Framingham High School - Philomath Yearbook (Framingham, MA)

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THE CPI-IILOMATH Pf'8'eElf 'f ' the tendency of the modern age is to read them superlicially, gathering only-a dim impression of their true meaning and studying them only because they offer diversion and relaxation from the daily routine of life. This tendency is explained by the fact that the rapid strides taken by science in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries have revolutionized all modes of living. Modern life demands knowledge which will give the individual control over his environment. This knowledge is strictly scientific, and to become efficient today, one must have some technical training. This type of education deserves much Commendation because of its utility to mankindg it has made possible our cities of skyscrapers, our complicated fac- tories, our elaborate railway and canal systems-all achievements which could not have been accomplished by the raw muscle of man. Although these marvels of science remain unchallenged for their economic value, they cannot totally re- place the liberal arts, which are an abso- lute necessity for the progress of the human mind. Scientific developments, if unaccompanied by a knowledge of cul- tural subjects, will eventually make man unavoidably mechanical, causing him to lose independence and self-reliance. He will no longer have an aesthetic inclina- tion, he will only be an instrument which will act as an attendant, and harken to the commanding voice of grinding wheels. Today even the schools and colleges are being influenced by mechanical enter- prises, especially in the cities. In purely technical schools attention is not paid to giving the pupil acquaintance with the magnificence of life, but to achieving some definite result, to the amassing of a certain amount of information which must be stored up in the person's mind. Because of these requirements the tech- nical schools and colleges are tending to turn out as a finished product of educa- tion a human textbook of merely scien- tific information. Is this the purpose of education? Not if one is to believe the words of Everett Dean Martin that f'Learning is an adventure in any kind of truth-seeking which changes the quality of one's future experience and enables him to behave not merely efficiently, but wisely, with a broad view and a sympa- thetic understanding of the many ways in which men have striven to create mean- ing and value out of the possibilities of human life. Back in the days when Greece was at the height of her power only the free man was permitted a liberal education, the slave was held in subjection in part by his lack of knowledge and therefore it was a necessity that he remain ignorant. In Europe, even today, liberal education is for the gentlemen, the nobility and those who do not work as laborers. But here in America, where the opportunities and advantages are greater than in any other nation, the doors of culture are open to any man who will devote himself to a liberal course. The profits that man reaps from these fields are undebatably those which will forward human civiliza- tion. Whenever such phases of history as the Roman Empire, the Hundred Years' War, and the French Revolution, or such famous names as Augustus Cwsar, joan of Arc, Robespierre, are mentioned, the liberally educated individual is rapidly carried into the past to experience many forgotten achievements and ideals, which are unfamiliar to the man with the purely scientific background. Let us not only live in the present, but during this short life which is given us, let us enter into the pages of history to live a thousand lives and to learn how past ages have at- tempted to create for us a better world with higher ideals. Furthermore, by means of a liberal

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Page Ten 11' school, made the suggestion that we con- tinue the Christmas work begun in 1928. The matter was then thoroughly dis- cussed in the Student Council and the plan was adopted. A committee was appointed by the president of the Council to supervise this great project. Each home room in turn elected a committee to take charge of its business. Then a family was assigned to each room. These families were designated by numbers and the students were told the number of individuals in the family for whom they were providing, as well as the age and sex of each member. For two weeks the building was buzzing with the voices of cheerful givers as they heaped boxes high with supplies. At last the final day for contributions came. Such goodies, such clothing! Boxes just crammed with cheer for those less fortunate than we are! Yes, indeed, their Christmas would be a happy one, but those eager, generous, young providers were blessed with the merriest and most beautiful Christmas ever! Nor is Christmas the only time that such work is carried on, for every Thanksgiving huge boxes of food are dis- tributed and during the year articles of clothing are provided. In this manner the problem of educa- tion along social lines is solved. What better solution could be found? Surely there is no better, for by this method we actual experiencewand are taught by experience is the best teacher. Before closing my talk, I shall ask the of the Student Council Senior members and the Marshal Force to rise. Your duties, fellow-classmates, have been many and difficult, but during your three years at Framingham High School you have done your work willingly and well. Your services have been deeply appreciated. Not only are our leaders to be con- gratulated, but also all the other students HE CPI-IILOMATH of the Framingham High School who have so kindly cooperated to make our school outstanding in all its undertakings. May our students, so carefully and excellently trained along the lines of good citizenship, ever continue to work for the honor and glory of our nation, as they have worked in the past for the honor and glory of our school. Virginia McNally, '31. J-5 Class Orafion The Necessify for a Liberal Eclucafion We, the Class of Nineteen Hundred and Thirty-One, shall soon be citizens of the world, in which intellectually or physically we shall be responsible for carrying on and contributing to civiliza- tion. The question here arises as to how we can best fit ourselves to do our share in life with the greatest efficiency. The only solution lies in the continuation of our education, by attending higher schools of learning if possible, and, if we cannot have that privilege, by teaching ourselves. It is to this paramount question of educa- tion that I should like to call your atten- tion this evening. Modern education falls distinctly into two types: first, cultural education, the study of liberal arts, in- cluding such subjects as languages, his- tory, music, philosophy, and pure mathe- matics, secondly, technical education, re- lating to the study of science and applied mathematics. The first type needs no introduction, for mankind has been acquainted with it since the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, when the scholars of that eventful period called the 'fRenaissance eagerly de- voured all the classical manuscripts of Greece and Rome, and built a foundation of classical learning which has been flourishing to this day. Classical sub- jects have been quite frequently studied and have been zealously sought for, but

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Pflgf'TU'ff1'f THE Tr-11LoMA'rH education man lifts himself from the dark abyss of a narrowly practical life to a plane of msthetic beauty which classifies for him the meaning of existence. His appreciations are intensified by his under- standing of nature itself or as it is expressed in enthralling paintings and sculpture, stirring music, and immortal literature. Affected by these expressions of beauty, he soon adapts himself to a life in which he will avoid the insignifi- cant and seek the important. All this is missed by the man with a meagre, techni- cal outlook. One of the most important results of a liberal education is the tendency to de- velop an habitual ethical attitude toward humanity. The ruthlessness of a machine age is becoming apparent on every side, but through examples and precepts the man whose vision has been broadened by acquaintance with the best of the past has learned to desire honor, honesty, character, true friendship, and world con- tentment. Refusing to stoop to any falsi- ty, this man enters into his tasks with a fine spirit of cooperation, fairness, and trustworthiness. He never permits him- self to commit an act which would de- stroy reputation or damage a strong per- sonal character. He desires nothing bet- ter than friends, and loves to feel that he himself is worthy of another's confidence and companionship. A peaceful mind, an unprejudiced opinion, a broad under- standing of humanity-these are all part of the liberally educated man's ethical attitude. The man with a liberal background often becomes very influential socially. Such a person is likely to belong to clubs and other organizations, and to be inter- ested in politics for the purpose of ex- tending his widespread knowledge for the benefit of his community and govern- ment. His services to these worthy causes are without personal gain, but offered only to make his surroundings and the surroundings of his fellow-beings finer and better. He is an asset to the home in which he tries to inculcate a feeling of friendship and happiness. Thus we see that the requirements of education should not only be scientific but liberal in order that we may open our minds to new impressions and ideas, in order that we may enter more broadly into activities and pleasures, above all, in order that we may go beyond the narrow range of technical knowledge and mani- fest in our daily routine the qualities of a life really worth living. This is our indis- pensable mission in life--that we, the citizens of the future, shall contribute to humanity not merely more technical knowledge, more machines to make life easier and at the same time more terrify- ing, but that we, through our heritage of the past, shall contribute a fuller compre- hension of the spiritual values which make life really worth living. Peter Lembo, ,S 1. ,ge 7 Valedicfory and Essay Explorafion-Whifher Does H' Lead? The same insatiable hunger for knowl- edge which you, the people of the twen- tieth century possess, has from time im- memorial spurred man on to learn more about himself and his environment. Man has never been satisfied with his own accomplishments, but has always been impelled to struggle against tremendous odds in order to advance to a higher level of knowledge, prosperity, and culture. In the quest to satisfy this incessant hunger for knowledge, man has traversed the six great continents, and sailed the seven seas, plunging into the most remote regions of the world to unveil the secrets hidden within these outlying districts. Always it has been the deeply hidden secrets of the unknown which have lured the explorer, the missionary, the adven-