Abington High School - Abhis Yearbook (Abington, MA)

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THE ABHIS 7 LITERARY THE JOURNEY . I 21:1 '. .I 9, ' ' ' C : ' . 'yi v:'. ' -S' ' .:gls:?qu,Q.,vu- : 'x 4 , . are . . TNQ. Al o 71.92 9, ' if.. ' 'H S. Q It was late one foggy winter afternoon. A lone Figure, walking down a narrow path, came to a halt and gazed about in wonderment at the gorgeous scene stretching before him. Every blade of grass was a tiny knight sheathed in glittering iceg the once ugly weeds, now transfigured into exquisite glass trees, proudly took their places in this strange new worldg even the rough path covered with a glimmering crust, looked like a magic carpet twisting and turning into eternity: the tops of the domi- neering trees, lost far up in the fog, peered down through their shiny branches at the transformed earth. As if overwhelmed by this magnificence, the figure moved on with bowed head and aimless step. Suddenly, he slipped and fell. After lying still for a while, he clambered to his feet, staggered on, then, regaining confi- dence, hastened forward. VVhen he sighted a fallen tree looming in the path ahead, he became discouraged and almost gave up. Some instinct, however, seemed to guide him and to help to surmount this barrier. Following his ordeal he sat down on a stump to rest, but suddenly realized that he was caught between the tides of day and night. He glanced fur- tively down the path, stretching far behind him, but the fog had covered his passing: he looked ahead, only to see that the future was also obscured by the fog. The traveler hurried onward, until he came to a fork in the path. VVhile he paused pensive and uncertain, night won the battle, and his form was no longer enclosed in dusk but blanketed by darkness. Guided by the same instinct'that had previously helped him, he chose the right way. Then, when it seemed that he must drop from complete exhaustion, he saw a warm and welcoming light ahead. The figure showed no more uncertainty, fatigue, or fear but proceeded with exhilarated step. As he approached the end of the path, a large gold door swung open and a blinding light poured forth. INhen this brilliance touched the air, the fog disappeared and, with the stars and moon, the earth was bright and clear. The traveler stumbled joyously into the embrace of the one he loved most. The journey was overg he had reached home. -IOANNE WRIGHT, '53 A DAY'S SPORT IN NOVA SCOTIA I raised a weary arm and groped blindly through the darkness for the button that would shut from my ears the shrill blast of the alarm. Then, in the silence that followed, I forced myself reluctantly from the warmth and secu- rity of bed, dressed in a hasty, haphazard fashion, and tiptoed downstairs. After con- suming a hearty breakfast, and donning a heavy hunting jacket, I quietly slipped from the house into the nipping air of an early Cape Breton morning. For some curious reason my uncle, sword- hshing in waters off Glace Bay, had estab- lished his home on the tip of a secluded stretch of wooded land which jutted into St. Peter's Bay, at the entrance to the beautiful Bras d'Or Lakes. The residence of his nearest neighbor lay at least a mile to the west, the intervening distance being occupied by a sylvan stretch of firs and hemlocks, the lumber of which sup- plied him with one of many means of liveli- hood. I lumbered down through the cow pastures to the shore, clumsily scaling a series of wooden rail fences, being impeded in this by the con- stant interference of my bulky hip rubber boots and the enveloping darkness of an early morning hour. The only noise penetrating the tranquil stillness of before dawn were the methodical clomp of the boots on the beach gravel and the frightened screeching of gulls, curlews, and yellowlegs as they scurried from the direction of my approach. Because of the fog which had rolled in and the obscurity of the hour, only the misty outline of the opposite side of the bay was discernible, which in the brilliant radiance of the midday sun presents a striking illustration of the vivid beauty for which Cape Breton is noted, the landscape being charac- terized bv the symmetrical checkered pattern of multi-hued fields, the seemingly infinite stretches of verdant woodland, the uniform layout of typical country villages and farms, and the shapely contour of rolling hills in every direction. Suddenly, from a small cove in a natural inlet some distance to my right resounded the

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6 THE ABHIS the end of the day to accomplish all the assign- ments together is the third popular suggestion. This new plan has many disadvantages that affect the teacher directly and the student indirectly. Under the strain of a longer school day and the need of administering more discipline, the teachers 'would be at a loss. Their enjoy- ment of free time would be limited. Because of the supervision needed in the study rooms the teachers would be unable to correct papers during the school time. In some cases these situations would tend to depress, then weaken their teaching ability. Under these strenuous conditions a teacher would not be as valuable to the educational standing of the school as he is in the present system. Because of an inadequate supply ol' books in school libraries there would be limitations on research work. This would mean either added expense or lack of necessary material. Many of the teenagers now work after school. Because of the added hours in the school day there would not be sufhcient time for work. In many cases this extra spending money is badly needed. Acting as apprentice- ship these various jobs prepare some students for work after graduation. The students planning on going to prep school or college after graduation would not, in one respect, benefit from this system. They would be accustomed to completely supervised study, therefore, because of sudden indepen- dency they would find the methods used by these schools diliicult. On the other hand, if this plan were to be nation-wide and all the high schools were to adopt it, all the students entering higher schools after graduation would be in the same predicament, consequently. these schools would alter their methods of assigning preparatory work and lessen the strain of this new environment. The predominant disadvantage is that sense of responsibility, the necessary resource of dependability, would be decreased. Other social events and entertainments would not be sacrificed for hotnework. Therefore, after graduation the students entering the compli- cated world would not be as capable of carry- ing the heavy burdens of life's responsibilities as they would be if they had previous training for this period of self-dependence. ,In spite of all the disadvantages there are many advantages to be derived from this in- crease in the value of a high school education and greatly benefit the student. Students would have increased free time to enjoy and participate in outside activities. Without the burden of worry because of lack of time, the opportunities open to youth would become widened and therefore prove advantageous to high school students. Because of a time limit in accomplishing assignments the rate of speed in reading, writing and comprehension would be con- siderably increased. There would be available no excuse for incomplete and unaccomplished assignments. If the first plan previously mentioned were to be employed the teachers of the particular subjects would be present during the time of studying of their subjects to help with the work. This would eliminate unnecessary as- signment borrowing among students and thus augment their self-reliance. At home there are many distracting annoy- ances, such as conversation, radio, and tele- vision, that hinder concentration. At school the teacher's supervision would create the quiet atmosphere needed for proper studying. Although the advantages of this proposed plan are fewer in number than the disadvan- tages, they bear more weight on the scale ol' opportunities and America is the support of this balance. Let's give it a try and see if its provisions will not benefit our country. If it proves to be unsuccessful we can then return to the old plan that has educated America since her earliest days. RUTH SYVAN, '52 WHO SAID THAT? l. You're lighting us! 2. Faites-Attention! Fl. Theoretically speaking. 4. Ra-a-a-lph! jasonl ti. Sickcning! 7. The Guards should carry the ball. 8. Holy Cross NVonl El. Hi-i-i-, Dave! Ill. I say now. I l. Mitty l2. O-o-oh this locker! 13. I'd like to, but I'm going the other way. 14. YVhat do we have to do that for? 15. Wicked embargo! 16. I'd rather stay home andread a sports magazine. . Bill Bailey . There's field-hockey tonight! l9. Operation formaldehyde! 20. Can I have a bite of your apple, soph? JOANNE REYNOLDS, '52 17 18

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8 THE ABHIS remote chug-a-chug of a nIotor. Laboriously quickening my pace, I plodded past the boat house and Fish hut to the end of the point. By this time, the noise had increased in volume to a blatant staccato clatter, and Tom Laf- ford's fishing boat emerged from the conceal- ment of a heavy blanket of fog and pulled up offshore. A large figure behind the cabin cut the engine, and a powerful voice boomed. Are you there? I replied in the aflirmative, waded out to the bow of the craft, and hoisted myself .to the deck. Tom immediately maneuvered his boat around the point and headed for the mouth of the bay. Tom Laffortl, tall, middle-aged, sun-bronzed, is a robust fisherman of a healthy six-foot, four. When excited, he is given to excessive Stain- mering. He has a reputation of devouring in one meal as much as an ordinary person con- sumes in a day. The reason for my rising at so premature an hour was to Hsh, of course, but more specifi- cally to jig for mackerel. Consequently, while I held the wheel, Tom ground a number of' salt herring into bits, to be employed in at- tracting a school. He then instructed me in steering by the use of the compass, and I held the boat to course, through the fog, until almost five knots out, we reached the fishing waters off the Horseheads , sheer rock cliffs of an unusually great height, at the summit of which a solitary lighthouse stands its eternal vigil. There, when Tom had heaved the anchor over the side and scattered a sufficient amount of powder-like remnants of the her- ring, we baited our hooks and CZISI out our lines. XfVe repeated this process, rapid-fire, for approximately twenty minutes. After that, nothing whatsoever hindered the routine of flinging out the line, watching it sink from sight, iigging it for a time, hauling it up, scattering Inore bits of herring, then redupli- rating the process. The sun, high over the horizon, had long since risen and the fog had mysteriously van- ished. It was at this period that I commenced to notice the motion of the boat. The sea rose and fell. The vessel rocked up and down, up and down, amid swirling white-caps. My stomach tossed up and down, turned flip-flops, and then seemed to fall flat on its face, if stom- achs do that sort of thing. I eventually became accustomed to the continual swaying, however, although for the remainder of the trip I felt a sort of dizzy, sickening sensation in the pit of my stomach and hiccoughed regularly. Thus the morning wore on. Finally, when signs of dogfish appeared, we decided that the mackerel had been driven away by these ocean scavengers. IfVe therefore stowed our gear and headed for home. Al- though in the eyes of a seasoned mariner our miserly catch would most probably be labeled a poor one fthe preceding morning many boats had passed well over the four hundred markj, it not only proved for me an interesting and practical experience but provided a number of tempting repasts. WILLIAM GRooM, '53 A DAY WITH THE F.B.I. Three years ago I had a chance to accom- pany my brother, an F.B.I. agent, on his daily chores. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the special police of the United States Gov- ernment. To start any routine day, an agent must report in the morning to a certain headquar- ters building. In this case, my brother had to report to the United States Court House in New York City. Here he found on his desk the agendum for the day. Each special agent is placed on a squad. A squad is made up of a group of men who are assigned to a specific job. Such squads are: the Communist Squad, the Criminal Squad, and the Robbery Squad. It happens that my brother was on the Communist Squad. He and I started off the day by going to the bureau garage, where we obtained a car equipped with a two-way radio and other accessories. The car appears like any common car. My brother's job for the'day was to go to some parts of New York City, mainly Brook- lyn, and look up people who were on the bureau's records as being Communists. I-le had to find out whether they still lived at the address on the records and, if not, where they could be found. This checking is done so that in case of an attack upon the United States all the Communists could be quickly rounded up. Because of the great number of Communists in the United States today, the F.B.I. is on the move both day and night, in order to keep tabs on these anti-American people. I think that this visit with the F.B.I. was most beneficial to me and therefore I consider myself most fortunate to have been able to have such a privilege. Anyone who has not actually seen the bureau in action could not realize how effective it is. - DAVID BRADY, '54