Hallowell High School - Venture Yearbook (Hallowell, ME)

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12 The VENTURE MAINE'S JOAN OF ARC Is there anyone here at this time who has not been stirred by the ideals embodied by that wonderful character in French history, Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans? For cen- turies her name has been an inspira- tion to all whose heart beats are for patriotism, loyalty, justice and truth. But do you know that Maine, too, has her Joan of Arc, a leader in a differ- ent, yet equally splendid cause? Maine's Joan of Arc was a champion of the helpless and distressed, not of America alone, but of the world. When with your automobiles you enjoy that beautiful river drive along the highway from Bangor to Belfast, you pass through the quiet and pic- turesque little village of Hampden. Upon the easterly side of the road, but on the westerly side of the Pe- nobscot river, you pass a large arched gateway, opening into the Dorothea Dix Park, named for a woman born on that same spot on the fourth day of April, in the year 1802. In many respects she was the most remarkable woman America can claim. She won distinction as a nurse during the Civil War and was honored with great praise by Presi- dent Lincoln, but it was in her life- time crusade against the old barbar- ous treatment of the insane that she won enduring fame. Dorothea Dix, fully as wonderful a woman in her way as Joan of Arc, and as much of a dreamer, idealist, and adventurer in new fields, was not aggressive. Hers was not the spirit of warg but of peace, of patience and of love. She was the antithesis of Cleopatra. She would never in the slightest degree have interested An- tony, much less have charmed him. And yet within a period of 20 years she stormed the seats of the mighty, from East Cambridge, Massachu- setts, to the Vatican at Rome, told all in authority. from the selectmen of towns to the President of the United States and the crowned heads of Europe, that they were wrong in their methods with the mentally sick, and convinced them of their mistake. You cannot say that her story is a romantic one. It was far removed from the realm of romance and fancy 3 but it is a remarkable story of the wonderful achievements of a daughter of Maine. At twelve years of age Dorothea Dix ran away from her parents and sought the protection of her grand- mother, who was then a widow living in quite a grand residence in Boston, the old Dix mansion. There, Doro- thea was trained in habits of dili- gence and attention. The change also secured for her several extra years of education. Her formal edu- cation completed, she spent some years as a school teacher and govern- ess. All of these early experiences and duties were fitting her for the great life work which destiny had ordained for her. Her social and philanthropic work began with the East Cambridge, Massachusetts, jail. Here, she found the guilty and the innocent, degener- ates, criminals, and those only un- fortunate, herded with the insane of both sexes, in a structure overcrowd- ed at all times, and without means of warmth in the severest weather. The task of changing these condi- tions was herculean in every sense of the word. Many difiiculties were before her, she had to undertake the task of meeting and convincing mem- bers of state and national legisla- tures. governors, popes, kings and presidents of their criminally wrong treatment of the insane. The success of her memorial in her own state encouraged her to press forward into all the other states. Her campaign in Massachusetts end- ed, she visited Rhode Island. New Jersey, Delaware, and Pennsylvania. Later she crusaded the southern states. She induced state after state

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U67 c v M ,mis Q? SALUTATORY llle ego, qui quondam graceli modulatus avena Carmen, et egressus silvis vicina coegl Ut z ' l t l is QU llllili dY1lO p3.l'9I'Cfl HTVH, C0 OHO Gratum opus agricolisg at nunc horrentia martis These lines, which sometimes pre- cede Virgil's Aenid, translated de- clare, I, that poet who formerly tuned my song with the slender pipe, and coming forth from the wood, taught the neighboring husbandman, however greedy, a work acceptable to the tillers of the soil, yet now sing to bristling arms of Mars. For the time being, we may para- phrase these lines thus: We, the class of 1927, who formerly tuned our song with the slender pipe of school studies and tests, now are coming forth from the hall of educa- tion to set an example however plain, of more strenuous endeavor in col- lege or the business world to our school mates, an example we hope acceptable to be followed. On this day, which divides the old from the new, we, members of the class of 1927, who have clung together, bound by ties of friendship for four years, extend to all here a cordial welcome. Teachers-lt is an honor to us to be able to welcome you here this afternoon. To you, who have worked with us patiently, who have bedn ever ready to render any beneficial service to our class, We give many thanks, and we hope that your con- stant willingness to aid will be ap- preciated by other classes as much as they are by us today. We con- sider it to a great extent due to you that we stand here, taking the last step that leads out of our high school life into the busy world. Mr. Superintendent and Members of the School Committee-You have come here to see our class meet its final test, then bid adieu to you and to the other people gathered here. We sincerely hope that our work has been satisfactory and will prove still more satisfactory in the future. It is with pleasure that we welcome you this afternoon and that pleasure is greater when we consider how much your support has helped us on our way. Parents and Friends-You have assembled to see the class leave the barge which has borne them safely over a four years' course. We have arrived in safety at the haven, though some days have been stormy. Now we stand before an open door and you, kind friends, have come to wish us Godspeed as we pass through it. We thank you, as once again we extend to all here, a most hearty welcome.

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The VENTURE 13 to build hospitals for the insane. The year 1853 found her in Nova Scotia and other parts of Canada. When the Civil War broke out in 1861, the world-wide reputation which Miss Dix had attained along the lines of philanthropic endeavor, made her the one person in the country that President Lincoln and his administration at Washington, turned to, for assistance in the mat- ter of organizing nurses for the armies of the North. They had no Red Cross at that time, but an or- ganization called the Christian Commission was soon formed. Thousands of women nurses volun- teered for the service, and Miss Dix was called by the government to take charge of this department. She con- tinued to perform this arduous work until peace was declared. After the close of the Civil War, she took up again her labors for the insane and unfortunate ones of life, and con- tinued them until within a short time of her death. She died July 17, 1887, and her burial took place in Mt. Au- burn Cemetery, near Boston, Massa- chusetts. About a quarter of a century ago, after the fact that Miss Dix was born in Hampden had been fully estab- lished, certain patriotic men and wo- men of Hampden, Bangor, and other cities of Maine began a movement for a public park in her memory. A tract of land which embraced her birthplace was purchased and on July 4, 1889, it was properly dedicated with impressive ceremonies and an oration by the late Colonel Augustus C. Hamlen of Bangor. The following invocation was given in her memory: Father of Mercies, Sovereign Lord, We take thee at thy gracious word, Tho' thine the power to loose and bind, The merciful shall mercy find. To thee we raise our song of praise, xln thee we live and move, our ways By thee are guided, and thy love Fills earth below and heaven above, The heart that bleeds for others' woe, The generous hand, the words that glow With pitying love, the gifts that shine, Are but a pale reflex of thine. Reta Pettee, '27. CHEMISTRY IN EVERYDAY LIFE It was the great war that first brought to the public a realization of the vital place that the science of chemistry holds in the development of the resources of a nation. At that time, the chemists of the various nations were competing against each other in producing high-powered ex- plosives and dangerous gases. To- day, these' same chemists are en- gaged in the more congenial occupa- tion of making discoveries which will contribute to our national health and prosperity. We cannot get away from chemis- try and its bearing upon the whole life of any nation. The fundamental laws of chemistry make possible the scientific control of our great indus- tries, ranging from agriculture to the manufacture of steel. For in the transformation of the salts, miner- als, and humus of the earth and the elements of the air into corn, wheat, cotton and other products there is a complicated chemical change, requir- ing careful chemical control if a suc- cessful crop is to be obtained. Simi- larly, the making of iron and steel is a chemical problem, since first the iron must be separated from the ore, then free carbon driven out of it, and Vet just the right amount of carbon induced to combine with the other elements to give the steel the desired hardness. By discovering new uses for by-products previously considered worthless, the chemist has saved the country millions of dollars annually. Not so many years ago, the seed of cotton was thrown away or burned as fuel, for there was no profitable use to which it could be put. But the chemist, who is always an economist, found that by applying pressure to