies have been set up to assist in the training of American youth. The National Youth Administration trains many and gives them practical experience in their respective lines. The American Youth Commission conducts regular surveys, and reports its findings to the various governmental agencies dealing with the prob¬ lems of youth. All this is being done to help American youth find and establish itself. After obtaining a substantial education, a youth then turns to his chosen field in search of lucrative employment. In the last decade of depression this became a very distressing and perplexing problem. Fortunately, industry is now on the road to re¬ covery, due mainly to our defense program. While this is a temporary and welcome palliative, we have learned from experience that it is not a healthy situation. Eras of artificial prosperity caused by wars are like houses built of cards — they quickly fall apart with the first adverse gust of wind. New industries and fields of opportunity are continually being opened up. We must, therefore, be quick to see them, to train youth to take advantage of them. In this way they can take their proper place in the world’s social and economic struc¬ ture. However, education and employment without recreation do not constitute a whole¬ some life. Youth requires plenty of relaxation from the tedious routine of study and labor, for “all work and no play” actually does “make Jack a dull boy.” Wholesome recreation helps produce a healthy mind and body. Baseball, bowling, dancing, and motion pictures are but a few of the many beneficial types of recreation. Placing these before the public has grown into a business of tremendous financial propor¬ tions. Parks and public playgrounds, both local and national, have been built to en¬ courage a spirit of play. Health classes, clinics, and school health inspections all serve to safeguard the health of youth. 25

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THE GOBBLER 19 4 1 specialized training for each subject that one wishes to teach. Nursing, too, has be¬ come a very specialized field. There are surgical nurses, medical nurses, nurses for doctors who specialize in throat and nose treatment, public health nurses, head nurses in hospitals, schools, government buildings or business organizations, and army and navy nurses. Many girls take a shorter training course and become technicians, dieti¬ tians or social workers. Nursing is no longer dull and uninteresting. Women’s ambitions have extended to theology, law, and medicine. Perhaps the fact that generous scholarships are available in the theological schools to men, but not to women, may explain the small number of women students in the divinity schools which are open to them. Women lawyers who have suffered greater handicaps in establishing a practise than women doctors — apparently we are more cautious about our money than about our health — have made great headway in the past ten years. Women have been successful in art, dramatic work, music and writing. Some women felt safer writing under the nom dc plume of men as did George Sand and George Eliot who were both women. In the commercial field, women stenographers out¬ number by far the male stenographers. This may be because women are more effi¬ cient than men, but that is a matter of opinion. Today women may become beauti¬ cians, air hostesses, buyers for large stores, policewomen, librarians and they have even invaded politics. Some women have rather unusual occupations. One woman in Hollywood raises spiders and rents them to movie companies. Prescribing for sick fish is the occupation of Miss Ida Millen. By merely looking at the eyes of a fish, she can tell what ails it. Mary Hirsch likes to train horses and has proved herself an able jockey. There are many, many more, too numerous to mention. Our aspirations have been inspired by such great women as Florence Nightingale, Jane Addams and Madame Curie. Those who have vision and foresight can see that gleam of opportunity that lies ahead. So, when we hear about the thrills and adven¬ tures of the “good old days’’, these lines of Tennyson’s will make us realize that we were not born “fatally late.” “So, young mariner, Down to the haven Call your companions Launch your vessel, Crowd your canvas, And ere it vanishes O’er the horizon, After it, follow it, Follow the gleam!” BARBARA P. DEARDEN j 24

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THE GOBBLER 19 4 1 The youth of today is deeply interested in every phase of international relation¬ ships. We keep ourselves posted and up-to-the-minute on all prominent local, na¬ tional, and world-wide events. We form discussion groups and societies to represent our views. Because we often express opinions contrary to those held by our political officials, we are branded radicals. Communists, Socialists, Fascists, and every other name in the book. In defense of these so-called radical views I say — in most cases we have studied the situations thoroughly and thoughtfully before reaching our con¬ clusions. Our views are our own. It is our sacred birthright to think of our govern¬ ment as we please — so long as our thoughts are not subversive. We believe in these rights, and even though we often appear to cast them aside, I can truthfully say, that if the time ever comes when we are in danger of losing these prerogatives, and when they must be preserved, we, the youth of today, will rise up to a man, and fight to a victorious end for those inherited ideals so close to all our hearts. Our plan is simple. It is, in the words of Marie Curie, “We cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individual.” Through broader, specialized edu¬ cation, proper recreation, and suitable employment, the INDIVIDUAL must be trained to work both separately and collectively for the common good. We must fur¬ ther our democratic ideals, improve upon them, and RECOGNIZE THE INDI¬ VIDUAL. It is then that the world will be free from fanatical dictators, and the common man will assume his proper role. The sun is beginning to rise on a newer, brighter day. Each of us will have a job to do. It may be guiding the destiny of our country in business, law, medicine, labor, or in the cornerstone of every nation — the home. Whatever it is to be, the task will be important for every one of us. The world has offered us a burdensome challenge. We, the youth of today, accept that challenge. We know that the struggle will be hard, that we may have disappointments, and that we may fail and sink into the dust, but we also know that we will rise again. The harder we fall, the higher we will rise. Remember that. In dosing, let me leave this thought with you. We have a job to do, and we are going to do it. It may be a hard, bitter struggle, but we will not fail. THOMAS B. LE SURE CLASS ORATION The Secret of Success is Constancy of Purpose. |S we scan this little quotation, it does not appear especially forceful or dynamic compared to some others; but we do not realize what a great truth this is and how many times it has proved true right under our very eyes. Almost all the great men in the world who were a success in their field had some purpose or aim for which they could strive. They did not begin the long road of life without having some idea as to their destination and some definite route to follow. They were not thrown off the track by alluring bypaths. They were not discouraged by difficult travelling or violent storms. They did not watch the wavering weathervanes to fix their course so that the wind would always be at their backs, helping them along. But rather they set their course by the ever constant northern star, and keeping in sight that grand height which they were striving for, they plod¬ ded on through dismal weather and pleasant, over dangerous paths and safe ones, 26