Plymouth High School - Pilgrim Yearbook (Plymouth, MA)

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6 THE PILGRIM OUR JOURNEY Do We realize what life really means? How long we shall be here we do not know. Yet here We are in a remarkably interest- ing, if uncertain life, while, most of us take this life as if it were going to last forever and put forth as little effort as 'possible to see the world and to understand the peo- ple around us. Because we are given eyes to see with, ears to hear with, and the other senses to use, we believe we are here to use them properly. Also because we are given minds that can reason and think and Wonder, it is quite likely that We are expected to use them in order to form some opinion of life and its meaning. We should train our brains to think. Training involves labor but happily there is plenty of opportunity for labor, plenty of whetstones all about us on which to sharpen our wits. Good or bad, it is the only world we are in at present and for most of us it is a pretty good World. So while we are here the wisest course seems to be to see and hear all we can and train our minds the best We can so that when we near the end of the road we may sit on a hill, look back over our journey, and feel it was well worth the ef- fort it cost us to take it. F. FERIOLI '25 A RESTLESS SPIRIT Ghastly shone the crescent moon Upon the tombstones white, Sadly moaned the dying wind Throughout the mournful night. Slowly rose a gravestone, then CDon't frown or disagree! Stepping forth a figure bowed John Barleycornf' said he. B. K. H. AN ODE Throughout the drone of full four years One marked the budding of a tree Silvered against the azure sky, Two waddling ducks that sought the shade, The green waves roar upon a sandy strip- And dreamed his dreams. The other listened to the master's voice, Heard faded dreams of other lands, Conned all the precepts of world's good and guilt, Malice and sacrifice, toil and vain joys, Burned at Ambition's sacred touch- And sought his goal. The one, crushed by the careless world, Sank to the grass he loved--at rest. The other, led by ghosts of men's desire, Borne on by laud and praise, Mounted the peak alone - and was afraid. PERILS OF PLYMOUTH A man stops on Main street and looks puzzled. Two boys stop. Four women and a child stop. An auto stops. Two men stop. Two policemen arrive. A car stops. Three more autos arrive. A fight starts. A boy is knocked down. A woman faints. Some one rings the fire alarm. The engines come. Main street is closed to traiiic. The man remembers the address and continues his walk. D. K. '26

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THE PILGRIM 5 OUR GIVING Our gifts should be carefully chosen. There is too much waste in haphazard giving. The making of presents, whether it is to our friends, to our church, or to some educational or charitable institu- tion, should be a matter of thoughtful consideration. There is such a thing as a wise economy even in generous giving. If one buys a book for a birthday present, it should never be purchased at random. A few days before Christmas we saw a woman go into a store where there were books for sale, ranging in price from 10 cents to 31.50. She picked up several of them, giv- ing each a casual glance, and then said to the clerk: Oh, I guess it doesn't make much difference which one I get. I'll take this one, I don't want to pay very much. Mary likes to read so well, I thought I'd get her a book. Not only in material gifts, but even in the giving of time and abil- ity in any sort of service, we ought to be quite sure that we are con- tributing something worth while. A woman was one day asked. to speak to a group of children. With- out considering the viewpoint of the children, she spoke on the sub- ject on which she had been con- gratulated at a meeting the night before. But the subject was one which did not interest the children, and hence both her time and ener- gy were uselessly spent. Anyone who has been through school knows how often this is the case. The right use of time and money is a great responsibility and one which we must all shoulder. CORA HARLOW '25 ' BEAUTY Very often has it been said that the Americans are mercenary. The great power that we realize is the power of the dollar. This is a severe criticism, but if we are really honest we must admit it is true. We were not put in the world to amass a great fortune in money but to store up in our hearts a treasure far greater-that of love, faith, and the beauty of God's handiwork. Let us try to feel a little of the soul-stirring emotion that the artist experiences as he gazes on the beauty of nature and with a sob in his throat and a tear in his eye prays for the power to make such beauty live forever on canvas. Most of us when we read a poem merely say, It's pretty. We can- not realize how much more we should be able to gain from poetry if we would try to sense the poet's great depth of emotion as he paints for us his beautiful picture of words. Most of us would ap- preciate the power that poetry has if we would give ourselves up to the strength and passion of the poet's words and try to place our- selves in the poem and actually live through it. Let us try to obtain all the love- liness and beauty from life that we can. In the most common and ordinary things we may find great beauty if we but seek it. Moon- light sifting through new green leaves, blue water sparkling in the sun, gulls skimming by, soft sweet scent of flowers in the rain. All of these wonders hold a different beauty if we can interpret them. Spend all you have for loveliness, Buy it and never count the cost 3 For one white singing hour of peace Count many a year of strife well lost, And for a breath of ecstacy Give all you have been or could be. BERTHINE PETERSON '25

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THE PILGRIM 7 I H , T Sp f? --4'TQL-' ,,i g',i,Q9,- . I 1-., M- 3 wfavff i - 1 i w M, c u.,.S.l..L., THE SODA-FOUNTAIN CLERK Mr. Alton Spruce was a most dapper young man. His trim, sleek figure could be observed, at various times during the day, en- tering or departing from the drug store where he worked. When one met him, one's eye was instantly attracted to his glossy hair. Mr. Alton Spruce was very proud of that hair. And he had excellent reason for his pride. No other head in the vil- lage could possibly acquire so bril- liant a sheen. Carefully combed and re-combed, slicked and re- slicked, greased and re-greased, its splendor was dazzling. His shoes, too, of the latest and most faddy style, were well cared for. Not that Mr. Spruce ever condescended to soil his smooth fingers by the application of shoe polish, certainly not! He had them shined every other day at the parlor opposite his drug store. He was indulgently sympa- thetic toward those who shined his shoes, it was such a nasty job! But then, the world must have its lower classes! Mr. Spruce had a very exclu- sive line of talk which he put across at the counter. It made quite a hit-with Mr. Spruce himself! Also, he had so persis- tently practiced sliding the sodas down the smooth counter that one was often startled, when being waited upon by that model of cor- rectness, by the precipitous ap- proach of one's soda. Timid old ladies were heard to utter modest shrieks of dismay and then, when the glass had stopped abruptly upon the verge of disaster, to sigh their relief at the absence of catastrophe. . Mr. Spruce was enamored of a most beauteous young lady! Nat- urally! It appeared strange to the uninitiated how her college ices were so very rich, so very creamy, and so very generous. One memorable night she con- sented to accompany him to a dance. Oh bliss! Verily I say unto you, the time spent upon the pol- ishing of Mr. Spruce's raven locks was outrageous!-And the di- rections which were given to the unfortunate individual who was entrusted with the shining of his shoes were too intricate for mortal comprehension. Mr. Spruce made it a point to dance every other selection with the young lady who had gained possession of his heart. During the intervals in which he was not proudly floating about the hall with her, he fied hurriedly to the dressing room, there to straighten his tieg dust his shoes, and give a few polishing touches to his gleam- ing head. After the dance, it was his pleas- ure to invite her to have a college ice at his store. How many tender thoughts aided the mixing of that refresh- ing ice! He gracefully slid hers to the young damsel, who squealed her appreciation both of the refresh- ment itself and the manner of presentation. His was completed. A swift turn of the wrist to send it close beside hers. A crash! A scream! And- a groan! Why had Fate so turned against him? The glasses collided