Framingham High School - Philomath Yearbook (Framingham, MA)

Page 15 text:

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

Page 14 text:

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-

Page 16 text:

Pnge Fonrleefz practical value such regions might be to him. Parties of exploration were organ- ized in the leading civilized nations of the world, each nation seeking to discover the expanse of the new lands and to lay claim to such regions as were best suited for further development. These bands set out from every nation to follow the course charted by Columbus, and then penetrate even more deeply into the unexplored regions. Again it was the desire for knowledge of the unknown which lured men to leave the luxurious life of the Old World to risk the innumerable dangers and hard- ships to which they were subjected in the new territory. This insatiable hunger for knowledge was common to all types of humanity. Both young and old, rich and poor, educated and illiterate left their accustomed life to seek their fortunes in the newly revealed territory. To be sure, all had secondary motives for leaving home and undertaking such a hazardous mission, yet the primary purpose of each exploration party was to reveal the secrets hidden in the region, whether these should consist of rich ore deposits, un- usual botanical specimens, or merely the source of a huge river. Each hoped to discover something new which he might impart to the knowledge of mankind. As a result of these many trips of exploration we find that man gained fair- ly accurate knowledge of the coastal re- gions of the new continents. Yet the extent of these huge tracts of land re- mained a mystery. f'How far does the land extend?,' was the question continual- ly confronting mankind. About this time Balboa, a Spaniard, heard rumors that beyond the new territories stretched a body of water without bounds. Balboa could not quell the urge to investigate these rumors and consequently organized a small party for exploration in the year 1515. This band, on arriving on the 'THE CPHILOMATH Isthmus of Darien, began a long and tedious journey across the short strip of land which joins the two great continents of the western hemisphere. For nearly a month the unfortunate explorers Floun- dered in swamps and boggy territory, fought off the fatal tropical diseases, cut their way through tangled jungle regions and slowly forced their way through the seemingly impenetrable jungle territory. Finally, after many days of laborious climbing, the small band who had sur- vived the hardships of the journey reached one of the many high peaks of the Andes Mountains chain from which they we-re able to view the great expanse of water known as the Pacific Ocean. Balboa had satisfied his curiosity, for now he was assured that the newly found lands were not boundless, but were washed by the tides of a great expanse of water, even greater than the Atlantic Ocean. Still man was dissatisfied. He wanted to know the extent of this immense, newly discovered body of water, and the nature of the continent which must surely bound it. For four long years, however, none dared to undertake the hazardous project, until in 1519 Magellan began a long voyage down the South American shore, ever seeking a passage from the Atlantic Ocean to the body of water dis- covered by Balboa. After experiencing countless hardships, the crew of over two hundred men rounded Cape Horn in their live small sailing vessels, and set their course westward. For one hundred days the five small boats plowed steadily through the calm blue waters-and still no sight of land. Supplies diminished with ever increasing rapidity, and hunger grew to starvation, thirst to madness. When their mouldy biscuits had been con- sumed, the sailors ravenously devoured rats, sawdust, mice, and even leather from their shoes and from the ship's rig-