Bourne High School - Canal Currents Yearbook (Bourne, MA)

Page 21 text:

BOURNE HIGH SCHOOL Page Nineteen How Do We Learn? We learn from history that we learn nothing from history. How true this saying is. If we benefited by others’ experi- ence, if we learned from history, would the world be in the turmoil it is today? But supposing we were to benefit from the exploits of our an- cestors by knowing enough then not to step on dangerous ground, still, would we be satisfied? Indeed not. It is human nature to find these things out for oneself. Who cares if people say I told you so”? We want to learn for ourselves, to experience the thrill of discovery. Every experiment in our chemistry book has been worked thousand of times, yet every one of the twenty stu- dents in our class is going to work them for himself again, and is going to get a big kick out of doing so. We have to discover things for ourselves. It is human nature. Phyllis Stockley, ’41. Summer Boarders As soon as the rays of the summer sun touch them they come flocking to the country: young and old, thin and plump, they make up the queerest assortment of tourists imaginable. First, there is a quiet old lady who wishes only to sit in her rocking chair and knit. A congenial sort of person, she at once becomes a friend to everyone. Respect is paid to her in every possible way. Just the opposite, however, is the great inventor and ' what not,’ Mr. Jones. Middle-aged and plump, he wheezes through an account of his daring exploits, his newest time- saving devices, or anything at all that will make him the center of at- tention. On the shady side of the veranda sits the old maid absorbed in a thrill- ing love story, forgetful of her beau- tiful young charge, the debutante. Stretched lazily in the sun is that overworked young lady trying to catch up on her beauty sleep after her social fling. It is much too quiet here for her satisfaction for she craves excite- ment every minute. There’s no need of a chaperone in this lonely place,” says she. Anyone can guess who the gentle- man with the horn-rimmed spectacles is. All day he pores over thickly bound books, or crawls in the meadow near- by for bugs. A perfect afternoon greets the drowsy boarders until cries of de- light pierce the silence and bounding up the steps is Mr. Naturalist, dan- gling his precious find before him. What a queer group fate has thrown together here! No two persons are leading a similar life, or are in the same social group. It’s fun to try to imagine why each one chose this country boarding house for his or her vacation. I’ve tried very hard and I’m still trying to reach a reasonable con- clusion. I just can’t seem to. Can you? B. Natalie Wright, ’41. Let Us All Be Thankful What is the real meaning of Thanksgiving? Surely it is not just the good things we have to eat. To us Americans it cannot help but have a much deeper meaning, especially this year. We should give thanks that our country is not at war, that our boys are not in the trenches and our whole land in danger of air raids. The hungry in this nation are fed, the poor are properly clothed, and little children cared for. Our schools and other institutions are of the best. There is a chance for each and every one who wants to take it. On this Thanksgiving day, and in the Christmas Season coming, let us all be thankful we are United States citizens. Franklin Ellis, ’41.

Page 20 text:

Page Eighteen CANAL CURRENTS Appreciation Did you ever stop to think what the word appreciation means? If you haven’t, you should. To me it means a great deal — something we should all have towards others who do things for us. Have you ever appreciated enough what your parents have done, and what they will be doing for you? Have you ever appreciated what your teachers, friends, and others have done to help you to keep up with others in life? How much better a place this w ' orld would be to live in if we all appreciated what others have done for us. Let us resolve to show a little more appreciation in the future for the many things which are done for us every day. Richard Gonsalves, ’41. Autobiography of a Pirate Having been born in a small fish- ing village on the sea coast, it was only natural that I should love the sea. As a youth I used to spend every idle minute watching the fishing boats as they docked or talking to old cap- tains who fascinated me with their yarns. As I grew older I was allowed to play aboard an old boat which had been pulled ashore to rot away. I loved this old boat and played that I was her Captain guiding her in a raid on a merchant ship. Soon I be- came exceptionally skilled in climbing riggings, manning oars, tying knots and even steering by a compass. At night, I would dream of being a great pirate whom no one could overcome. When I approached my fifteenth birthday I was allowed to go on a trading ship with my dad. Two years later our ship was captured and sunk by pirates, who took me prisoner. I was speechless with admiration when I met their leader for I thought him very brave. I remained with the pir- ate band for three years. Although I was brutally beaten many times I still looked up to the leader as my ideal. At last after I had learned all the tricks of the trade, I made my escape and two years later I had a ship and crew of my own. They called me hard and cruel for ships either salut- ed me or they were plundered and sunk. My reputation was that of the greatest pirate alive. My dream had come true. Today with these memories and my immense fortune, I am living my last years in a fishing shack by the sea. Every afternoon I tell yarns to a fas- cinated group of boys, remembering that I was one of such a group many years ago. Natalie Wright, ' 41. America, The Land of the Free For centuries America was regarded as the ideal country where freedom reigned. Foreigners swarmed hope- fully to our shores seeking a new and better life. They came because this country was pure and they could have a part in its prosperity and free gov- ernment. This is not a pure country today, for every human race in the world is taking part in our government. Our government is being slowly under- mined by communism, fascism, and other secret organizations under the control of these foreign powers. These organizations have their own political parties and are steadily pushing them forward. Other politicians are being swayed by them and unless this de- struction is stopped we are likely to find ourselves under a dictatorship with no active part in the welfare of our country. This is not freedom! Let us strive to regain our title of glory and be once more, America, the Land of the Free.” B. Natalie Wright, ’41.

Page 22 text:

Page Twenty CANAL CURRENTS When Words Fail Me Many are the times that in the quiet of the evening I have gazed at one of Cape Cod’s loveliest sights — a sunset — impressing upon my mind every detail of its serene beauty that it might leave a place of loveliness with- in me — the delicate gold or silver edged clouds and the perfect blending of pastel colors. Each time I have tried to express in sound what I saw, but words failed me. Again, many are the times in the early morning that I have risen and gone out into the sweet freshness that the morning’s awakening brings into the air, filling my being — feeling awake, alive! It would indeed, be a futile effort to speak. Often has a kind friend done a thoughtful deed and although I am grateful, I can only stumble over words of thanks. Sometimes when a friend is hurt through some misunderstanding, I have tried to right the wrong, but the things that I could say to help won’t come until the opportunity is gone. Scenes, people, and happenings seem to make not only myself but words inadequate. What do you do, when words fail you? Isabel Handy, 41. “Count von Luckner” or “The Sea Devil” by Lowell Thomas The Sea Devil’’ tells about a boy who loved the sea but whose father wanted him to be a cavalry officer in the army. The boy’s name was Count Felix von Luckner. His father told him never to come back home unless he was an officer. The book tells how he ran away to follow the sea, and of the hardships and the ad- venture he had. When the World War started he enlisted as an officer in the German navy, and later was given command of an out-rigger. He slipped past the British blockade and sank a lot of Al- lied shipping before he was ship- wrecked in the South Seas. One time a ship wouldn’t surrender. He rigged up some stove pipes to look like tor- pedo tubes and then told them to sur- render or else he would sink the ship. They surrendered. It was a very inter- esting book all the way through and I enjoyed it very much. Charles Aylmer, ’41. Music of he Future Music is one of our fine arts involv- ing the very human soul. But in the future music will certainly be given us by machines. We have already had an opportunity to observe this change during our lifetime. We have wit- nessed the development of the phono- graph, the player-piano, the radio, and numerous other mechanical means of producing music. The most ultra- modern music-making machine is the pianoforte, which is able to create music by blending electrical vibrations. Such a great orchestral director as Stokowski seems to be gaining inter- est in his Westinghouse-Electrical me- chanical orchestra. He, like many other conductors, realizes which way the future faces, and he has now given himself almost completely over to scientific research in mechanical music. Mechanized music has done tre- mendous harm to the musicians, who formerly played at theaters and dances. Do we want our national anthem screeched at us through a loudspeaker, coming from a little wax disc running in circles? There is great doubt on the part of music critics, and people who appreciate good music, whether the world will overthrow this tendency to a mechanical age in the world of music. Stuart Macdonald, ’41.