Downingtown High School - Our Year Cuckoo Yearbook (Downingtown, PA)

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18 THE CUCKOO We’re looking now toward the Then farewell to our teachers and future, classmates. We wonder what it holds in store We re sorry to leave, we confess. It seems very cheery and hopeful But we’ll never forget you—and As we stand in its wide-open door. school days, And our glorious I). II. S. (Poem by Esther Eppehimer) —♦D.H.S. — ANOTHER PHASE OF WELCOME Salutatory by Evelyn McKinney Dear Parents, Friends and Teachers, One and All: How many, many times in our life are we forced to admit the inadequacy of mere words to express the sentiment of the soul. Although our hearts are tilled with emotions, our tongues falter, and our lips refuse to say what wew wish them to say. W e are very inexperienced as to the ways of the world, hut we have already learned how useless words are, when we try to express the deep feelings that are in our hearts. To you dear friends, this may be an interesting occasion, for it may bring back recollections of your early hopes and aims. As for our parents it is an hour of pride and live, while teachers think of the joy of our success and accomplishment. This occasion closes an epoch in our lives, it is the end of the most important period that we have vet known and one that will materallv affect our future career, because we want to be able to look back over the past few years and feel that we have done our best and made the most of every opportunity. My part in this programme is to welcome you here to-day. But what does the word welcome mean? Have we ever heard it before? Let us consider the word for a moment. To mv mind comes a picture of a great city decorated with banners and dropped with bunting. “Old Glory” was unfurled everywhere. Everyone was trying to do his part to welcome home our soldiers. The streets were crowded with people eagerly awaiting the coming of the big parade. At last the music is heard in the distance and soon you can seen the soldiers and sailors marching, in perfect line, up the street. Great shouts of welcome are given them as they pass. Every-one feels proud to call the soldier “our own boys;” and when the required marching is done they are escorted to the central part of the city where they are presented with medals. The soldiers were the center of attraction and no one thought of their own comfort but thought of how our boys fought to make the world free for Demoracy. But wait! to my mind comes another picture of a port in a large city. In the foreground are several large vessels from which many thousands of soldiers are descending. There is no one on the docks to welcome them, as no one knew the date of their arrival. Although they were some how disappointed at not seeing their friends, just a glimpse of United States filled their hearts to over flowing.

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THE CUCKOO 17 lege. Will they not be doing their part in solving the problem of having better educated people in the United States? The citizens of our nation must be well educated in order to make it bigger, broader, and better and to uphold the ideals and principles of our greatest Americans. W e have already ben taught in High School to place behind all outward show of patriotism some thought and intelligence and with this additrional college training we can surely do our part in upholding the educational standards of Uncle Sam. Right now we can all do something to better bad conditions in our home town. Our lessons on good citizenship can be put to use. Why can’t the crowded housing conditions be bettered; why can’t some of the homes be cleaner; why can’t the streets be more attractive? One answer to these questions is this—we are not doing our honest duty as American citizens to educate the foreign element in Downing-town. Of course, the children have to go to school, but what are we doing for the older men and women who are willing and ready to be taught American standards of living? They are used to being housed in the slums of the cities and they do not seem to understand that we have other standards. If everyone would boost and push the good enterprise now on foot to have night schools for the foreigners of our town I am sure that the results would be cleaner homes, less crowded conditions, more attractive streets, higher standards of living, and a “garden town’’ growing to be the ideal “garden city.” Yet as the town is now we are proud of it. If we re not, we aren’t good citizens. Rut we are intelligent, we know it is not the best town, the model town. Men and women of Downingtown, shall we not work together to make it better? And now, Board of Education, Dear Parents, Kind Friends, and Teachers,— You have all helped my class make a beginning in these schools and you have helped make the close of our High School career a success by suporting more than well our many enterprises. We, the class of 1921, tonight offer you our most sincere thanks for this loyal assistance. You have already been made welcome to these, our commencement exercises, but to me has been given the more difficult task of saying farewell. It is true that we rejoice in the completion of our High School course, but it is equally true that we feel sad when we think of separating, one from another. In the course of four years many true and noble friendships are formed among pupils, teachers and school officials and it is these relations that give pain when severed. Rut if we cannot associate with you personally or as a class, our thoughts, emotions and best wishes will always be with our friends and we shall try to prove ourselves true friends through the Alumni, our former teachers, and school officials. And now, with this little poem written by one of my classmates, 7 may I bid you farewell? Our school days are almost over, v 7 Our lessons are almost done, We’ve spent many happy hours, In days of work and fun. W e’re leaving our Alma Mater, Our hearts are sad today, . 7 We’re leaving our childhood forever And the days that were carefree and gay-

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19 THE CUCKOO However, the day came too soon when they had to look for employment. Before they had gone away many employers had promised them that their positions would be waiting for them when they returned. However, these same soldiers were sadly disappointed, for when they came to take hack their positions the employers informed them that their services were no longer needed. Thousands of soldiers were out of employment and as they were not dressed in uniform the people did not even respect them nor did they try to help them. Many of our boys while in service were disabled. This has caused them great suffering and they realized that they would never he able to earn a living without aid. Many hospitals and schools have been created to help teach the hoys a trade which would tit them for after life. But these same schools are not provided for. When our wonded, suffering soldiers ask for a few comforts, the powers that he, take months to discuss this matter, which in themselves are small, hut would add so much comfort to our boys. Many who were disabled while in service could have been helped if they had been given proper care. We grant, that this fact is due to the shortage of doctors and nurses. However, many of the soldiers need medical care to-day and as it is not war time no one is interested nor do they seem to care about helping the unfortunate suffers. Thus my friends, I hope that I have shown you how empty the word welcome is, if not followed bv action. In this case as in so many others “Actions speak louder than words Does the word welcome mean anymore to you after this explanation or my interpretation of this phase of it, in other words the greatest welcome is “To do and say the kindest things in the kindest way.” We ask you, dear friends, to be glad with 11s as we enter upon the programme of the hour, as we are all earnest in assuring you of our joy at having youw ith us, and that I, in the inspiration of your presence am sincere in telling you, in the name of my classmates, how truly glad we are that you are here Let 11s, then, he up and speaking, For our programme lies in wait; Welcome, friends, some pleasure seeking; Come and see 11s graduate! —•••IUI.S. -— ROOSEVELT Willard W. Rindlaub It would he impossible for anv one person to tell the complete »life of Roosevelt. Roosevelt was so many sided; his interests and activities covered f uch a large range of subjects and places; he was so many men compressed into one; such a marvelous combination of mental, physical and spiritual characteristics that no single person, even one of his closest friends could he expected to understand all of him. He has been called “the typical American” hut this statement is not accurate. If he were a typical American there would he enough others like him to justify pointing to him as the type. Happy indeed would be the nation if this were