Framingham High School - Philomath Yearbook (Framingham, MA)

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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-

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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

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'THE CPI-IILOMATH Pdgeffffffn ging. The men were on the verge of col- lapse when land was finally sighted. Even greater obstacles, however, were yet to be overcome. The natives inhabiting the islands opposed the adventurers, and in the resulting battle many were killed and four ships seized. The fifth, the Victoria, evaded the natives, and after several months' hazardous sailing, returned to Spain with a crew of eighteen ghostlike men. The globe had been circumnavigated, the extent of the great sea was known, and the identity of the bordering coun- tries was ascertained, surely now man was satisfied. Yet, the hunger was not appeased. Now more complete and de- tailed information was desired about each respective locality, and consequently exploration went on with even greater energy than heretofore. From that time on, the new territory was developed faster than it had ever been thought possible. Thousands of homeseekers with their families invaded the regions and settled along the coastline. As more immigrants were attracted to American shores, man penetrated more deeply into the heart of the continent, ever discovering new and important facts which increased the scope of human knowledge. Each succeeding generation penetrated farther into the unexplored territory, until today nearly the entire continent has been explored and brought under the iniiuence of humanity. The great development of the United States today is directly dependent upon these thousands, yes, millions of men and women who have contributed to the early foundation of this nation. Without the explorers, the adventurers, the pioneers, and other early settlers, North America would still remain an unknown and un- explored expanse of land inhabited by roaming bands of barbarous Indians. Each of these classes has contributed its share to American development: first, in acquiring general knowledge of the con- tinent as a whole, and then in obtaining specific knowledge of each particular locality. So it has been with all branches of activity. Every industry has had its founders or explorers, and its supporters who have built it up from a weakling in- fant to a strong and prosperous industry. In each instance the pioneers have first sought general knowledge of the field of activities presented the industry and then have begun the long and tedious task of acquiring specific knowledge of each phase of that industry. Always general knowledge has preceded specific knowl- edge, and generalization has been the parent of specialization. For example, let us consider the rapidly developing aviation industry. Twenty- five years ago an airplane was a box- kite-like contraption which liew. Man knew not the phenomenal development this crude affair would undergo in a quarter century, nor the important part the improved machine was destined to play in the modern worldls activities. The aircraft designers, however, began to experiment and find to what limits the use of such machines was restricted. Then came the period of specialization in this industry. Planes of all types, sizes, shapes, and designs are now being devel- oped to fulfill the requirements of the machine in its various phases of activity. Even today this period of specialization is still in its infancy. In the future air- craft will be developed more than at present until the improved planes of to- day will appear even more crude beside the airplane of the future than Wright's biplane appears beside the Ford tri- motored plane of today. So it is with all industries. Although now it seems that the limits of perfection have been reached in many of our leading