Battin High School - Red and White Yearbook (Elizabeth, NJ)

Page 6 text:

rl 4 L i -

Page 5 text:

lF0lPilEWOlPRDi We hear so many people say democracy can thrive and grow only in a creative society. What does this mean for the girls at Battin? I think it means, among many other things, that Touchstone will always go to press. Then each girl at Battin will know that the creative expressions of her own and those of her classmates are symbols of democracy in action. As each of us learns to share his own expressions and ideas, he grows , in the ability to appreciate and recog- nize the unique contributions of others. This respect for uniqueness and indi- vidual expression, when shared, builds a unity which is basic to the structure of our democracy. May the Touchstones all over our land long continue! MARION QUIN Dix, Supervisor of Art Education 8 TOUCHSTONE in mineralogy is basanite, so-called because it is used to test the purity of gold and silver by the streak left on the stone when rubbed by the metal. In 1937 we chose this title as a name for our magazine by which we test the literary and art achievements of Battin students. lg x

Page 7 text:

W in erm, ,Sludge QMY TRIP TO SWEDEN, Whistles sounded, horns blew, multi-colored streamers and confetti floated about the M. S. Gripsholm. The liner of the White Viking Fleet moved slowly out of New York harbor. ' I was on my way to Sweden! How happy I was at the prospect of seeing a new land and new people. VVell, not entirely new to me, for many of the people I know are Swedes, including my father. I was happy until the moment when my eyes could no longer see the crowd of yelling, pushing, crying people on the dock. Then I felt quite empty and alone. Some of the passengers wandered into the salon, some to their cabins to unpack, and others remained at the rail to take a last look at the fast- fading New York skyline. I imagined that a few fmaybe the little old man in the gray suit?l were trying to engrave that picture deep in their mempries, for they would never return. I stood on deck with my parents, with tears in my eyes, feeling so lonely. A ' However, the trip was Elled with so many things to do and people to meet, I didn't have time to miss my old friends too much. Though there were many things to keep me occupied, I always managed to End time to watch the continually changing colors of the sky and ocean. It was fascinating to see the ocean a dark blue one minute andan icy green the next. I I remember one night very distinctly. The ocean was rough. The moon was almost covered by a cloud, making the night dismal. In the distance were the tiny red and white lights of a freighter. I stood on deck, breathing the salt air and feeling strange at watching a scene I had always thought of as being strictly Hollywood. Then a shower of shooting stars fell in the West! ' My first sight of Sweden was at nightfall. Little red lights were on the bobbing buoys. The water was black and the tiny islands and fishing boats were silhouetted against the deep rose horizon. The sky above the horizon was a vivid blue. I could barely distinguish the cottages on the islands except for the warm yellow lights coming from the windows. We docked at the city of Goteborg the next morning. We went through customs and said good-bye to our new friends who were, by now, our old friends. My parents and I walked around C-oteborg, stopping at quaint little shops until it was time to take the three o'clock train to Stockholm. VVhile my parents studied the shops, the fishermen and lisherboys held my interest. Their red caps and their knickers seemed more quaint to me. f- -if f 4