Johnson High School - Class Book Yearbook (North Andover, MA)

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S J0HNs0N HIGH SCHOOL Q-A To another individual patriotism means a whole-hearted loyalty to our government. He considers it his duty as a citizen of the United States to keep himself well informed of the trend of national events,- to select as best he can the proper cause to support in the interest of the general welfare of the country. When he goes to the polls he does his duty as he sees it, con- scientiously, not with any thought of personal benefit or because there may be a friend on the voting list. He votes for the man who, he believes, can do the most to promote the welfare and happiness of the American people, one and all. Still a third idea of patriotism is held by the individual whose pride in our historical heritage is unbounded. He likes to expand upon the bravery of the little band of Pilgrims who formed the nucleus of our great nation,- who suffered untold privations for a cause which they thought right. Often times he boasts of his Pilgrim Ancestry. Various events seem outstanding in the growth of our nation from that time to the present and in every crisis of war or peace there were outstanding characters who seem to symbolize patriotism. There is one more appeal that the word patriotism may have for some of us,- the more civic challenge that the average citizen may answer in his daily life. If each of us in his otwn community would serve his fellow neigh- bors,- would dispense his charity with discrimination- would obey abso- lutely the traffic regulations when driving a car- would even, unobserved, pick up stray bits of glass on the highway or help a fellow traveler in dis- tress- if each of us, in short, would think of others, how could this civic spirit fail to combine in making a better nation- for the whole is but the sum: of its various parts? How complete would be our devotion to our country if we could show it in all these phases! We all can try at least to become exemplary citizens in our own small township 5- we can keep informed of economic values and use our influence to make our nation a better one in which to live- and in our love of country, thrill with pardonable pride at the sight of the stars and stripes- feel a tingling in our pulses at the first triumphant strains of the Star Spangled Banner. DORIS A. LEBEL 20

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1 -T Fmt., v1936 YEl4vR BOOK It is impossible to realize the inadequacy of words until you try to ex- press an idea. This motto is not only a group of words. It is a compact, sensible idea. Treat it as such. Actions, not words, make the man. Hot air can carry a balloon a long way, but it can't keep it there. N0 matter what tribulation there might be, there will always be happiness to balance the scales. Life is not all one long, sad story. After tonight we are on our own. Let us take up the flung challenge and hurl it back into the teeth of the challenger, the world. Let us build so that we shall be remembered, as mighty men and women, builders supreme. great heroes and lovers of mankind. Let us leave a heritage of progress to our followers. But never forget the idea that material objects never last the long- est, which is so admirably expressed by Percy Byssbe Shelly in the poem, Ozymandias of Egypt. . . . I met a traveler from an antique land XN'ho said, Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. Near them on the sand, Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown And wrinkled lips, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor will those passions read XYhich yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them and the heart that fed. And on the pedestal these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, king of kings Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away. ' LERQY DUNCAN '36 CLASS ESSAY How Com We Show Oufr Patriotism? ATRIOTISM in its literal sense means devotion to one's country. In - what respect can the average individual show that fidelity and rever- ,,.gf,5. ence to his country? XVhen we speak of patriotism what concept do you have? What picture or idea comes to your mind? To one type of person the word patriotism is synonymous with the sound of marching feet,-- the beat of martial music,- the inspiring strains of the national anthem,- or with the sight of Old Glory unfurled, the emblem of our supremacy wherever it may wave. To such a one, patriotic devotion means a proper respect for this flag: to stand with head uncovered- and right hand over the heart when the stars and stripes go by- to be the first to rise at the sound of the Star Spangled Banner,- to respect with sincerity the oath of allegiance- perhaps even if occasion demands, to answer unhesitat- ingly the call to arms. 19

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I '11 1936 YEAR BOOK VALEDICTORY Internationalism and Peace HAI perfect st ite of happiness vihere war is exiled and the peoples of the earth live side by side in contentment and peace! Long has this 555555 Utopia been sought throughout the ages, and yet always has it re- ' ' manned out of reach, elusive to the grasp of struggling mankind. Today in our modern age of advanced civilization man is becoming ever more conscious of that ideal, ever more anxious to attain it. XYhenever there is talk of internationalism, most people immediately think of its supposed dangers, its follies, its wickedness. They envision a world with all natural boundaries done away with, all governments made equal, and all those traditions which are the basis of national patriotism abol- ished. But true internationalism is something far different. It is strength- ened by national feeling and pride, but the people instead of showing this patriotism by force and war try to do some service to humanity. In perform- ing this service they are proud because they have made their country more notable, but above all they are glad because they have benefitted the world and their fellovvmen. Peace would be assured by the banishment of national hatreds and jealousies. World peace is extremely important now because we realize the terrible destruction a world war would inflict: world peace has become a necessity because civilized peoples finally realize that if civilization does not conquer war, war will conquer civilization. And yet, since world unity and peace are so clearly an advantage to all, why have they not yet been achieved? It seems a very simple matter to attain them, and the hindrance which has so far prevented them is just as simple. This stumbling-block is human nature. If we should turn back the pages of history to the time of prehistoric man, we should still find human beings struggling against each other. It is their nature and the law of self- preservation to be greedy and grasping for their personal gains. Man has always desired powerg man has always been jealous of someone situated better than himselfg man has always had the desire for revengeg man has al- ways thought that his race. his creed, and his customs were just a little better than all others. These are the conditions which have led to war. They can not be changed. The problem is: Can these natural characteristics be re- strained so that people can live together in toleration of each other? Let us see just how much we have progressed through the centuries .... The first real form of government was the city-state. Athens, Sparta, and Rome belonged in this class. Out of this sprang up the most remarkably su- preme government-the Roman Empire. This rule brought the whole world under one head. Even today we have many evidences of Roman culture, perhaps surpassing that of ours, which shows what this magnificent system accomplished. The Roman Empire was the closest semblance to internation- alism that we have ever known. But this was possible only because all civil disturbances were restrained by the great power at its head. When this cen- tral power fell, the whole structure deteriorated, and the Dark. Ages followed. As this era of ignorance and barbarous invasions passed, nations as we rec- ognize them today were formed. From that time on, Europe was in a state of continual war and turmoil. So we see that when the world became a 21