Charlotte High School - Witan Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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HIGH SCHOOL The WIT AN LIVE OR EXIST Happy? Yes, she’s happy; that’s what troubles me. 11 perplexes me. I'll admit she has a good home, a pleasant husband, and a little two year old daugh- ter. Yet it puzzles me; she goes around chattering about sending her clothes to the laundry ami about the fact that she has been reading some cheap maga- zine all day. Perhaps ir is because of her simplicity. She and her husband arc going to the theatre next week, they go every week; she talks about this innocently, happily. It really matters in her life. In her pantry she has mice; a while ago they con- sumed a portion of chicken lodged there; she has a waterless cooker and she talks about that. I can tell she’s happy, extremely happy; 1 can tell by the way she talks and chatters and the way she moves about so lightly. Yes, she has been reading True Story magazine all day and her laundry came at eleven-ten this morning. I know not whether to laugh or weep for that woman. And she’s a grown woman too, married; a grown woman so simple, so happy. I’m wondering now, after seeing her, if I want to he happy. Thar must be happiness I saw in her. I could make up a definition of happiness that would not include that sort of thing. But no I believe most people arc happy when they have that same lightness, that same chattering gavety. And I cannot attempt to change facts. So I’m wondering — do I wanr to be happy? Is happiness happiness or just contentment? Is she living or existing? I’m inclined to think the latter. She doesn’t know how large the sun is, how- far away it is, where it goes at night or a thousand other things; she doesn’t care; she’s going to the theatre next week, and she's going to leave about eight thirty. Does she go to church? Sometimes anyway what’s the difference she hears a sermon over the radio. Docs she ever read any books? Oh, yes, she has jusr finished Sinning Simpletons by John Jones. You may think I’m prejudiced, or antagonistic; vou may think I’m discontented with the world. No—-I’m merely serious, I merely face the facts; I’m iust wondering. And she’s not an outstanding exception; thousands of people are like that. Happy? No, I don’t believe I want to be happy. I would rather live and rejoice in the fact that a few men have really lived before me. When some simple man declares war I am going to live on. They will have no trouble getting men to fight, men who would exist and sing and then die—forever. THE TRUTH ABOUT THE NORTH It took two hundred years to establish our Ameri- can independence, seventy years to strengthen our Union, and more than one hundred and fifty years to establish a noteworthy school system. Now, I wonder how long it will take America to publish textbooks containing accurate facts about the Arctic and Alaska? Dr. Yiljhumar Stcfansson, professor and explorer, gave sufficient evidence as to the misinformation found in our tcxtl»ooks which ileal with those regions in his illustrated lecture on the Arctic at the Abelard Reynolds school No. 42 Tuesday, December 1. According to the data gathered in his eleven years of intensive study of Arctic life, Dr. Stefansson says that our textbooks give us an entirely wrong impres- sion of rhe .Arctic and life in the Arctic. After listening to Stefansson’s lecture I can fearlessly say that one can best obtain accurate facts about the Arctic by attending the lectures of some noteworthy explorer or hv reading his books. COOPERATION In order to better our school wc must have more co-operation. Wc must co-operate with our teachers and show wc have the ability to work. Wc must co-operate with each other and make it more pleas- ant to work. Wc must take an interest in our studies and try each time to improve a little more. We must pull together and work for the good of rhe school. I n Other words wc need more co-operation. L. Bacchus, 9B The Witan staff wishes to thank Gladys Grot- zmger for all of the work she has done this year toward making our magazine a success. She was not included on the staff because she is chairman of the Handbook Committee which occupies very much of her time. THREE ROADS Unc road was curved and winding, Another was shaded by trees; Another was dusty and sunny And rang with the hum of bees The curved road led 10 the meadow, The shady one ran to a brook. The dusty road led to a cottage. That is the one that I took. The first was the path of a gypsy, Or one who was joyous and free, The second a road for a dreamer; The last was the road for me. Marian DvVal, ’34 2

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The WIT AN CHARLOTTE HELP IN SIGHT There is one problem which faces every girl in Charlotte, at least one rime during the day. To the careless it appears when she gets up in the morning, to the more thoughtful, before she goes to bed. The first regrets her carelessness all day; the second spends a sleepless night. The cause of all this mental anguish is well known to every girl, What will I wear tomorrow? It is a far more complicated question than it appears. The primary aim is to give indication of a larger, more expensive wardrobe than really exists. No one knows the reason for this condition, but all of us have to cope with its existence. Some long-suffering parent has come to the rescue with the suggestion of a uniform. A uniform! Goodbye to the days of anxiety and the sleepless nights. Goodbye to envy and rivalry in dress. And the models are not the sort we would expect to have been made by those who didn't have to wear them. There arc attractive colors, and a distinctive design. The uniforms arc not a punishment, but a blessing. Bad as the phrase may sound, they were intended for our own good. We arc in the best of company when we have uniforms. The best of private schools have them, the United States army and navy, the Marine Band, and several other honorable organizations. A uniform docs not necessarily signify a term in prison. Nor, as the saying goes, is our individuality to be crushed. If we have a uniform for every-day wear wc will have more money to spend on our other clothes. It seems an excellent suggestion, and, coming as it has from our parents, has been submitted to a careful examination. No catch has been found as yet. PRISON OR PREP SCHOOL Prisoners and high school pupils are similar in many respects. Both arc under supervision. The prisoner, up to now, has had the worst of the bargain, licing continually under the eyes of some over-seer, while the high school pupils are terrorized by two entirely different authorities. Now the parents and teachers have combined for our good, and the first suggestion they have made is a startling one. Wc complete the comparison by wearing uniforms. Their prime motive is the jealousy supposed to be rampant among girls. It is a tradition that we envy one another's clothes, but like many traditions it owes its existence to liklihood, rather than to actual fact. If there were such envy, uniforms would not elimi- nate it. It would only be transferred from school sessions, to the school functions, such as parties and teas, or to church affairs. It is obvious that uniforms could nor be dragged into these social gatherings. Other high schools with a far greater range of poverty, prosperity, and wealth, have continued very well without uniforms. Are we unworthy of the freedom even to choose our clothes? IT IS BETTER TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE What does Christmas mean to you? Christmas, to me, symbolizes a spirit of festivity. I like to think of it as a time when the fullness of our hearts at Thanksgiving bubbles over, and we express our feeling of well being by making others happy with some token of our friendship. In our extreme youth, we believe in Santa Claus, and our main feeling at Christmas is one of the joy of receiving. In our later youth, we begin to more fully appreciate the spirit of Christmas, and wc invariably experience as much, if not more, jov in giving as in receiving, and as we grow older, we are no longer the recipients of many gifts. Our greatesr ioy comes from giving gifts and happiness to young people, and helping them toentcr more fully into the Christmas spirit. Christmas is a time when people forget their troubles and sorrows, and all nationalities and all sects unite in a universal feeling of good will. And we may hope that Christ is pleased as he looks upon rhe celebration of his birthday. PEACE Peace is an almighty power which should govern all nations. This word peace means happiness, love and thanksgiving. All through the ages War has been waged. What has been derived from this? Nothing but death, sorrow and all the other disasters of War. A new time is upon us. The terrible tale has been written and may it always stay written; a record of battling nations; of tottering thrones; of exiled people and devasted lands. The thunder of battles has drowned the chiming of Christmas bells; the whining of shells hushed the voices of Peace; the moaning of the wounded broke into the carols of Christmastidc. As we look back what a strange sad Christmas for all Christian Nations. In the huge reconstruction that has followed the War the United State of Europe has been formed. Peace has descend cd upon us, at least for the time being. Let us do all wc can to forget the past anti put down in the minds of all Nations for the Future, Peace Everlasting Peace!” 24

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The WIT AX C H A R I. O T T R kszJ tosV fi T V■i r' V S' ! Junior Iligk Depar£meni AN v: “'Vs 4 p r 68 North hast 45th Street Miama, Florida December 2, 1931 Dear Mrs. Mahoney and Class, Our trip was very interesting and I wrote clown everything that was worth knowing about. I will let you peck inside niv diary. With all the kisses and good-byes to say we didn't leave until Sunday afternoon. We went to the lake and our friends followed us there. Wc finally left Monday morning at 8:to. The Morning was beautiful and driving over the roads was like flying in the air. At 10:30 we crossed the Pennsylvania border. The country there was beautiful but not differ- enr than New York. The Alleghany Mountains were very pretty. Wc drove through them for miles and passed through many small towns, reaching Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania, at 3:30. We could have gone on to Washington hut we didn't know how long it would take us. Our hotel was near the capitol and that night we walked past it. It looked like the one at Washington except that it didn’t have as many steps. Tuesday at 7:30 wc left for Gettysburg which is a very interesting place. Wc saw all the battlefields, The Battle of Round Top Hill, and others. Maryland was a pretty state, too, with two beautiful colleges. It was9:30 when we reached the border line. Wc finally saw the capital at Washington standing so strong in the sunlight. At 3:15 wc arrived at Petersburg, Va. The soil is grey with peanuts growing everywhere. From Petersburg to Georgia wc saw cotton fields for miles. We reached North Carolina at 5:20, staying all night at I lenderson. Wednesday morning we arrived in Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina at 7:25. At South Carolina the smoke was so thick that wc had to stay in Charlestown. When driving wc couldn’t see the sides of the road and many cars came together. It was twelve o'clock when we crossed the Georgia border line. I forgot to tell you about the negroes. They live in little log cabins along the road. Some arc in the middle of the cotton or peanut fields. At Savannah wc saw very few palm trees. Florida, our last state, we reached at quarter to five Thursday P. M. and stayed all night at Jacksonville. Wc left at five minutes to ten because of more smoke caused by the negroes who light rhe forest. Friday night wc stayed at Fort Pierce and left Saturday morning. Wc came to the end of our journey Saturday noon at five minutes to twelve with a mileage of 1 , 88 miles. What a beautiful place Miami is! Palms every place you look. I guess wc will have a Palm tree for Christmas, while you will have a pine tree. I go to Miami Kdison Sr. High School, but it is nothing like Charlotte. There arc no penmanship nor guidance classes, we haven’t any assembly programs and we don’t have any after school games. It seems as if wc study and study and study. Our house is about two miles front school and my father takes me every day. We have seven pine trees, and orange, lime and grapefruit trees in our yard. Thanksgiving I was in the hack yard and found two banana trees. We all go swimming after school and sit On the beach and get tanned. I am sitting on the porch with the temperature at eightv-three. The streets here arc one way and wc often make wrong turns. I hope you all have a very joyful Christmas and a very happy New Year. Your former Student and Classmate, Betty Baker 26