Framingham High School - Philomath Yearbook (Framingham, MA)

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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-

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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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THE CPHILOMATH Pf'KeThf fef 1 turer, and the pioneer to leave the smooth- ly trodden paths of the known world for the tangled and seemingly impenetrable regions of the undiscovered. This characteristic is not typical of man during merely the past few genera- tions, but can be traced back to the very earliest records of human existence, which show constant evidence of man's desire to acquire more complete knowledge of his environment. Although this characteristic has always been prominent, it was most noticeable during the period of early North American exploration. Prior to the daring voyage of Chris- topher Columbus in the year 1492, little was known about the great watery wastes which stretched away from the European shores as far as eye could see. To be sure, many superstitions and weird tales were told concerning the dreaded sea monsters which were thought to inhabit these treacherous regions. It was the com- mon belief of the seafaring folk that the great sea of darkness harbored countless dreaded creatures which in one gulp de- voured vessels and their entire crews. Still others believed that vessels penetrat- ing these treacherous waters would sail over the edge of the world and pitch off into space. All these rumors were based on superstitions which served to satisfy the people of the time. However, actual knowledge of these regions was lacking, since none had dared venture beyond sight of land for fear of the many dangers which they believed threatened them. Thus Columbus in 1492, with the added goal of finding a shorter and more desir- able route to the rich lands of the Far East, guided his three boats out into the uncharted waters of the dark sea to dis- cover the real truths of these regions. He and his band of scarcely one hundred fol- lowers disregarded the generally accepted rumors concerning the great ocean and sought reliable knowledge of its extent and other lands whose shores were washed by its tides. For seventy long days in their three small boats they braved the dangers and perils of both storm and calm, ever fearing that the end was close by. Yet Columbus had faith in his project, and he alone remained calm and resolute when courage failed the others. His stern determination to sail on and on and on gave renewed faith to the sailors, and encouraged them in their darkest hours. Finally, on that memorable October twelfth, the realization of all their hopes, ambitions, and efforts was fulfilled when the low lying shores of the Bahama Islands came into view. Now indeed they were repaid for the tremendous struggle and sacrifices they had made to accom- plish the fulfillment of their ambitions, and yet it was not until a later age that the true value of their work and dis- coveries could be ascertained and appre- ciated. After several minor voyages of explora- tion among the numerous islands, the bold crew of explorers set sail to retrace their steps to the Old World, taking with them knowledge of the extent of the great ocean and the distant lands in the far west, which had heretofore been unknown to civilized man. Thus, Columbus and his hardy band were attracted by the mystery of the great unknown, and were lured to venture into the treacherous region in search of knowledge. The information obtained by Columbus and his followers greatly in- creased the scope of man's knowledge, and raised the intellectual standards of the time. Still man was not satisfied with know- ing that the 'fsea of darkness was not a boundless expanse of watery waste and that it was bordered by other lands, man wanted to know more about the new terri- tories-who dominated them and of what