West Paris High School - Nautilus Yearbook (West Paris, ME)

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THE RESPONSIBILITY OF AMERICANS There will perhaps come a time when the world can rest from turmoil and strife and enable the peoples of the earth to live in peace, but it seems as if that time is far in the future. Each year a new world crisis appears that could easily force all nations of the world into a struggle for life unequaled in history. Only through patient and seemingly unending negotiation have our diplomats kept peace without forfeiting honor. Because of this uneasy state of world affairs, it becomes increasingly impor- tant for American citizens to wisely select their leaders. Each citizen must care- fully scrutinize each candidate before he makes a choice. This free choice, if used to its best advantage, is the one greatest weapon that democracy wields in its arsenal for peace. It can, however, just as easily be the pitfall of freedom if it is not used in good faith. If we vote for candidates because of selfish, personal reasons with no regard for their qualifications, our country will weaken and its foundation will rot from beneath us. With careful thought Americans will continue to have worthy leadership, but complacency at the polls may easily be more destructive to the American way of life than all of the H-bombs Russia has at its command. With that in mind, let every American citizen pray God help him choose the ablest leaders. I'm sure that ballots backed with bullets for peace will halt the great Communist conquest before it engulfs us all. Right makes might is not a fairy tale! Rodney Abbott '59 THE LOST CLASS OF 1959 The Lost Class of 1959 will be remembered as another of the unfortunate problems caused by the attempt to put colored people and white people on an equal basis. The Lost Class of 1959 is the class which would have graduated this June and whose members would have taken their places in their communities in Norfolk, Virginiag Little Rock, Arkansas, and several other cities and towns in the southeastern part of our nation. The problem of the Class of 1959 was started last fall when many of the schools in the South closed their doors rather than operate on an integrated basis during the coming school year. Although many of these schools ironed out their difliculties and reopened, there are a few schools, including those in Norfolk and Little Rock which have remained closed until the present time and which show no signs of reopening this year. This problem was caused because a group of students, parents, and citizens of these communities refused to accept a decision handed down by the United States Supreme Court. This decision stated that it is illegal to force any student to attend a segregated school and that all students have the right to attend integrated schools. These schools have been allowed to remain closed, not through the actions of the group opposed to integration, but through the lack of action by the other people in the areas where these segregation troubles have arisen. It has been proven that the people who are pro-segregation are in the 8

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minority in their communities, but there has been little opposition to their policies because of the indifference of the majority. In spite of the facts that they are discriminated against, maligned, cheated, and held back, the equality of the colored people is inevitable and justly so. '1'his is true, but each year their progress is retarded by such incidents as tne one of which I have been speaking. Each of these incidents robs the members ot the colored race of their just rights and privileges and keeps them from attaining a goal that they deserve. Gary Goodwill '59 SILVER Slowly, silently, now the moon Walks the night in her silver shoon: This way and that, she peers, and sees Silver friend upon silver trees: One by one the casements catch Her beams beneath the silvery thatchg Couched in his kennel, like a log, With paws of silver sleeps the dogg From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep Of doves in a silver-feathered sleep: A harvest mouse goes scampering by, With silver claws and silver eye: And moveless Iish in the water gleam, By silver reeds in a silver stream. Joanne Hawkins '59 THE DEATH OF WINTER The sun is shining in the sky, And poor old winter's bound to die. His life has been a rugged one, But his one enemy, the sun, Is soon to work her magic spell, And melt the winter snows that fell Upon the earth with silent ease, To cover roof tops, roads, and trees. The sun smiles down with gentle eyes On all the land where winter lies, She wakes the monster fierce and brave And sends him meekly to his grave, To which the gentle victor'll bring, A bird, a flower, a touch of spring. Irene Berry '60 A FAITHFUL FRIEND He is always there beside me, He will never let me down. He is always there to cheer me, He just doesn't like a frown. He won't leave my side in danger, No matter where I go. My dog is always with me He will always face the foe. Barbara Cyr '62 9