Farmington High School - Laurel Yearbook (Farmington, ME)

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20 THE LAUREL exist in European countries the glow of dis- contentment which might easily be fanned into the flame of war? 'Why pour forth the prime of American youth to satisfy petty strife and burden future generations with extravagant war debts? But look! the water was changing. Circles of gold and silver appeared against a background of green and faded away in the rippling water. A pano- rama of sights passed. I glimpsed the gaunt, tear-streaked faces of small children as they begged for food in the slums of New York. . . Breadlines. . . The despairing faces of farmers as they learned of the new low on crops. . . The tense strain in Wall Street as stocks and bonds sank to rock bottom. . . The closing of hundreds of factories and mills on which numerous workers were depen- dent. . . Strikes, violence, and the destruction dissatisfied people revolted. of property as All this I saw, and more, before the Waters this time to reveal an old finally cleared, man with a child on his knee, and as I strained to hear, Yes, my boy, the elder said, it's a hard journey to reach success, and many fall by the way. Wars, depressions, and other trials must be survived, but the really worthwhile things in life are those obtained with diffi- culty. I've lived in times of strife when people all about me were in despair, but I never ceased to hope. I knew that depres- sions weren't a novelty to the United States, or even to our toil-worn world. Civilization had survived before, why not again? They sayf' and he chuckled, that we 're in a depression now. Is it a depression of affairs alone or partly of the mind? I'll warrant that business is poor, but isn't it perhaps be- cause so many are afraid? Afraid to buy, to spend, to look forward to times of prosperity? They seem to think we're in an impossible rut. Nonsenseln and he laughed again. The waters cleared now and were filled with myriad colors, like a sunrise, or a rain- bow after a storm. . . ' She,s coming tof' they said as they looked at the girl gasping on the hard planks of the motorboat. I felt a new strength come into my body, a new courage quicken my senses. No matter what might come, I felt I could face the future bravely. I might not reach my goal, yet I knew that I would at least have the satisfaction of knowing I had tried. Members of the Faculty: It is now too late to prove but not to express our true appreci- ation for your help and patience. At times we've been exasperating, but you have en- countered those difficult situations with the sympathetic guidance of a friend and the wise understanding of a counselor. We wish to thank you for all your efforts in our be- half and for the penetrating interest you have shown in each of us. Classmates: The world we face tomorrow is one tinged with gloom. We know that. We realize that jobs are scarce and wages poor. We face dangers caused by hatred, greed, and strife. We cannot reform the world, nor do we wish to. Yet beginning with ourselves, as individuals, let us strive to become more tolerant, wiser, and clearer thinking. May we, the Class of 1938, go forth determined to do our best in the face of all opposition. And now the moment draws near for us to say farewell. I say goodbye to you with regret and express in Long- fellow's words the feeling of you, the mem- bers of our class, for one another: Our hearts, our hopes. are all with thee. Qin' hearts, our hopes, our prayers, our tears, Our faith trinniphant o'ei' our fears, Are all with thee,-are all with thee! Constance McLeary '38. err SALUTATCRY Przrcfnts, friczzdx, terlchers and fellow school- 171111855 In behalf of the Class of 1938, I wish to extend a sincere welcome to you on this occasion which means so much to us who are about to venture into a world which is al- most foreign to us. This evening will be one which will be long remembered by us. This is an event which we can look back

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THE LAUREL 19 HONOR STUDENTS OF CLASS OF 1938 Valedictory ......,, CONSTANCE MCLEARY Salutatory ..., ....... N ortMA Vosxa Third Honor . . . . . .... MYRTLE FOSTER Fourth 1-Ionor ........ LAURA WORTHLE1' Fifth Honor .... IACQUELINE GREENWOOD Sixth Honor ............ GLENYS GOULD YT' CLASS DAY PARTS Address of Welcome . NORMAN BLANC1-IARD Will ..,.....,..........,. BERNICE Cox History .. .. DARRELL BRYANT Gifts . . , . . BARBARA ROBBINS REINO IQAY Prophecy . . MABEL I-IAGERSTROM CAIKLTON WADE Oration .. ....,.. ELDEN I'IALL, IR. TT VALEDICTORY Reverie O almost every person comes that sen- sation at one time or another of drift- ing, in which the body is helpless but thoughts active. It usually occurs when one is half-asleep or drowsy. Pictures Hash un- summoned before your closed eyes or ideas spring unbidden into your brain. This essay is based on such an experience. Though inherently it is a fantasy, nevertheless there is a delicate stencil of truth tracing its subtle design. OII the tip of Florida is a small island with a narrow strip of white sand on one side. At the time of which I am speaking, very little was known of it, and I was de- termined to swim out and explore it. Thus it was that one morning found me in the tepid water slowly headed for this same piece of land. It happened to be the first time I had been in a bathing suit since I had reached Florida, and it certainly was a change to have my cares forsake me with each wave that washed up over my shoulders. Even so, I began to think that my strength was not equal to my zeal. Tiring, I fiipped over on my back to gaze dreamily at the clouds drifting above like tufts of snowy cotton. Suddenly another object drew my attention, a motorboat tossing up the spray as it sped toward me and leaving a trail of white be- hind it. Didn't they see me? I moved into sudden activity, waved one hand and shouted,-a rather difficult procedure when in ten fathoms of water. Nearer and nearer. Ah! the fellow saw me and at the last minute swervedg but the foaming wake which followed the launch caught me in its grasp. I struggled, sank, and came up gasp- ing, choking for air. My arms and legs Hailed. I lost my senses. Gallons of jade- green water seethed over me. My sight was blurred now. Down and down, and the farther I sank, the lighter and happier I felt. My body was apart, impersonal, I could even breathe well. No cares, no worries, only this mass of water, boiling and swirling, forming all sorts of pictures. I began to dream. What else could it be called, this detached feeling which brought me a clearer perspective than I had ever had before? And as the water bubbled around, in its magic, mystic depths I could see the coral just below and the glints of color as the fish swam about. But even as I looked, the rest- less waters were stilledg and the crimson, topaz and emerald reflected from a source like the setting sun changed and melted in together. Then, as if an unseen hand had waved a magic wand, the liquid darkened to an ebony-black with an irregular stain of crimson like a spilt goblet of wine or- and I shuddered to think of it-the scarlet flowing from an open wound. I saw a line of trenches filled with men, and in front a The air mass of barbed wire and posts. was suddenly filled with the screech of a shell as it burst near by. Two orderlies were carrying a youth, who, in his tattered khaki, seemed barely twenty. Irregular spurts of blood were gushing from a vein in his wrist. He barely had had a chance to fight, and now, his once-proud body maimed, he was lying there. To make the world safe for democracyf' they had saidg-and yet there are fewer democracies now than before the war. To what purpose this mad rush to reach military supremacy? Did there not

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TI-IE LAUREL 21 upon in later years as one of the turning points of our lives. Your presence here tonight is the climax of the constant support you have given to our class throughout its four years of high school. As a slight evidence of our appreci- ation of this support which has meant so much to us, l reiterate that we sincerely welcome you. The Vivid Past Farmington, the shire town of Franklin County, is situated in the valley of the Sandy River. It is naturally divided into two portions by this river. Undoubtedly it was the beauty and fertility of the valley which attracted the explorers and settlers to this river. The explorers who first came to the Sandy River Valley found a small tribe of Indians at Messee Contee Qherring placej, the spot now known as Farmington Falls. It is un- certain when the hrst white man visited this location. Tradition states that a youth by the name of Knights was captured by Indians and brought here. I-Ie escaped and made his way through the wilderness to his home. I-Ie carried such accounts of the luxuriant vegetation of the country through which he had traversed that he induced some of his friends to explore the region. This story, however, is merely tradition, but it is certain that hunters and trappers visited this valley long before any thought of settling it was made. In the autumn of 1779, two hunters from Winthrop came here prepared to spend the winter. They trapped for beaver, otter, mink and sable. In the spring they made a crude boat, and putting their valuable cargo on board, went down the river to the Ken- nebec and thence to their homes. They were the first white men known to have passed a winter in what is now Franklin County. The Hrst settlers were aided greatly by the Indian, Pierpole, who, undismayed by the approach of the white man, remained, the last of a race which had once held undis- puted sway over the hunting grounds. Pierpole is believed to have belonged to the Androscoggin tribe. He and his family were living near the Falls when the first courageous settlers came, but Pierpole soon left and moved to Strong. The last the settlers ever saw of him was as he paddled his canoe down the river. Whether he went to Canadian waters or the ocean, no man knows. The time chosen for the settlements on the shores of the Sandy River was a fortu- nate one. The settlers who came here did not suffer from the Indians nor even the fear of the Indians. The only savage to visit their camp-lifes was Pierpole, their friend and ally. The year of 1781 came and found Stephen Titcomb trapping in Farmington and his family snowbound in Readfield. However, when the storm subsided enough to allow a team to get through, Mr. Titcomb returned to Readiield to bring his family back to the Sandy River Valley. With the families of Titcomb, Brown, and Davis began the first civilized life in the future town of Farm- ington. The growth of the town was compara- tively rapid, for at the end of the first decade the census numbered to 494 inhabitants. Mills were operating, schools were estab- lished and the people were nearly indepen- dent of the outside world. Although no definite mail route was established, a Mr. Willis began to bring newspapers to the township about 1790, and a few years later, a weekly mail line was opened to Hallo- well. Modern people would have found few entertainments existing in those days. There were no churches formed to act as the center of social functions as only a few itinerant preachers found their way to this opening in the wilderness. In this wilderness, however, the town meetings were of serious importance. They were examples of pure democracy, a govern- ment of the people, for the people, and by the people. They acted on articles ranging from the amount of the salary of a minister to the care of straying cattle.