Brockton High School - Brocktonia Yearbook (Brockton, MA)

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PRESIDENTUS ADDRESS Tl-lE CHALLENGE OE YOUTH-Williom Anthony We now live in o period which presents o chollenge to the youth of this demo- crotic notion of ours. We ore stonding upon the threshold of responsible citizen- ship. The younger generotion is growing up in on ero of violent chonge ond reodjustment, born of wor ond destruction. Old stondords seem to hove vonished, no new stondords seem to hove developed. To those lovers of the post, there is o question in their minds os to whether the United Stotes con depend upon the twenty-one million boys ond girls to corry on ond improve upon the present doy situotion, Do those of the post reolly understond the immense responsibility which is to be shouldered by the youth of todoy? Just whot is our responsibility? ln yeors to come, some of us will teoch school, drive trucks, monoge ond monipulote businesses, stond in ossembly lines in foctories, report the news, ond obove oll, elect the leoders of our democratic government. Ours is the responsibility to corry on, ln the end the issue simplifies itself, This generotion is our generotion ond connot be onybody else's. The tosk of youth is not to orgue but to creote. Its opportunity is tremendous-nothing less thon the chonce to erect for itself in time its own stondords ond ideols. ln most periods the creotive desire of youth hos to fight repression ond prejudice. A distrocted world colls loudly todoy for leodership, The newspopers ond rodio hove soid ond ore soying thot the world of todoy hos not prospered of lote under the guidonce of on older generotion, The older generotion, therefore, hos no olternotive but to look to youth, with its undimmed visions ond potentiol power, to set it right. As o chollenge, youth hos occepted criticisms with the strong heroic spirit it hos olwoys hod. At present, Americo is focing one of its criticol situotions. Just how will youth contribute to remedy our notionol problems? At present thousonds upon thousonds hove willingly ond heroicolly left good positions to be o port of the greotest ormy in the world, while mony others hove discorded their cops ond gowns for khoki ond guns in order thot the world might be sofe for democrocy. We hove leorned whot rood to trovel, becouse we know where our weoknesses lie, ond how they moy be remedied. We hove leorned thot mistoken policies ore dongerous to democrocy. We occept the chollenge. We must put the universe in order, fight the forces of dorkness. lt is our duty to mointoin the strong notion thot our forefothers built. If our civilizotion ond our country ore to be endongered by sinister forces without ond within, we sholl combot these forces, we sholl bonish them. We do not promise immediote omeliorotion of present conditions. We ore riot sibyls or optimists, we do not perform or promise to perform the impossible. We do hove, however, o strong weopon with which to meet the situotion. Thot weopon is couroge. lt is not thot we hove couroge iust becouse we ore young. We must hove couroge, for without it, the world will collopse ond we sholl oll I7

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ROBERT PAULSON RICHARD MEYERS Orotor Poet IRVING BAILET PHYLLIS PALMER Odist Composer I6

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goose-step to our doom. To preserve our identity, to prevent ourselves from being defeated, we must face the issue. No one can tell just what the future has in store for him, Our country faces great uncertainty and danger, The events in Europe and Asia and Africa, and the measures for security which we in our Republic are now taking will affect, in one way or another, the life of every person today. Although the future is doubtful, it must be plain to all of us that in these troubled times and in more critical times to come, every young American must be prepared to sacrifice for the common good, and this cannot be so unless we look back at the age-old fundamental human virtues of loyalty, perseverance, generosity, enthusiasm, initiative, courage, and, above all, common sense, hard work, and honesty. These are the elements that make up character-the character which is so essential to all young men and women of today, There is no reason, therefore, to be doubtful about the future, however much we may feel disillusioned about the past, l-lope is the oldest and wisest counselor of mankind, for without hope it is impossible for men to comprehend the power of the other Christian virtues of faith and charity. We high school graduates, who are about to begin life anew, face an even greater crisis, a crisis in the determination of our national ideals. We are in the process of defining Americanism, and it is our duty to re-define it. The old day of individualism is past. The last physical frontier has disappeared. We encounter new social and industrial questions pressing for a solution. For us principles are more important than programs, an understanding of conditions as they are in this country is more important than framing constitutions for Utopia. The students whom l represent are watching critically every action of the present-day situation, We desire to live and to live at peace, We desire to con- struct a world society providing freedom, equal opportunity and security. We desire to make possible for every human being a development of personality in terms of the highest human and spiritual values we know, Those of us who have retained a concept of a loving and purposeful God desire to live in peace lives which will reflect that concept. We are on the threshold of opportunity. By our own alertness in leadership and by the ideals we instill in our children we shall determine what our country, and indeed, the world, will be a half a century from now. Our final step is to give thanks to God for the freedom that is still ours and for the opportunity to secure an education, to plan a career, to marry and found a family, to share in government, to criticize public servants, to run for any office, to seek our fortunes in high or low places, to worship or not as we desire, to rise or fall by our own efforts, to speak unhesitatingly what we think, without fear of reprisal, to have complete liberty of conscience, to be the rulers of our own destiny, and live in a home that is our castle. Christ came to set men free in body, mind, and soul. l-le taught men to love one another not only in precept but also in example, to seek the truth isince the truth would make them freel, to test all things, and to hold fast to that which is good. ' I8