Lawrence High School - Lawrencian Yearbook (Falmouth, MA)

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the sweet strains of the guitar, min- gled with the voices of the people slowly rambling home from work. Longfellow’s description from Hy- erion fits the cause beautifully. “From the neighboring village came the solemn, joyful sounds, floating through the sunny air, mellow and faint and low, all mingling into one harmonious chime like the sound of some distant organ in the heaven.” For several reasons, the people of the Azores look toward the United States as a land of promise. With all the natural beauties of these islands, the economic con- ditions on the Azores are very poor, and there is not much in view for improvement. The people come over here because they believe they can make a better living, but some are so sorely disappointed that they must return to their native coun- try. Others live very well indeed, owning their own home and prop- erty in a short time. In the Azores, men who work at the fishing trade or at day labor receive from fifty to seventy-five cents a day. Some get more, some less. With their very small wages and the high prices, it is small wonder that the people live beyond their means. They raise practically everything they eat, but the other things come to more than they can earn. Be- cause of this pressing need for more wages, they look to America, as do all other distressed countries, as a land in which their needs can be gratified. And the high ideals and standards which they expect to find in the United States are usually found, for America rarely disap- points. Olivia Roderick CELEBRITIES OF CAPE COD As young men and young women of today, we are apt to accept as a matter of course the many advan- tages and privileges which we en- joy and which are the achieve- ments of men and women who have endeavored to give to the world something worth while and beautiful. The literary geniuses have given to us a treasury of information, di- version, and pleasure. Then, the artists of music, poetry, and art give to our spirits the wings to soar above the commonplace in life and the song to transform the realm of the commonplace into the realm of the beautiful. We owe much to those men of science who have simplified the problems of nature and have, to some extent, explained the myster- ies of this universe. It is to them that we are indebted for our in- ventions and modern conveniences. Then there are the adventurous who explore new regions and thrill us with their discoveries and their courage. Also, we should recognize the debt we owe to the apostles of re- ligion. Calvin Coolidge is quoted to have said, “I can conceive of no adequate remedy for the evils which beset society except through the influence of religion.” A brief glance over the past de- cades reveals to us the progress which we have made in civiliza- tion. Education is largely respon- sible for this progress. Through education we have developed a gov- ernment which guides and protects the people within its jurisdiction, because it is managed by efficient and educated statesmen.

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usually have large dances at fes- tivals, but Sometimes ' they Shave them on other occasions. The Shamarita is one of the dances. The wealthy people have balls and dinner dances, just as they do here. The ones the poorer people hold are known as Folgas. The country is well -modernized. The schools teach all the latest sub- jects. The boys have organized football teams and enter into the spirit of the game with enthusiasm. There are not many varied oc- cupations. The men are generally either fishermen, fruit-growers, or farmers, but occasionally here and there are found other trades. The men who fish rise about three o’clock in the morning and stay away until late at night. Some- times they are out at sea in small dories for a day and a night just off the coast. Other fishermen come all the way to Newfoundland for their catch in fishing schooners. As the islands are nearly tropical, many luscious fruits are grown there: peaches, apricots, figs, pine- apple, oranges, grapes, tangerines, and some nuts. The islands are noted for their delicious Madeira wines. The best grape wine comes from the Island of Pico. Some corn is raised also but not enough to supply the demand. The Fayal is the biggest corn center, and quite a bit is sent to the Pico. The houses are made of white- washed stone or cement, and prac- tically all have red-tiled roofs which are quite flat. The windows are rather small but numerous. The houses, as a whole, are very pic- turesque. A few churches have some of the most beautiful interiors one could wish to see. The loveliness of Christ Church at Ponta Delgada surpasses all others on the islands. The sun sifitng through the stately stained-glass windows sends a my- riad of multi-colored lights into the church, which is otherwise rather dim,. The .vood-work around the altar is carved, and its beauty is breath-taking. The majority of the churches, however, are rather humble, both inside and out. The statuary is of the lowliest sort, but just by seeing the people flock to the services, one can learn of the great faith they have in the creeds of their own sects. The roads, too, are things of beauty. They are not very winding. They are made of stone, and on each side there are wide cement sidewalks shaded by a kind of palm tree. High whitewashed walls border the roads and give them an air of cleanliness. The Azores also boast of various delightful parks. One at St. Mich- aels is octagonal in shape and is surrounded by huge maples, which in the summer provide ample shade from the sun. Inside, there are dif- ferently shaped gardens with flow- ers of many hues. The white walks are a sharp contrast to the color- ful flowers. On the Island of the Pico is a volcano which towers up into the sky. The island was given the name Pico because of it. It takes four hours to climb this volcano. It has erupted four times within a century or more, but the people are not in fear of it because it is open at the top. It is a memory that lingers long with those who pass by the island at sunset and see the peak standing out against the evening sky and who hear in the distance

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Cape Cod can proudly proclaim that many of the people who have contributed in these various fields are her own sons and daughters, either by birth or adoption. In the literary world, the Cape has given Katharine Lee Bates, author of the well-known and nationally loved hymn, “America the Beautiful.” To Falmouth be- longs the distinction of being her birthplace and. the town where she spent the first twelve years of her life. Another outstanding contribution to the literary world is Joseph C. Lincoln, far-famed for his vivid portrayals of Cape Cod life. Him- self a native of the coast-town Brewster, his stories are chiefly of seafaring men and their families, their simplicity and their humor, their sturdy independence and their honest philosophy of life. Another of our noted writers is Theodate Geoffrey, who is none other than our local editor, Mrs. Dorothy G. Wayman, author of Powdered Ashes, and An Immigrant in Japan. « Eugene O’Neil, another star in the Cape literary galaxy, is prob- ably the most illustrious playwright of America. His plays, The Strange Interlude, Anna Christie, and Be- yond the Horizon, have established him forever in the Hall of Fame. Mr. O’Neil spends much of his time in Provincetown. Thornton Waldo Burgess, best known for his Bed Time Story ser- ies, is also a product of the Cape. The town of Sandwich claims the honor of being his birthplace. Several other renowned Cape authors are Susan Glaspell, a play- wright as well as a novelist, her latest production being Alison’s House; Mary Heaton Vorse, author of Growing Up and Second Colein; and also Charles Neville Buck, author of The Key of Yesterday, Destiny, and Marked Men. In the dramatic world we find that the Cape has given to the stage several outstanding actors. First, there is Joseph Jefferson Hol- land, that great actor who was the Godson of another great actor, Joseph Jefferson, also of the Cape. Joseph Holland’s greatest triumph was in an all-star cast with Joseph Jefferson in “The Rivals” in 1896. Stricken in 1904 with advancing paralysis and deafness, he was forced to give up the stage and re- tired to Falmouth where he had formerly spent his summers. He was fond of coaching young people, and it was through him that the Falmouth Players originated, Tin organization which, following his death, assumed the name of the Joseph Holland Players. A memor- ial tablet in the Falmouth Public Library stands as a monument to the high esteem in which he is held by his friends in Falmouth and New York. Among the glittering stars of the cinema shines Charles Farrell, a native of Onset, and that well- known comedian Charlie Murray, has adopted the Cape for his sum- mer home. In the military field we find Major-General Leonard Wood, who has been coming to the Cape since he was six years old. Major-Gen- eral Wood was awarded the Con- gressional Medal of Honor for dis- tinguished services in 1886. He be- came a close friend of Theodore Roosevelt’s and was commissioned Colonel of the “Rough Riders” with Roosevelt as Lieutenant-Colonel.