Fryeburg Academy - Academy Bell Yearbook (Fryeburg, ME)

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THE ACADEMY BELL ll thcusands of brave men were killed and miilmns of dollars' damage done to the country. Even when we think of the great cost of the war, both in lives anf' money, we cannot help but think of the results. Wlhfn the Civil lVar ended, we ha'l changed from a slave-holding coun- try to a nation in which every man was equal. The quarrel between the North and SouLh xi as over. and, instead of two pe'ty nations always fighting each other. we were still one great republic. On the evening of April ll, 18155, a wave of sorrow swept over the coun- try: for ton that evening while President Lincoln was attend'ng a theatre in Wlash- irglon, a miserable, half crazy actor named Vtlillzes Booth, stepped into the lox and shot the President in the back of the head. The next morning, surrounded by his family and offical friends, Abraham Lincoln died. lliords have no power to tell the worth of Abraham Lincoln. llis name, linked with the immortal W'ashington's, is forever enshrined in the hearts of the American people, for he was the savior of our country as Wash- ington was its founder and father. liarly in the morning of April ti, 1917. a resolution declaring a state of war be- tween the United States and Germany, was passed by Congress. For the first time in over a century we were at war with one of the great foreign powers. As ljresident Wilson said, The great fact that stands outabove all the rest is that this is a peoples, war, a war for freedom and justice, a war to make the world safe for the people who live in it and who have made it their own.', Our presence in the war brought victory for the Allies and Germany was crushed. Thus far I have mentioned dates which are important to every American citizen. My tenth date is important to a certain few who are gathered in this church this afternoon. To us, this day, June 12, 1923, is of vast importance, for it marks the ending of one of the happiest peri- ods of our lives-our four years at Frye- burg Academy. . PERCY BURNELL. THE LAST JOURNEY. No more I care to hasten on Life's highway dull and long, No more I seek the while light's glare Nor tre cold indifferent throng. Our worldly ways no longer charm, hor give tl.e soul delight. What once gave pleasures now are gone Like shadows in the night. Sad longings at my heartstrings pullg To th.nk brings out distress, Back once again l long to go Where peaceful I may rest. Back to that hillside and that home To see the breaking dawn, And from the eastern windows watch The coming of the morn. ,Tis glorious at the dewy eve To watih the sun'ight fade. It's dismal here mid houses drear In smoke and dust and shade. And yet I see that coitage there, The stately tree before, The once white fence, the rose-bush near The ivy by the door. The house is faded, gray, and streak'd, Its roof is old and torn, Its doors are warped and spotted o'er, Tlie walls of trimming shorn.

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IO THE ACADEMY BELL July -1, 17713. England had endeavored to tax the Colonists against their will, and as a result the Colonists rebelled. The Americans did not seek separation, but the King of England forced it on them and there was no choice left. In june, 1776, Richard Henty Lee of Vir- ginia offered this resolution in Congress: Resolved, that these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states. A committee of live, Thomas Jeffer- son, john Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Living- ston, was chosen to draw up a declara- tion enbodying ythat resolution. Thomas jefferson did the work. On July 4, 17713, John Hancock, President of Congress. signed the Declaration of American In- dependence in that bold, decided hand which the King of England could read without spectacles. Later, the represent- atives of the colonies added their names to the Declaration. That completed the work. The thirteen British Colonies had ceased to exist. In their place stood a new nation. the United States of Amer- ica, and it has been a free and independ- ent nation ever since. September 3, 1783, marks the signing of the Treaty of Peace with England. ln a speech to Parliament in 1782, the King of England said that he was ready to acknowledge the independence of the United States, and that it was his ear- nest prayer that religion, language, in- terest, and affection might prove a bond of permanent union between the two countries. The treaty secured for us the thirteen states and the territory west of them to the Mississippi, in all, an area of about eight hundred thousand square miles. VVe were then free and independent, but we were not united. Congress had no power to enforce the laws that it made. At last, in 1787, a convention of fifty-five members was held in Philadel- phia to draw up a new Constitution. W'ashington presided at this convention, which consisted of the chief men from all the states. After a stormy session of nearly four months the great work was completed, and the Constitution was adopted. During the next year, 1788, all of the states decided to adopt it, and from that time on we were united as well as free and independent. About a hundred years ago Mexico and several South American countries had declared themselves republics, inde- pendent of Spain. President Monroe suspected that the European kings were going to help Spain regain control of these countries. In his message to Con- gress on December 2, 1823, the Presi- dent declared, that while the United States was resolved not to meddle with the affairs of the nations of the Old VVorld, we were equally determined that they should not meddle with the affairs of the New. That declaration is called the Monroe Doctrine. It means that we consider that America is for Americans, and any attempt on the part of Europe to extend her system to any portion of this hemisphere would be regarded as the manifestation of an unfriendly dis- position toward the United States. April 12, 1861, marks the beginning of the Civil War, that great struggle be- tween the North and South. Durinff b the four long years that the war lasted,

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I2 THE ACADEMY BELL The chimney's rough and rudely made, The doorstep gray and old. The ancient windows there let in The rain and wind and cold. No sign of splcndor's seen within, No walls with paintings hungg But it's suggestiveness of peace Glows like the morning sun. Its Floors are rough and gray and bare. From countless treading feetg But, as to birds their humble nest To me it's a retreat. Beyond the pomp of palace line, Or mansion, stately, tall, Beyond all others, humbler far, It's yet the best of all. :la Far liner than the richest place Or ancient hall of Rome, To me ,it's dearer than the rest i Because it's home-my home! 4 And there aloige I'll happy be, My cares will pass away, And there in joyful blissful peace Await tle end of day. There all the sorrow, grief. and care Witliin me day and night Will fade away like stars at dawn VVhen comes the morning light. RAYMOND COTTON. VALEDICTORY. THE END OF THE TRAIL. The End of the Trail seems to me a big subject when I begin to realize that there are all kinds of trails, but the more l think of it, the more I believe that none of these trails really end. Let us conslder a few of them and see if this is not true. Life is the big trail. the broad highway along which we travel from childhood. The entrances to many smaller trails dot the sides of it and are visible to us as we pass by. lVe have the liberty of ex- ploring any of these, of choosing any one that we like. But we find to our surprise that each one evidently lea back to the main trail with its obstacles to be overcome and its pleasant places to be enjoyed. So we journey until we reach the end of the trail, across which a veil is drawn. There is no escape from the trail at this point. XVe must pierce the veil, beyond which lies Eter- nity. Some of us will do it with fear and trembling. others with confidence. But there is no need of fear, for the end of life is but the beginning of a bigger, broader trail where we shall start anew. All stages of life are the same. Take childhood, for instance. This is a short but beautiful trail. Tall trees border the sides of it: velvety green grass grows beside itg a delicious perfume floats through the balmy air. issuing from the iranv Howers of delicate shades and tints which are sprinkled through the grass on either side: beautiful birds with bright pfumage trill and warble as they flit from branch to branch: above, not a cloud mars the serenity of the blue heavens. Everything is calm, peaceful and lovely. Below, there are no jagged stones in the path for the little feet to stumble against as they toddle along, neither are there any sharp turns around which lurk unknown dangers. True, an occasional storm-cloud looms up on the horizon, but it is not often a very large one nor does it stay very long. The journey down this trail is over all too quickly and the end is soon reached. But wait! Is it the end? No. Upon