Lawrence High School - Lawrencian Yearbook (Falmouth, MA)

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The Lawrencian writers of the period just before and during the Civil War. The belief that the American lit- erature of today is inferior to that before 1892 doesn’t mean that in the future it will stay on the down grade. The great output of books and magazines Uxlay Is found to create a strong native literature which will hold its own with that of any other period. The tremend- ous number of stories pouring into magazine offices also shows that the people have the “itch to write” and a genuine interest in self-ex- pression. Only recently our novelist Sin- clair Lewis won the Nobel Prize in literature. This prize is the most famous in the world, and the fact that Sinclair Lewis won it is a great honor for America. Bernard Shaw says that “an asylum for the sane would be empty in America”, but even he, who is the most con- spicuous man of letters in the world today, did not begin to attract the world-wide attention gained by Sinclair Lewis, when he (Shaw) won the same prize in 1925. Although we have little literature to rank with the best of England or some other European countries, this may be attributed to the youth of this country. In the years to come we shall no doubt have many writers who will be ranked among the best of any period or of any country. This will, however, take time and at present we can only hope for the best. THEODORE JONAS. KATHARINE LEE BATES “O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain. For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee And crown thy good with brother- hood From sea to shining sea! O beautiful for pilgrim feet. Whose stern, impassioned stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness; America! America! God mend thine every flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law! O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine. Till all success be nobleness. And every gain divine! O beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed His grace on thee And crown thy good with brother- hood From sea to shining sea!” This poem, which has become one of our greatest, if not the greatest, national anthem, was written by cur own Katharine Lee Bates who was born in Falmouth. About two years ago, I had the ' pleasure of being able to visit Wel- lesley College. After looking the college grounds and buildings over from the outside, I went into the interior of the administration build- ing. Just off the main lobby, there is an alcove in which this poem is most beautifully illustrated in col- ors. On one side of the alcove, there is a painting which portrays the first verse by showing the “spa- cious skies”, the “purple mountain majesties”, and the “fruited plain”. The first verse is on the right hand