Julia Richman High School - Spotlight Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 7 text:

Wfar and rumors of war! That seems to be the keynote of the busy world in which many of you are about to take an active part. However, in this country of ours the daily life of men, women and children goes on much the same as yesterday. Most of us will not be called onto play heroic, spectacular roles, but rather the quieter ones of routine duty. VVe here in Julia Richman greet you, the members of our family who are leaving us, and hope that the ideals of living which all of you have been taught and the skills of earning a living which those of you who are about to seek work have labored to acquire, may make your lives happier, more gracious and more useful. I A 1 Principal

Page 6 text:

PUHEWUHD The Spotlight this term is, of course, devoted entirely to the Seniors. They are the editors, the copy, and the theme. Why then has another focal point been chosen? Stop for a moment and consider. You and you and you are seniors. That's fine but you can't be put in a pigeon-hole and left there. Each one of you is an individual personality. Each one of you has some tal- ent, some special ability to do one thing particularly well. It is this talent that makes you different from the next senior and makes the next senior different from you. Talent then has to be an intrinsic part of the Yearbook. c'But I have no talentf' you are saying. True you may not be talented in art, or music, or Writing, but there are other talents. Some are far greater and more useful than these. For instance, look about your house when you go home tonight. See if the rooms are in order and notice the dinner. Doesn7t someone in your family have a talent for making a home? ls it your mother, perhaps? Then again your talent may not as yet be discovered. Thomas Hardy was nearly fifty before he started writing. Just the other day I read of an old Woman, the operator of a news stand in Wall Street for ten years, who has recently tried her hand at sculpture. This old woman,s work has been seen by experts and is called excellent. She, at last, has discovered her talent. But for all our talents, discovered or not, there should be one rule. They should be used and developed. There is no more pitiful sight than that of a great talent Wasted or permitted to lie fallow and decay. Whether you have special ability in science or Writing, in languages or dancing, put it into practice. Remember, only you have been given this special power to do this one thing Well. Above everything else, put your talent to work and use it for some good purpose.

Page 8 text:

A Weary cobbler runs his hands lovingly over his work-a sigh of satisfaction escapes his lips. A slight sculptor gazes appraisingly at his marble statue-a warm glow lightens his sensitive features. A sturdy gardener wipes his brow and straight- ens his back-his fingers caress a colored petal. lnto the lives of all these people came the desire to create, to look upon something completed and feel that they, not a helper nor a friend, have made something of value-be it boots, statues or-a flower. Realizing that many girls of Julia Richman High School possess this creative ability, the Art Department stands ever ready to offer its courses in such engrossing fields as Art Appreciation which gives one the opportunity to develop different forms of expression, General Design which enables one to gain a rigid foundation, and Elective Art composed of a variety of branches such as Commercial Illustration, and Costume Design which furnish one with the adequate means in which to specialize. Just as all the years of training that a doctor puts in at medical school would be wasted if he never performed an operation, so all the talent that one possesses would be undiscovered or might even degenerate if one did not actually sit down and work on that talent. Thus the only method conducive to finding, improving and mellowing one's talent is hard work and perseverance. To come to the important question that is on the lips of every youth talented in art who is graduating from high school. That is, How can art Kas a talentj be utilized in the outside business world? Probably art has more branches than any other field today. Interior decorating, photography, window display, lighting, stage setting, and the more familiar designing of clothes and commercial illustration are just a few of the many occupations in which a knowledge of art would be essential. No special training is necessary-that is, no definite training, for if one is desirous of getting ahead one will gain all the knowledge the world has to offer and carve a niche for oneself that is secure and deserved.