Farmington High School - Laurel Yearbook (Farmington, ME)

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THE LAUREL 27 wished, doing the thing he wanted to dog but his homespun philosophy will live on forever, and the world is thereby blessed. Elaine Tibbeits '37. I YT ADDRESS T0 UNDERGRADUATES ACI-I year it has been the custom for a member of the Senior Class to give advice Qgood, bad, or inditierentj to the undergraduates. Unfortunately this advice in former years has gone unheeded by those who have needed it mostg such as, Clymena Colburn and Hugh Campbell. Perhaps the cause of this disregard is the youth of the speaker which would discount his worth as a counselor. 'Tonight I have come prepared to remedy this situationg so if you will be patient, we will allow a few seconds for the wheels of time to turn. QGoes to exit. Puts on beard and wig. Returns.j The weight of years now hanging heavy on my shoulders, I feel it my duty to give you young whippersnappers down in the front seats the benefit of my mature w-is- dom. I'm not going to talk just to make my whiskers wiggleg so sit up and take notice. First, I must say that I clon't know what the younger generation is coming to. In fact, I don't know 'wlicn the younger gen- eration is coming to. Some of you seem to be in a perpetual daze. At the end -of every study period a friend must lean over and awaken one of you sleeping beauties. Almost every day I have seen Nelsie Aus- tin's head slowly sink to his desk and re- main there peacefully until the bell or an awakens him. Why do they of too many When anyone unfeeling classmate rudely And he is only one of many. sleep? Probably because extra-curricular activities. participates in so many outside activities of the school that his scholastic standing has gone on a sit-down strike, his program can't help being unbalanced. I suppose you wonder how I occupied my study periods in my youth when I wasn't watching people sleep. During the course of my studying I unconsciously used to massage the underpart of my desk. Suddenly my fingers would become en- tangled in something soft and sticky. It was a plastic piece of gum someone had left behind him. Not content to disturb the study hall with his constant chewing, this vile gum-masticator put temptation in the way of others. Ask Mutt Benson if people who chew gum and leave it under desks should not be exterminated. O n c e I - er - er - a young friend of mine found a very pliable piece of gum and in a moment of weakness inserted it in Mutt's unruly lock of hair. In a short time, hair and gum were as in- separable as Phil Morse and his arguments. Finally Alden Littlefield came to the rescue and with a jerk, left Mutt minus both lock and gum. Those were the days! Umphl But don't any of you do anything like that. Remember, crime even in the bud doesn't pay. If a word to the wise is suflicient, a hundred ought to be enough even for an undergraduate. I I went to the zoo the other day, and while I was there a rather peculiar thing happened. I closed my eyes for a momentg and from the chattering and gobbling I heard, I thought I was back in school days and in one of the corridors while classes were passing. I imagine you make just as much unnecessary commotion as we did. It is bad enough when you ask the person next to you if he didn't think that test was hard and what the answer to the third question from the end was, without yelling from the bottom of the stairs to the top in the manner of a hog-callerg and Pearl Metcalf, if you must exercise your lungs there are many athletic games at which a good loud voice ringing across I-Iippach field from the cheering section would be appreciated. Maybe some of the seniors are wondering what to do next year. There is an oppor- tunity for some enterprising persons to get jobs as nursemaids for Phil Hoyt, Skinny

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Y 26 THE LAUREL He unconsciously dominated every scene in which he appeared. His distinction in the picture field is perhaps best recognized by the fact that when associated with other stars n-one of the petty jealousies which continuously arise in the picture industry were ever evidenced. As a radio entertainer, Will's remarks were more likely to be spontaneous than to follow the dictates of his sponsors. There were frequent moments of discord, at lirst, over his refusal to let network ofiicials cen- sor his broadcastsg but there was only one Rogers, and consequently he was allowed to be his natural self. It was suggested that his grammar was oftentimes faulty and Will's reply was, Shucks! I talk and write alike. If there 's bad grammar, it ain't intentional. As a newspaper columnist his writings were accepted as almost infallible by countless thousands, and back of all his homely philosophy and witticisms were more fundamental truths than the average reader would glean from famed editorial writers. His barbs of wit were never di- rected at the under dog but always at those occupying high stations, and even then, they were tempered to avoid giving offense and often amused those at whom they were directed. His love for mankind in general was shown through his unlimited generosity. No one ever made an appeal to WVil1 Rogers for help and left empty handed, his big heart could deny no one, and he summed it up, time and again, in the words, I never hated anybody or anything. Although his time was very valuable, he is given credit for playing more benefits for charity than any other star in the profession. When announcement was made that he received payment at the rate of S350 per minute for his broadcasts, there were many who claimed no personage, however great, warranted such a salary. If these same critics had known that every penny de- rived from these broadcasts was devoted to charity, their cries would probably have been stilledg but because Will Rogers shunned the notoriety of press notices, this fact was.not known until after his death. In spite of his world-wide connections and various interests, Will Rogers was a typical home lover. His devotion to his wife and children was always the greatest thing in his life. He loved every foot of his ranch at Santa Monica where he en- joyed hours of recreation with his family. Still another phase of his wonderful character was shown in 1934 after the United States had taken over the flying of the airmail. Rogers arrived in New York prepared to broadcast some humorous re- marks on the airmail situation. A few min- utes before he went on the air, word was commercial plane in received that the which he had flown East had crashed, kill- ing the two pilots was stunned by the news. He requested that the audience which was to sit in the studio during his broadcast be dismissed. He then, in the privacy of a small studio. went on the air and extolled the flyers. Those who: were privileged to hear his broadcast that Sunday evening will never forget that moment, nor will they ever question his sincerity, when this man, sup- posedly a humorist, wrung pity from the hearts of millions of listeners as he com- pletely broke down in paying tribute to those friends. The popularity of Will Rogers was not confined to any particular locality, section or county. His name and fame knew no boundariesg and crowned heads, digni- taries and high olficials were as proud to meet him and call him friend as were the common people of whom he considered himself a representative. He liked every- one and everyone liked him. There was something almost prophetic in one of the last articles Rogers wrote be- fore his death. It was entitled Off for Somewhere in a Red Bus. Those words Off for Somewhere- seemed to en- vision the tragic ending in the bleak Alas- kan tundra. Will Rogers died as he had and the hostess. He

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es THE LAUREHL Mooar, and others of the lads on my left. On entering high school they found the change too much for them. There was no watchful teacher at their elbow every mo- ment to see that they kept their eyes on their work. As a result they spend one hundred and five per cent of their time gazing listlessly about the room. Oh me! If only they would be indus- trious like Arlene Crosby and Margaret Hamilton who work busily every day writ- ing note after note. Now many of you know from experience that you can't act that way all through high school and get good rank. Remember, you're setting your study habits now. If you habitually do the things I have described, you'll probably al- ways do themg but it isn't too late to mend. just say to yourself, Do I want to be a second Joe Colburn and spend the best part of my life here? That's a good thing for all of you to think about. You freshmen have completed your iirst year. For most of you this year seemed fairly easy. Everything ahead looks like clear sailingg but let me tell you. if you sit hack and relax, you won't be sitting on this platform three years from now. As for you sophomores, many of you are already slipping down the well-greased slide that leads to failure. Next year start digging in your toes, and maybe you can climb to a perch nearer the top. You juniors have come to your last year. When you come back next fall, you're going to realize you've wasted a lot of time in the last three years. For the first time many of you are going to work to make a record of which you may be proud in school activities and in lessons. Well, I've said my say, and my finale is I'm just an old codger with gems of adviceg I've given them right from my heart. And thus, in the future, I know you'll think twice, , - So now, with your leave, I'1l depart. ' PVilliam Starbird '3'7. ADDRESS OF WELCOME-CLASS DAY SING the words of Robert Browning in the Pied Piper of I-Ian1e1in I say, Welcome- Fathers, mothers, uncles, cousins, Families by tens and dozens, Brothers, sisters, husbands, wives. There, that should complete the welcom- ing job. I am going to roll back the curtain of time for you to 1923 or '24, the year when your George and your Helen loosened their clutch of your apron strings and stepped hesitatingly into a new world. VVe can see Sonny Austin's mother care- fully pinning on her chubby son a huge handkerchief, the presence of which he oc- casionally forgets, for we see him briskly rubbing his troublesome nose on his coat sleeve. Sitting mournfully on a bench is Leon Odell tearfully watching his mother's re- treating figure. Standing beside the gold-fish aquarium is Miss Iola Perkins, our primary teacher, laying down the rule to Alden Littlefield who obstinately persists in grabbing the gold-fish out of the bowl. Our last mental picture is of Alzaleen patiently submitting to the ordeal of hav- ing her long white tresses combed for oh -well-the umptieth time that day. A number of years rolls by and we see a crowd of gaping freshmen entering the portals of the high school. There's Wal- ter Ranger plodding awkwardly up the steps and bumping into Clymena who has nonchalantly loped through the wrong door. Coming in the other doorway are the in- separable twins, Nettie and Ada, Nettie with her distinctive laugh and Ada with her air of I'm cute and I know it. In Mrs. Bryant's home room George Chapman is in the front seat darting his roguish, alert eyes about the room. In an- other front seat is our shy, unassuming Miss Smith. Four years have rolled by, and here we are on the threshold of a new world to