Fairhaven High School - Huttlestonian Yearbook (Fairhaven, MA)

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CHESTER MILLER DOWNING, Ph.B., Ed.M. Brown University, Harvard University

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fM WfK. Sylvia CARios

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FAIRHAVEN HIGH SCHOOL OFFICE OF THE PRINCIPAL To the Class of 1951: It is customary for people to refer to a school or college which they have attended as their alma mater. In English this expression means their fostering mother and suggests affection and guidance. The love we feel for our mother is affection of a very high order, yet it is to this that we compare our fondness for the school. This is not mere lip service. Many a senior who has looked forward to graduation with joyous anticipation finds as the event draws near that he hates the thought of leaving. Gener ous class gifts, sacrificial donations to endowment and building funds, and attendance at alumni reunions even at consid¬ erable expense of time and money give further evidence that the love for school or college is a genuine emotion and a lasting loyalty. To foster is to nourish and guide. Just as from our mothers we learn many of the fundamental lessons of life, so, too, from our school we may learn to respect honest work, to regard the welfare of others, and to recognize the necessity for high standards of conduct. Work may be difficult, but without it nothing worthwhile can be accomplished. If we learn to take pride in accurate, honest work and in clear, sensible thinking, we shall be able to render valuable service and find enduring satisfactions in life. In spite of all we may hear about selfishness which is always too common, concern for others is a very real thing and a part of our national heritage. The noblest motive is the public good,” we say, and we demonstrate it sometimes by personal gifts or service to help people in need; sometimes by our zeal for democracy and our willingness to hold office or to support those who have been elected to positions of power and leadership. We have no course in morality or religion in our school, but you have been con¬ stantly confronted with high standards of conduct in classroom, on playing fields, and in club meetings. Daily you have been encouraged to be true to the faith you profess as you have joined your fellows in a common prayer and have listened to words of wisdom from an ancient book that has furnished men with moral standards and examples of noble living for generations. We have been glad to have you here. We shall miss you when you are gone. I am sure that as you leave you will be conscious of a real affection for the old school and that you will know you are carrying with you lessons that need only to be applied to benefit you and all around you. Sincerely, Chester M. Downing Principal