Franklin K Lane High School - Senior Echoes Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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TI-IE SECRET LIEE OE MARILYN BAII.I.ET lwiTh apologies To James Thurberl Bedecked in my exquisiTe cIoThes and iewels, and seaTed on my Throne, I was more beauTiTul Than CIeopaTra as I pondered The TaTe of my IaTesT lover. My hand- maidens, in cosTumes nearly as lovely as mine, were Tanning me wiTh large pink and green osTrich TeaThers, and aT my elbow, a marble Table was loaded down wiTh all sorTs oT The besT TruiTs and sweeTs. Chained To one side oT my Throne was my peT lion, and a Tew sTeps away rose-peTals were TloaTing in a shimmering pool. My many servanTs and sTaTesmen were busily conducTing all my aTTairs so There were iusT my prisoner, his Two guards, and my chieT execuTioner around me. My prisoner well knew ThaT I was iusT as hard as I was beauTiTul, buT he was silenTly pleading wiTh me Tor leniency. I remained asTuTe and silenT. lk 'If lk lk lk All aT once The huge audience was silenT, and a pin could verily be heard, iT one had dared To drop iT. I had made my grand enTrance, never looking more lovely. My voice had never been beTTer as I Thrilled ThaT very disTinguished audience, and when I ThoughT oT all The giTTs I possessed, I smiled, making more Than one hearT skip a beaT. To look aT me wiTh my golden curls piled high upon my head, and my TIaTTer- ing sky blue dress, everyone TeIT a pang oT envy mixed wiTh deep admiraTion. In my closing aria I surpassed Them all, and when The veIveT curTain came down, a bursT of applause rang ouT, equal To none which I had ever heard. As I came Torward To meeT The ovaTion, and To receive The many bouqueTs oT Tlowers, I glanced aT The Thousands oT Taces in The greaT MeTropoIiTan Opera I-louse, and I was in my glory. FK if ik if X As I pushed Through ThaT iungle rarely peneTraTed by man, I Tell' The Thrill oT new Things yeT To be seen. The day was hoT, buT I was sTill cool and coIIecTed, and I could sense The admiraTion of my Tellow explorers oT whom I was The only woman. There was much I could be proud oT because, alThough I was sTill a young woman, I had capTured more rare specimens and dug up more skeleTons Than any oT my asso- ciaTes. Suddenly we heard The roar oT a lion and could see him rushing Towards us Through The Thick Trees. My Triends, Taken unaware, sTood There moTionless, and if iT had noT been Tor my quickness of recovery, one oT us would surely have been ThaT king's prey, buT wiTh nerves oT iron, I raised my TrusTy riTle, sighTed The inTruder, and as The loud shoT rang ouT, our opponenT, a magniTicenT Tellow, Tell dead. i wk Y if li I saT Tacing The unTriendly audience buT knew I could win Them To my side when my Time came To speak, so sure was I oT my eIeganT vocabulary. Twice beTore I had held a place in The SenaTe in spiTe oT The eTTorTs oT my opponenTs, and alThough I mainTained my own opinions, which had consequenTly Turned mosT sTaTesmen againsT me, I was sTill The mosT popular and widely known candidaTe Tor re-elecTion. I had a low and very magneTic voice, and a sparkling personaliTy, and all my oTher qualiTica- Tions more Than lived up To These asseTs. I was The mosT discussed and admired woman oT my Time, and I Took greaT saTisTacTion in knowing ThaT I could deTeaT anyone I wished. I was also very pleased wiTh my perTecT privaTe liTe. A deep hush Tell over The audience as I goT up To deliver my speech. JANUARY I948 I3

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MY PUBLIC QUARREL I've goT a quarrel wifh The world. I've been handed a raw deal, The shorf end of a bad bargain, and I'm noT going To Take iT lying down. Back in grade school, when I was as yef happily unaware of whaT my fufure acfually held, I liked To anficipafe a youTh of unresfrained growfh of body, and spiriT, and mind, and happiness. I was desperafely eager To learn as much as I could abouf as many Things as possible. Canada and Europe and, oh, a dozen ofher places would be sources of beaufy and culfure for me. I wanTed so much To geT To know people and like Them, To aTTain one day a True wisdom, To live a life rich wifh varied experiences. And I wanTed To give myself, my efforfs, all I could, To The world, in refurn for The happiness I should derive from iT. BuT, on approaching The Time when I am To Take my place as a ciTizen of our madcap globe, whaT do I find? I find myself loaded down wiTh The burden of a cenfury of ofher peopIe's greed and folly. I'm sevenfeen, and I wanT an unresfrained good sTarT in life. BuT I've firsT goT To Take care of a Palesfinian problem, a famine problem, a de-NazificaTion problem, an afomic bomb problem, a prejudice problem, a labor problem, and I'm afraid To look for any more for The cerTainTy of finding Them. I-low can I help myself? I feel ThaT sysTems of governmenf or of economics do noT sTarT wars or resulT in inTernal sTrife. IT is The characfer of an individual naTion's governmenT ThaT may lead iT To a policy of aggression, of violence, of deceiT: The characTer of iTs ciTizens who allow Their governmenf To acT in such a manner in Their name. There is no room for selfishness, for peTTiness, for The sTupidiTy of an aTTiTude of hope wiThouT acTion in This and in fuTure generaTions. And I will make iT my business To keep This lesson clear and always in mind. I will noT permif myself To become in- differenf To The world ThaT exisTs beyond my home and office, will noT permiT myself To neglecl' my vofing privileges, will noT permif myself To idly look on while my children absorb The hafes and preiudices ThaT may exisT in my communify. And I live wifh and cherish The faiTh ThaT some day, Through The sTrengTh of The combined efforfs of The many, many people of my generafion who feel as I do, we will seTTle This quarrel. JaneT Demsky MEMORIES Franklin K. Lane will hold many memories for us, The sTudenT body, affer gradua- Tion. The four years spenT in Lane will well be remembered. The fun in The classrooms, cramming for an exam aT lunch, freshmen wandering around The halls, The Lane ReporTer, Those dreaded Regenfs, S. S. cards, cuTTing a class for The firsT and lasf Time, are some of The many phases of school life Thaf remain. Our Senior semesfer is probably our mosT cherished semesler of school. The Senior Dance, Class Nighf, Prom, and finally Graduafion end our life aT Lane. Alfhough our high school days are over, our memories of Franklin K. Lane will linger wiTh us forever. Lucy Esburg I2 SENIOR ECHCES

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- X, if lk lk lk ik The long skirfs swished on fhe highly polished floor as fhe finely dressed ladies and genflemen gracefully walfzed. There was no quesfion as fo who fhe mosf beguiling beaufy was. As I danced wifh my very handsome lord who had given up so much for me, all eyes furned in our direcfion. When we passed fhe new King and Queen I bowed, and even if fhey did nof refurn my kindness, I did nof care. I was 'rhe happiesf woman in fhe world because I had affained all fhaf my hearf had desired-fame, wealfh, and love. The sparkling wafer shimmered below us, and fhe moonbeams played on my hair. My blue eyes shone, and my pure whife lace dress and lovely skin were shown fo fheir besf advanfage. My husband gafhered me in his sfrong arms, and pulled me close fo him, eagerly waifing 'ro press his lips on mine, fo fell me once again of his undying love. All af once, someone shook me. Perhaps if was fhe jealous Queen. As I furned around fo see, I mef only a fluffy whife pillow. The hand on my shoulder persisfed in shaking and shaking me: so I was obliged fo look up. The sudden shock of seeing my mofher immediafely and very decidedly woke me up fo fhe facf fhaf I was iusf my old humdrum self who would be going fo school in anofher half hour, and would live fhe same humdrum life 'rhaf I had been living for nearly eighfeen years. I relucfanfly crawled ouf of bed, and as I was dousing cold wafer on my face, I carefully sfored away my many wonderful dreams for anofher nighf. Marilyn Baillef TI-IE LOST CLOUD I-low slowly and gradually you come and die: How disfanf and far in fhe wisfful sky. Who may deny finding comforf in youg In your misfy way, your cresf of gray blue? Whaf efernal mysfery governs you and yours? Why are you a prophecy of open and closed doors? Who are you, fo warn, and why so forlorn? You come and go, now you're hidden: I mourn! I beg fhee-be fhere, be of beaufy, be proud Even in mysfery: show, oh, show, Iosf cloud! Joseph Alberf Bra ncafo fe L- v3 I4 sENloR sci-loss 4 X!