Western Hills High School - Annual Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

Page 9 text:

llDlllbllDlllflEz4X6llljlll4DlNlr o PREMIER RAMSAY MACDONALD and President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, two men who have never ceased in their efforts to promote an amicable relationship between England and America, we, the Class of '33, dedicate this YEARBOOK with the hope that it may have influence in promoting friendship between America and her mother country.

Page 8 text:

llDlIE5llDlllll3QfMlIflIllDllNlI ' MERICA'S PROBLEMS ARE oun PRoELEMs. So far as that is concerned, there might have been no Atlantic at all and no American Revolution in that We are a family whether you like it or not. No greater blessing can come upon the nations of this world than that Great Britain and America should remain in affectionate relations,

Page 10 text:

Io KN Couzs oun ENoL1sH STUDENT lll?nlllXlIlfll:?.flIl9lllSllliIl SIIEIIHIIGDGDIIIDS NGLISH scHooLs! AMERICAN scHooLs! What a vast gulf of contrast exists between them! The methods are dissimilar, the teachers are different, the buildings vary in structure, the subject content is diverse, and the pupils them- selves are unlike each other. One would think T- that at least a general bond would be found in the same language, but even that provides a strik- ing divergence as to accent and enunciation. Yet in all these differences a common meeting-ground is found in the fellowship one receives in the American school. Perhaps one of the outstanding memories in 1ny mind, as an English girl in an American high school, will be the benevolent, amiable treatment I received at the hands of my fellow students. I am sure few English pupils would have been as lenient with my ignorance and stupidity. The Britisher is curt, disinterested in the stranger within his gates. Much time must pass ere a newcomer is welcomed heartily. It is not so in America. I was taken in and showered with kindness from teachers and fellow classmates. The fact that the English hold one at a distance is attested by the fact that all their schools are inclosed either by towering hedges or high brick or stone walls, as well as by heavy iron gates. The outside world is considered an undesirable distraction to good work. Segregation from the rude eyes of the world is judged to be an advantage. This exclusion of the public gaze is a tradition and might well be considered by the American schools. As to the structure of the English school another divergence is also noted from that of the American school. A certain, moldering charm of the ages presses down upon the schools of the British Isles that is rarely achieved in American schools. The very school halls, the desks, and chapel refectory breathe the spirit of tradition and age-old customs. The English value their old shells of buildings as a reminder of the glorious past. Only grim necessity, forced upon them by a rapidly changing civilization, ever compels the English to relinquish an old school with hallowed associations and grounds. America, unlike England, does not treasure her old pos- sessions. Perhaps, when the United States reaches more mature years she may prize relics as England does. In fact, American schools need a few traditions to bind the graduates in closer union. It is not a rare occasion, therefore, for a boy to attend the school his grand- father did, and find his grandsire's initials engraved on a choice spot. To be caned by a certain master who chastised one's father is considered an accomplishment for future reference. Reverence for anything that has tradition and breeding and long history behind it is ingrained in the English character. Consequently, it is not unnatural to find the English schools more interested in academic affairs than are the Americans. The fundamental subjects still hold their original place in the schools of Britain. Few extra-curricular activities exist that are worth mentioning. A classical or scientific basis is more essential than a social one. 6