Canaan High School - Lasso Yearbook (Canaan, CT)

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the nation's capital, Washington, D.C. Vivian Laffargue, '38. ON MUSIC Music is the art of tones modulated to produce effects pleasing to the ear. It carries you above the dejected part of life with its rhythm, harmony, or melody. It is not merely a pastime. Music touches the soul. Somewhere in the soul of everybody lies the germ of music. It also has charac- ter and is common to human hearts. There is humor in music which is at times very delightful to hear. Music in England was at a time looked upon as a great treat and a work of the heart. Of the different kinds of music, I think jazz and classical music are the main divisions. I like jazz music very much, but then I can't resist keeping time or dancing along with the good old classical waltz music, although some classical music has the tendency to make me go to sleep or feel drow- sy. Today we have swing music which I enjoy listening to while l am working. It makes me feel like work- ing faster in order to keep in time with the music. There are some people who do not recognize the beauty of music, and are unaware that music is a great art. Anna Madsen, '40 RED CROSS BUILDING The rain was coming down in tor- rents, but in the Red Cross building rain and time were forgotten. In the cases are the scenes of' the work of the Red Cross nurses during the Civil and the World Wars. The pity of the lack of supplies, the horror of the suffer- ing, the courage of the nurses, and the adoration of the nurses by the soldiers are all revealed in these cases. ln one particular case is the scene of'the Red Cross nurses on the battle front. ln one out-of-the-way corner of the building are two life-sized statues showing the uniforms that were worn by the nurses. They are very much like the uniforms that were worn by the men in the World War. ln one section of the building is an old ambulance which had been used during the Civil War. It is almost im- possible to believe that just a few years ago, wounded men had to ride in this wooden cart. The wheels are rough, and there is no cot in it to help make the ride more comfortable. The Clara Barton exhibit is very interesting. Many of her personal be- longings are in the building. We were very much surprised to learn that our hour was up. On our way out l noticed the great Corinth- ian columns on the front of the build- ing. These columns were erected by Congress as a memorial to the heroic women of the Civil War. Bessie Couch, '38. ON CHEWING GUM Gazing around the room, my eyes rest on a pair of jaws, systematically opening and closing. To my ears comes the sound of gum being crush- ed between two rows of teeth. Chew- ing gum is the oddest form of exercise l have ever seen. It must be a form of exercise: l couldn't call it anything else. just what good chewing gum ac- complishes, I don't know. l chew gum, but l don't know why l do it. There's

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Those giving encouragement are well-liked and become popular among the members of the team. Clownish critics are looked upon with scorn and soon regret that they made that un- called-for remark. Irving Yvarner, '40. PECUNIARY DIFFICULTIES To be without money for some people is the same as for others to be without their best friend. I, for one, have shown the truth of the state- ment, money flies, but only when I have some. Saving is a difficult prop- osition for a fellow of high school age, especially if he hasn't been born with a gold spoon in his mouth. Many times I have gone to dad with a brief, extra friendly greeting and a request for some change. Nat- urally, my extra friendly greeting has an attempted quality of putting him in a good humor. lf my enchantment doesn't work I usually get, Sorry, but I haven't got a nickel to my name. If my spell has its effects, I get the requested and the seemingly boresome addition, Don't spend it foolishly. But we'll continue in the negative, where I haven't obtained my objec- tive. lf my financial standing isn't too embarrassing, I just sulk for a short time, refusing to engage in any occu- pation. Sulking, when not too sullen, is the best time for day-dreaming. For instance, dreaming pecuniarily. lf it is a typical day for playing ball, I can think of buying every fellow in town a baseball, a bat, and a glove. When the snow is just right for ski- ing, I would buy everyone a pair of skis. fRemember I'm just day-dream- 9 ing., Although this process doesn't get the coin asked for, it gives me the satisfaction of believing that when I accumulate my fortune, I'lI never re- fuse anyone money. When I'm definitely financially em- barrassed, desire the money very much, and have reiterated my request a number of times, without success, I start a sit-down or walk-out strike. If my dad realizes the value of my la- bors, a short conference settles the strike: otherwise I make the indem- nity. What this country needs is more people that do not ask, Why? When? and Where? if their friends pocket- book is not so fat as theirs. Irving Warner, '40. llil THE NATl0N'S REFLECTING SEA Like a silent sea, reflecting in its deep blueness the millions of stars above and escorting its tiny ships about it, Alexandria, Virginia, a pic- turesque sight, lay below me as I stood at the foot of the Masonic Temple. Everything was silent, except for the steady footfall of the night watch- man, and the water lapping the shores of the Potomac. In the distance I could see the dome of the nation's Capitol peering above everything, like a lighthouse guiding all ships. The sight was too impressive and beautiful to be real. I descended the hill leaving the magnificent temple behind me. Each step carried me near- er to reality. Soon I was in the midst of a noisy city with harsh lights glar- ing at me. It was far from the quiet sea I had previously seen. I stood in

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no pleasure derived from it. There is a flavor at first, but that soon wears off. Looking at a person chewing gum, l am strongly reminded of a cow in the meadow chewing her cud. There is that same rhythmic moving of the jaws: the same look of emptiness on the face. lf anyone can look intelli- gent when he is chewing gum, that person should go down in history. There are several types of gum- chewers. There is the person who chews slowly and methodically, who seems bent on getting everything there is in every chew. There is the person who chews at great speed, as if he were afraid the gum would get away from him. There is the child who opens his mouth as wide as it will go, then clamps down on the gum like a cat on a mouse. lt is amusing to watch people chew gum, but it finally becomes boring. Why wouldn't it? lt's the same thing over and over again, chew after chew. is it any wonder that teachers require pupils to drop their gum in the waste- paper basket? Edith Picchioni, '40. ,iii-i-l--1 PLANES Planes! Planes! Planes! that's all we hear about now-a-days. The other day when l went to the movies l saw a news item of a new four-motored transport plane under construction. It is of the most radical design of any plane yet to be built. lt has a new- type landing gear which is three cor- nered with two wheels in the mid- fuselage and a wheel on the nose. Four different airlines pooled money to build this new Queen of the Skies . The plane has been under con- struction for almost a year and is just now nearing completion. lt was just the other morning when l was awakened by a deafening roar. What do you think? It was just an- other plane doing his setting-up ex- ercisesf' lt seems that every way you turn you see or hear something about planes. The planes of today are really mar- velous machines as they are safe and m6st assuredly practical. One can en- joy aviation very much these days if he has a mind to. The planes of to- day have the most clean lines of any machines in the world. They are beautifulg their sturdy little cantilever wings with a bright finish of paint are a wonderful sight. The most perfect part of an airplane is its cockpit: this is its nerve center just like the brain of a human. The maze of instruments and lights of a modern plane repre- sent many hard hours of studying their function and use to the plane. Most every one is mildly interested in aviation today because of the many ways one may become inter- ested. There are numerous branches of the industry which are just as in- teresting as the actual flying of the planes. Some people literally thrive on looking at pictures of the latest planes: others travel to airports rather than the one nearest them to look at different type planes and get ac- quainted with them. The closest thing to aviation itself is model aviation. This is an import- ant field because it trains one to the parts of a plane and how they are built. How many people know what these words mean who have not built a model, longerous, stringers,