Framingham High School - Philomath Yearbook (Framingham, MA)

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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

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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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P48e55Xm ' 'THE CPI-IILOMATH industries, there still remains great room for improvement. Man has never been satisfied with his own accomplishments, and will continue to improve that which he has already invented. Even life is comparable to industry in this respect. The first third of a person's life is spent in acquiring general knowl- edge of his environment, the problems he is expected to face, and the activities toward which he intends to direct his efforts. The remainder of a personls life is spent in specializing in some particular phase of activity which he has selected as his vocation. Always a person finds that even though he may devote his entire life- time to a certain phase of any activity, he can never learn all there is to know in his line of work. To be sure, it may seem that the peak of success and accomplish- ment has been reached, yet there still re- main limitless regions to be conquered. Tonight we, the class of 1931, stand on the dividing line between generalization and specialization. For twelve long years we have tediously toiled to acquire a gen- eral knowledge of ourselves and our en- vironment. Like Columbus we have sailed a great sea, but unlike the sea of dark- ness which Columbus traversed, ours has been a sea of enlightenment, namely, that of education. Like Columbus, however, we also have suffered and made many sacrifices in order to achieve our goal. Many times during our voyage we too have been on the verge of surrendering and returning, but some new clue has in- dicated that our goal was within reach, and we have revived our faith in our un- dertaking. Finally, three years ago this june, we, like Columbus, were rewarded for our efforts when we received our diplomas from the Junior High Schools and felt that our long journey had been worth while. Then, like Balboa, we realized that there was something greater to be achieved before we could rest comfort- ably. The High School course offered greater possibilities for advancement, and so we, like Balboa, decided to investigate and see just what was to be offered by the new territory. As our venture became more difficult, our numbers diminished likewise, and the number entering High School was considerably less than that which had completed the Junior High School course. During the past three years some of us have made heavy sacri- fices and expended unlimited energy that we might progress through the high school course and attain the lofty levels of culture which it afforded. To be sure, not all of us have been able to maintain the pace, and a few have been eliminated, much the same as the followers of Balboa dropped by the trail as the ascent grew steeper and more difficult. Yet those of us who have succeeded in this mission feel that the long and difficult trip has been worth the trouble. And now we, like Balboa and his fol- lowers who stood on the highest peak of the Andes chain, are standing on the peak separating generalization from specializa- tion. Behind us lies the wide expanse of the sea of generalization which we have already traversed, before us lies the boundless and unexplored sea of special- ization. We know not the dangers and the rewards which lie within and beyond this wide expanse, yet all of us will ven- ture forth to navigate this great body. Like the unfortunate of Magellan's crew, many of us will never realize our fondest ambitions, but will perish by the wayside, but like the more fortunate of Magellan's crew, some of us will succeed in traversing this great expanse and will sail into the port of achievement. Today we stand between these great bodiesg tomorrow we shall begin the long and hazardous voyage across the great tContinued on page 28W