Athens Area High School - Athenian Yearbook (Athens, PA)

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THK HIGH S('HOOL BOVS’ AUXILIARY Although the High School Boys’ Auxiliary has not been as active this year as the High School Girls’ Auxiliary, it has raised proportionately about as much money for war work. They subscribed and paid $50.00. The money was raised through the five different groups into which the Auxiliary is divided. Each group had food or candy sales during the year and raised its allotment independently of the other groups. Although the war is over there is as great need of service as before. There is so much to be done in relief and reconstruction work in Europe that we should not consider slackening our efforts in aiding the suffering multitudes of the war-ruined lands. In fact, the whole world must be rebuilt on a firm and substantial basis. The Auxiliary has had photographs enlarged of Floyd E. Arnold and Howard A. Delaney. These, with a suitable inscription, will be placed on the walls of the high school auditorium as a token of the appreciation of the Athens High School for those who were willing to give up all that we might enjoy the benefits of peace. Here’s hoping that the boys of next year’s high school will stick to their auxiliary work and make it as influential and as thoroughly efficient an organization as the High School Girls’ Auxiliary. HOBEHT HORTON, ’19. SHOULD IMMIGRATION TO THK UNITED STATES BK PROHIBITED FOB FIVE YEARS? The late European War has brought to the surface many old questions and chief among these is the problem of immigration. Yearly there have been throngs of people from all the nations of Europe and Asia pouring into this country. Do these people tend to make conditions better in this country or worse? One thing that we do know is that the greater majority of foreigners lower the sandard of wages in this country. They do not spend so much as the American born citizen and so are able to work for less money. Would not the lowering of wages be a dangerous move at this time when prices of food and other necessities of life are so high and men have been used to such high wages during the last few years? Such moves cause panics, and panics are what we are trying to avoid. Therefore, would it not be well to take some means of prevention? In five years the country would be normal in prices and wages. Would it not be a wise preventive to restrict all immigration to the United States for a period of five years? Our soldiers are beginning to arrive home. They must have something to do. and most of them will take their pre-war jobs back. This will necessitate that the person who held the job for the period of the war should find work elsewhere. If a throng of foreigners are pouring into this country they. too. must have work. While jobs are scarce enough now. they will be even more so if immigration is not restricted and we will have a class of men who. if they do not find work, will find some evil to do and the result would be a large class of criminals. The war had hardly ended when the work of reconstruction began. Cities and villages are being built over again. Men are needed for various tasks and those already over there are best fitted for the work, for they know the country better. If immigration to this country were restricted for a period of five years, these men would stay at home and go on with the work of reconstruction, who otherwise would come to this country, inexperienced and penniless, to be dependent upon our people. 15

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ACTIVITIES OP SENIOR GIRLS The girls of the high school always do a great deal in keeping up the spirit and standards of the school, and the present Senior girls have done their part. In their first year they were active n basketball and the Girls’ Chorus. There was no regular team of basketball as it was necessary to practice in the old skating rink. Nevertheless the girls made a good showing by coming to practice. They proved to be good material and of use later on in athletics. The Girls’ Chorus won fame for themselves then, and many of the girls of our class entered in. It Is needless to say all could not join, but those who did. showed their musical talent. The chorus was kept alive and very much appreciated during our four years in high school. We began our second year by again entering into basketball and with more spirit than the year before. Having the gymnasium to play in. a regular team was formed, and here the girls of our class “shone.” Several were on the team and at different times others acted as substitutes. The Girls’ Chorus again appeared to take its place and appeared at many events with the girls of our class always doing their best. The girls revived the Philomathean Society which had been dropped for several years. In this we enjoyed ourselves greatly and also profited by it. A program was arranged for each Friday afternoon and each had to take part at some time. We took up a study of certain artists and musicians and also entered into debating. I see’ no reason why this society has been dropped, and am sure if the girls reorganized it. they would not only profit but enjoy it greatly. So here’s hoping it will again appear as an active society in our school. In our Junior year a great deal of our time was spent in doing war work. To do this more easily, we divided into groups of ten and called ourselves the High School Auxiliary. In this we made sweaters for soldiers and layettes for the Belgian children. The money which we raised amounted to fifty dollars, which we used this year in adopting a French war orphan. We entered on our last year of school with a desire to do more than in the other years, and in this I think we won. We did a great deal in raising money which will be used for a good purpose. We also desire to do our best when we become Alumni of this school, and be an honor and of use to our community. MARIAN SHERMAN. ’19. EFFECTIVE WAVS OF EARNING MONEY In the last two years many demands for time, money and service have made it necessary for the high school to get busy and earn some money. The students have felt it their duty to earn all the money that they could to help win the w'orld war. One good way to earn money is to have a home bakery. In order not to have this home bakery a burden, each girl should bake every other week, taking out the cost of the materials. Another way is for the girls to serve lunches. Soups may be made easily and cheaply. Macaroni with cheese tastes good with a cold lunch. Potatoes and gravy draw the pupils to the kitchen. Along in the spring, on warm days, ices go well, especially after school at night. Girls, try making doughnuts or cookies and see how long they will last after the boys have found them. Candy can also be made and sold without difficulty. The boys can earn money in some of these ways as well as the girls. All of the students can sell extra copies of The Athenian, Christmas seals, or may have class parties. All these ways that have been mentioned have been tried and found to be very effective in earning money. GRACE SMITH, ’19. 14

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During the period of the war our people have been robbed of their food to feed the starving nations of Europe. That was no more than right. But now. after the war. these foreigners will flock to this country after being so hard pressed during the war. But they are needed in their own country to till the soil and feed themselves. This is what most of them will do if they are shut out from this country and food will again be normal in this country. In Russia and in other nations of Europe there are a class of people who are always looking for trouble and are never satisfied. The Bolsheviks are a good example of this class. Their aim seems to be to make trouble. Some of them have invaded this country, causing strikes and political unrest among the working classes. If an immigration law were passed restricting all immigration to this country for a period of five years, this class of men would be shut out until the time when the country is normal again. For these reasons, as an after-war measure, as a preventive against civil strife, I am convinced that a law should be passed to restrict all immigration to this country for a period of five years. HINTON COOK, ’19. NEGATIVE Such a law as proposed by my opponent is not necessary, first because of the labor conditions at the present time. Wages are exceptionally high, but not high compared with the high cost of living. Each day the papers bring the glad news of thousands of our boys returning from their adventurous days of trench life to their positions which they held before the war. Thus there will be little demand for foreign labor and consequently the tide will be checked, if not stopped, until again the demand for more labor arises. Mr. Howe, who has studied immigration from every viewpoint, states that opportunities in their own country equal those to be found in the United States and prevent most European immigrants from feeling the impulse of immigration. Men and women do not tear themselves up by the roots, take ship and begin life anew amidst unfamiliar surroundings in communities of which they do not even know the language in the mere spirit of adventure. They submit to terror and discomfort, yielding to the hope of immigration only because they find conditions at home unfavorable. If home conditions become attractive, even if they become endurable, few will leave familiar conditions for those to be found here. It was the spirit of immigration that brought the United States into existence and has so well developed it into such a prosperous nation. Still at the present time the labor force depends somewhat upon the number of immigrants. Without immigration the United States would be more than twenty years later in progress than she is today. Such a law would be offensive to other countries and thereby would be a source of renewed trouble and a danger which should be avoided at the present day. Under the present peace terms all nations are to be at peace with one another. Why exclude from your presence those whom interest in the United States has drawn from foreign countries? Considering reasons above stated there is no firm ground upon which such a, law might be laid. GEORGE BARTON, '19. 16