Erasmus Hall High School - Arch Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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DR. JOHN F. MCNEILL Principal, Erasmus Hall High School

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jhe Gurtain Descends The curTain descends: And we sTand under The FlaTbush Arch waTching The Trees sway wiTh The wind. From The Tower above come young voices raised in 'Auld Lang Syne' ...and we can noT help buT recall memories. . . Highschool has been our greaTesT advenTure Trom The Time when as Freshmen we searched vainly Tor STudio D-or arrended our TirsT Chapel and Tried To sing The Erasmus l-lall l-lymn. We recall The baTTle againsT The bell during QuieT Period while compleTing our homeworlc-The sore ThroaTs aTTer a vicTorious ball game-dodging The eyes oT The arch paTrol-The consulTaTions wiTh our grade adviser concerning our TuTure-and The silenT halls during regenTs week, echoing The weary sTeps oT The sTudenTs. ATTer Tour years we emerge men and women, no longer shelTered from The problems oT The world. The curTain rises: We have Transversed inTo a new world and builT new dreams based upon The wisdom ThaT came aTTer a seemingly endless paTh. We have Tormed everlasTing 'Friendships wiTh sTudenTs, TaculTy and lcnowledgeg and iT is our duTy To puT ThaT knowledge To good use, when wiTh diploma in hand we go ouT inTo The world.

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jo the Glass of January 1950 CongraTuIaTions upon The successTuI compIeTion oT your high school course and besT wishes Tor conTinued success in whaTever you underTaIce in The many years ahead. Your Teachers hope ThaT Erasmus I-Iall has sTimu- IaTed your minds, broadened your vision, helped you develop habiTs oT indusTry and diligence, and opened your eyes To The imporTance oT The individual in The social scheme. lvlay The TuTure be a rich TuITiIImenT oT The promise you have shown here. IT is easy To be pessimisTic in a world characTerized by inTernaTionaI Tension and suspicion and by inTernal biclcering and sguabbling. To The sTrong in mind, hearT, and characTer, however, presenT condiTions are buT a challenge ThaT presenTs an opporTuniTy To you, The new generaTion. The modern young man and The modern young woman will noT be depressed by The TaulTs and Tailures oT manlqind buT will see in Those very Tailures prob- Iems ThaT you can and will solve. The Tair-minded, Too, will see abouT us abundanT examples oT how we are overcoming wealcness, preiudice, and iniusTice and how we are opening wider The doors oT opporTuniTy To all. Erasmus I-Iall has Trom iTs beginning sTressed The imporTance oT The individual. The obiecT oT The old Academy was To educaTe youTh on a liberal plan and To Trame Their manners upon The principles oT virTue and poIiTeness. In beginning his worlc as principal, Dr. WaITer BalTour Gunnison ouTlined The purpose oT The modern Erasmus I-Iall in These words: Erasmus I-Tall shall sTand, so Tar as in me lies, Tor sound scholarship, Tor general cul- Ture and reTinemenT, and Tor ThaT characTer Thar shall be seIT-reIianT and manIy. ThaT ideal has persisTed, and iT will conTinue, I Teel sure, inTo The TuTure. And The Troubles and problems oT our day will be meT adeguaTeIy only iT all oT us Teel ThaT personal responsibiliTy and grow in mind and characTer oT The TinesT and highesT Type. IT is The earnesT prayer oT your Teachers ThaT Their eTTorTs in some small degree have conTribuTed To This deveIopmenT in you, The hope oT America. I-IearTiesT greeTings and besr wishes To you all. May The years ahead be Tor each one oT you Tull oT happiness, growTh, and accompIishmenT. Sincerely yours, JOI-IN F. McNEII.I. Principal