Brockton High School - Brocktonia Yearbook (Brockton, MA)

Page 23 text:

O CLASS ORATION YOUNG AMERICA LOOKS AHEAD-Robert Paulson As we stand upon the threshold of graduation, the world is in a state of chaos. As we sail out of the sheltered harbor of youth on to the stormy sea of life, the turbulent waves of hatred, conquest, and tyranny strike with driving, wrenching force the shores of all nations, Though we carry with us the best wishes of our parents, teachers, and friends, we must from now on plot our own course. We must decide for ourselves how we are to weather the blustering gales, the howling furies which are now pounding every boundary. What course are we to take? There are those people who believe that we can close our eyes and blissfully sail away, and in time this horrid old world will right itself and take care of us, An appalling number of graduates each year take this attitude. They have not the slightest idea as to what ports they will visit, or what seas they will sail, l-lowever, many graduates do hesitate and investigate the weather conditions before embarking, As they cast a weather eye to the heavens, these graduates behold a sight which causes them to stop, aghast. They behold the war god, Mars, riding across the skies in a flaming chariot, pillaging, murdering, and destroying all those ideals that are fine and decent, all those ideals for which we are to strive as men and women, These graduates behold the great nations of the earth guided by the grasping hands of dictators, who crush all opposition beneath their iron-shod boots as they continue to rescue the world from the horrors of freedom. And yet we are told that we live in a humane, cultured civilization, that we, because we are Americans, have no cause for worry. We must worry! This is not the time for pretty poems, long, glittering generalities, or an air of frivolity. But what are we to do? The development of a unified purpose, a unified philosophy, might be the answer. Consider first this point, if you will, Each of us, whether or not we wish to realize the fact, has a philosophy of life. Governed by our own environment, beliefs, thoughts, and ideals, for each of us this philosophy is slightly different. There are, however, certain ports of every philosophy which are similar. For Americans as a whole, the following four points are perhaps predominant: one, maintenance of the American sense of humor, two, development of tolerance and fellowship, three, an extension of the good work of our parents, four, the preservation of our American democracy. Admittedly, there are many more ideals that might be set forth, but these are offered merely to stimulate thought. Let us first discuss the sense of humor. It is known as the great American attribute, and in the future, more than ever it will be vitally necessary. The term humor should perhaps be defined, Those people who see in the em- barrassment of others a cause for laughter possess a sense of humor, it is true. Those who laugh when someone slips and falls into a convenient puddle have a right to the enjoyment which they may derive from such a spectacle, They have that right, however, only if they wish to exhibit their own ignorance and to debase themselves in the eyes of their friends. We do not advocate that type of humor. I9

Page 22 text:

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

Page 24 text:

We refer to a much higher sense of humor. Its quality and value are graphically illustrated in the following anecdote, taken from the first American address of Lord Halifax. A London woman, warned to leave her house because of a time bomb lying close by, declared, 'The landlord has tried to turn me out, the bailiffs have tried to get me out, l'll be blessed if l-litler's going to do itll' Can people with such spirit be defeated? As long as a nation can be cheerful about the darker side of life, there is no need to worry about their courage. We know, then, that the ability to smile is healthful, just as morbidity is dangerous. From morbid gloom are bred discontent, hatred, revolution. Any nation whose mind is in this state is going to crumble at the first hint of pressure. Someone once said, trying to cheer the hearts of the people, Let us look at the well as though it were half-full, instead of half-empty. Would not that be a good motto for us to choose as the first point in our philosophy? Let us maintain our sense of humor, let us always see a little of the sunny side, no matter how difficult the road. In the second place, the issue of democratic tolerance, in a nation built on democratic principles, will forever be important. We have, to a certain extent, created the America of which the writers of the Constitution dreamed. All races, creeds, and colors work side by side in our industries, on our farms. Despite this, a new problem has arisen. lt is the problem of our economic sanity, For years, the almighty dollar has reigned supreme as the god and goal of the American people. For years, the bank-book, not intelligence, nor character, nor leadership, has been the admission ticket to the various circles of American social life. lt has been the master key which opens the doors to opportunity. This materialistic worship of the dollar sign has spread even to our government. One of the chief reasons for our entrance into this second European holocaust, we are told, is not to help a nation which already owes us millions in war debts, but simply to protect our economic interests in foreign lands. We are, above all, aiding the democracy at home by our intervention. We have finally heard l-litler's solemn promise that he would cut off all our export trade when he won the war. l-low can we, as a country, be tolerant-democratic, when we must constantly see such intolerance, when our vision is constantly distorted by the green of folding money, so that we judge people solely by their bank-books. That hypnotic power wielded by the dollar sign is becoming more evident each passing day. At one time we thought the Standard Oil scandal of the late nineteenth century was the biggest blot on our economic history, but the thousand and one little scandals now being revealed constitute a problem ten times greater. The actions of which we read daily do not speak well for the unity and integrity of our people as a whole. We must surrender the selfish, egocentric idea that wealth counts more in the evaluation of a person than his character, his intelligence, or his personality. Our erroneous train of thought has spread in still another direction. Because of a wave of misguided patriotism, some of us no longer trust many intelligent people who are not citizens. An instance of this came to light at one of our local draft boards. An Armenian immigrant, when registering, revealed these facts: he had studied at the universities of Palermo and Milan, in ltaly, receiv- ing high grades and graduating as a chemist. Yet, because he was not a citizen he could find no employment in this great nation, regardless of his technical training. l-le became discouraged, hungry, desperate. l-lowever, the story has a happy ending. Uncle Sam was only too glad to receive a man with chemical training, and he is now a valuable worker in the Chemical Warfare Division of the United States Army. ' 20