Barre High School - Barretone Yearbook (Barre, MA)

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NEW WORLDS I HAVE DISCOVERED THROUGH BOOKS by Bette Troy Whoever wrote the maxim, Ho who loves a book will never be in need of a friend, will agree with me that the enter- tainment and enjoyment, besides the educational value of books is limitless, when I first considered the title of this paper, New Worlds I Have Discovered Through Books, it meant little to me, and I trust it was the same with many. But after careful consideration I realized that I have discovered a host of different worlds, and in doing so have acquired something which is lasting. Books should be divided into two groups--! ic tion and nonfiction; the one for entertainment, the other for education. Among the things I have discovered in books is how inter- esting the study of the character of a people can be. I be- lieve the most interesting character that I have discovered through books is th ; ' t of the southern people during the Civil ■War period. The three most recent books I have read on this period are, Gone with the ' Wind , The Crisi s , and The Crossing , and in each one I have found loyalty to the belief ’of their cause, their whole-hearted friendliness, and, above all, their stubborn pride. Knowing these characteristics, I am better able to understand their part in our American History. The characters of the Polish, Irish, English, Latin- and American people have also proved interesting to me. The importance of history books to us is found in the line, History Repeats Itself. From our belief of this line, we do, to a certain extent, base our prediction of the coming years. From my Latin text book, I have discovered a new f meaning to our English language. Many English -words have often puzzled me. Now I can see Latin is going tw solve that puzzle for me by giving me t’ history of many of those words. From the geographical books I have read, I have cone to know the climate, customs, history and people of countries I can never hope to visit. Ideas for hobbies are given to us through books, hobbies that not only prove to be entertaining but are often con- structive. So go to the library and acquire a book on hobbies and you ' ll find those many extra minutes during the day will not bo wasted time, time which is so precious. Haven’t you oft on though bow wonderful it must be for those who invent silly little gadgets which are made of practically nothing but, because they prove entertaining or useful to people;, ac- quire wealth for the inventor? Just think you may have a talent for that sort of thing, but because you ' ve had nothing to bring that talent out, it remains hidden. But there are books in the library on Handicraft which are capable of re- vealing this talent. The world of science and the study of drama are open to us through books. Oh, one could go on indefinitely des- cribing the advantages of reading, but these advantages boil down to the fact that reading provides us with friends for our leisure, knowledge for our satisfaction, and material for conver nation.

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TRAVEL BY BOOKS One night not long ago as I lay in bed I tried to remem- ber what books I had read. I have read many kinds of books and I enjoy all of them. In my world of books I have been in many strange places and associated with all the types of people in the world, .ifhen I read a book I try to put myself in the story and stand right at the hero’s shoulder and go through all the emotions that he must go through. I have sat in a tent with Frank -Duck while he decided what the next day’s program would be. I have stood at his shoulder as he cranked his camera and then; suddenly jumped aside as a huge rhinoceros lumbered by. I have watched him and his men carefully take a tiger out of a pit and put him into a cage so that he could be shipped to the United States. There he would be put in a cage to amuse the people that visit the zoo daily. After I have travelled with Frank Buck for a while I have suddenly found myself making preparations to fly the At- lantic u cean with that young American flyer, C ol, Charles A. Lindbergh. I have peeped over his shoulder as he fingered the sensitive controls of the Spirit of St. Louis as she glided, like a bird, down over Paris and landed at the Le Bourget field in France. ,Vhen I have become tired of flying I have gone under- neath the water with Captain Ellsworth, who is a deep sea diver. I have watched him check on his equipment; and I have also accompanied him as he sank through the water and landed with a thud on the bottom. I have helped him light -his acetylene torch and burn a hole in a huge iron safe. I have seen his eyes light up with f strange gleam as he saw the heap of gold ingots within. As we go back a few years I was at the shoulder of the Commander of The V. Boat when he gave the signal that sent the Lusitania sinking below the waves. I heard him say, ’’Load the forward torpedo tubes” and then he said, ’’Fire.” I heard the hiss as the torpedoes went on their errands of death . ,Vhen I have tired of the air, the sea, and the warm country of Africa I have gone to the Louth Pole with Admiral Byrd. I have watched him carefully count his supplies and finally I h°ve clambered, aboard the Becar and sailed away to the land of the biting cold and glistening ice. ihen we got there I helped to assemble the planes and to carry the supplies by dogsled. Many times I have mushed the dogs with a huge bullhide whip. I also got a great thrill out of fly- ing around the pole on a cold morning with Admiral Byrd in front of me at the controls. Don’t you agree with me that one can travel vividly and extensively by books? Paul Thayer ’40