Dexter High School - Signet Yearbook (Dexter, ME)

Page 18 text:

Il 6 THE SIGNET that he wanted to fiy and then set out across the Atlantic on his maiden voyage. Hundreds of fiights as a -mail pi-lot had taught him what to do in every emergency. Behind the shining dame of his achievement were years of training, without which he would have soon crashed to oblivion. , Everybody wh-o has ever do-ne it says its Ia grand -and glorious feelin ' to receive rthe long-coveted diploma on -graduation ni-ght in the presence -of proud relatives and friends. But, leading up to that evergreen- banked stage is a long hard path which takes 'one thirteen years :to travel. Even the glory of possessing a lifttle white piece of paper can not be attained withfout the en- during foundation. Ever since, as children, we flearned the nursery rhyme about the butcher, the baker, and the candlesvtilck maker we have somewhat belittled the last-na-med gentle- man. However, when we realize just how important he is, let's compose a new nur- sery rhyme in which the candlestick maker is given his just 'due for his share in the brilliance of the candle flame. Doris Hutchinson 29. i Two Kinds of Pep We all know -the individual with pep. We know him by his 'bouyant hail, or his hearty -slap on -the back, but do we ever think of the kind of pep he exercises. In school life, we have two kinds of pep. There is the fellow whom we hear yelling vociferously at the games, backing the team, urging school spirit, but not only if -the team is the winner. He stands by through victory 'or defeat. In later life, he is still expounding -his energy in boosting fthe town and inciting town spirit. We don't 'think -of him as a big noise, for he is also a man of perseverance and indomi- toble will, who succeeds in instilling some of his enthusiasm into -others. The other kin-d is he who degenerates into a more jazzy sort. He, too, is full of vim, sometimes boisterous, but his vigor is expelled to no purpose. He wishes to he a social lion, but with all 'his talk and seem- ing pep, he is unable to arrive. It's a.ll very well to be the hail fellow 'type if you can employ your vitality in the right way. Which kind of pep have you? Pauline Ramsay '29, Opportunity As we approach the goal for whi-ch we have so industrio-usly worked during the past four years, we are able to look back- ward and deftect -our various mistakes. We have-, now, a far more co-mprehe-nsive'view of life. Soon we shall pass from this school, forever. Many 'of u-s are to- carry still furtfher our pursuit of -education, others will 'take up life's work, but all will have to f-ace the world. No-W is the time when we should be able to make good 'use of our past experiences. Many of us who have not made the most of our opportunities are now seeing the folly of unprep-aredness. But alas! It 'is too late, we are the losers. As we embark upon life's journey may we take with us a vclearer understanding of 'pers-everanlce and determinfation-pers-ever- ance to -carry out all that we start to do, and determinaltion to do our best in all that w-e do. Then -as we look back from the -summit of a difficult 'task successfully per- formed, we may say with a clear conscience I have done my best. , Vance Wakefield '29.

Page 17 text:

THE SIGNET 15 ment and struggle forward eagerly despite the warning cry. 'For -who can resist the something fascinating, something unknown which lies just beyond! Life is a 'mystery too. It is filled with twists and turns that are continually re- vea'lin-g the unexpected and just 'as we crowd and push to find out what lies under the big brown tent, just so, do we crowd and push to learn what life has in store for us. We rush through Childhood eager to attain the importance of Y-outh. One glance is sufficient, Maturity seems more desirable. Without once gazing back we hasten on. We tire, ye-t we hurry forward to old age where we may find pe-ace and rest. We are almost at the end of life, ahead lies an abyss, a chasm which we cannot fathom. We pause before we take the final step, and lo-ok ba-ek down the years and I think in that backward look we shall discover that, although we have experienced all of the changes in life we have passed through them too quickly, we have -not been content to go slowly wand see all, and therefore have missed some of llifeis .most important things. So don't crowd, folks, don't push, but walk right along, and take in the greatest show in the world-Life. Helen Palmer 28. P Work and Play IE all the year were playing holidays, to sport would be as tedious as to work. Such is the conclusion of the learned Shakespeare, written in the days when la- bor without play was necessary for the suppressed peasant slaves of the nobility, while this latter class was steeped in the sensuous life of innate i-dleness. The .life of the poor was endless toil without pleasure, the life of the wealthy was endless pleasure with-out t-oil. Then, how did Shakespeare come to this conclusion? It was through his philosophic insight into human nature that caused 'this prophetic declaration. He saw the irritating effects of continual idle- ness upon the nobility, and the more- dead- ening effects of continual labor -upon the peasants. He knew that such a condition could not exist indefinitely without a de- cisive and compromising clash. The rich were discontented with 'their idleness, yet their pride was gre-ater than their' happi- ness. So, it be-came the duty of the poor to destroy this prideg to humble this aristo- cracy in order that both classes might have both work and play together with a univer- sal happiness. Such a duty they accepted, and down through the ages, revolution has followed revolution, each -conceding to the lower class a little more play, and each humbling the nobles a little more, until now we have the democracy in which mankind has be- come one -caste with fthe same ambitions to live, to work, and to play. We have little continual idleness now, nor any continual toil. The rich and poor work and play to- gether. Mankind has learned by experience that work is as necessary for happiness as play. Donald Palmer '29. Candlesticks A candle has just 'been lighted in a dim room. The flame gutters and Hickers for an instant, the-n shine-s radiantly in a blaze of glory. But, behind the glory, what? What has made possible this il- lumination? Try to burn the candle with- out the candlestick, and the- question is solved. Lying flat on the table ,the candle burns fee-bly, if at all, for lack of a firm and substantial base. Its foundati-on is indispensable. We hear th-at musicians are 'born and not made, but we don't see- many infants -per- forming in concert halls. Previous to fame and recognition, there must be built up a background -of the -rudiments of the art, upon which to base the ifinished -work. Lingbergh didn't just decide suddenly

Page 19 text:

THE SIGNET 17 The Purpose of a School Paper Every school that can get -sufii-cient finan- cial support should have a paper. Its .ad- vantages are numerous. It -represents Our School and therefore we w-ant to make it the finest, cleanest, and -sn-appiest -school paper in the state. One of its outstanding purposes is that of advertising the school which it represents. Through the Exchange Departments our school pa-per travels many miles away from us-across the state, out of the state, and possibly even out 'of the- country. It passes through many unfamiliar hands' and is read by many 'unfamiliar eyes. By -this paper our school is characterized, summed up by those who have no other means -of knowing us. Any where it is s-een, in a store with other ma-gazines, in the home of a friend, anywhere, it attracts attention, it radiates the spirit of our school! Another purpose is the keen competition it arouses among .the students. Naturally, all of us -are eager to see -something written by us, perhaps a -story, possibly a poem, somewhere between the covers of our own sch-ool paper. It gives us a thrill t-o see our article or our poem in black print with the author's name at the bottom. As there isn't room for all the articles written, it causes us to try the harder to writ-e some- thing that -will out-do something written by a classmate. And so I could -go on but- remember this-our school -paper represents our school,-so4let's 'all strive to make its publication the best ever! Helen Hale '31, How High Can You Jump? Hav-e you ever watched a cat jump up a 'tree or onto some high place? How easily and without apparent effort he can jump four -or five time-s -above his own height. Most of us can jump only two or 'three feet, only half our height, and then nearly break our backs. Have you ever 'thought how nice it would be, if we, like the cat c-ould jump four or five times above -our own heads. What a bo-on this power would be 'to the poor pedestrian, who -w-hen about to be stru-ckdown by a blood-thirsty .taxi-driver, cou'ld neatly spring to the top of a .passing trolly-car. How odd, to see -a man shing- ling a house, snatch up a bunch of shingles and leap up to the staging. Wha-t would be done with all the unused ladders? What would happen to the game of bas- ketba-ll, if the baskets had to be raised ten feet to prevent the play-ers from jumping up and -dropping the ball :down through? How could a baseball player hi-t a ball through an infield that could ju-mp around the catch every Hy ball? 'How could the rules be changed t-o -prevent a football -play- er from hurdling the opponents' line high a-bove :their reach and running for a touch- d-own? Then again think -of the advantage the firemen would have in rescuing human lives by simply leaping to a window on the third or fourth story, cautching up the fair maiden and then 'leaping back to safety. Think ho-w lu-cky these felines' are and yes,-how o-dd are human be-ings. Ronald Hall '30. Story In this age of specialization, story .tell- ing is now a profession. lit is no longer consede-red mer-e amusement. This profes- sion, like others, takes many hours of study and practice. If one is interested in chil- dren ilt is a good prof-es-sion but one should work for wh-at he is best fitted to do. Many Telling of the professions :to-day are -over crowded 'but story tel'ling is a n-ew but promising field of work. Story telling is a very -old but beautiful art which is being revived. There 'was a time when story telling w-as the chief art of entertainment. Kings, queens, .and war-