Leavenworth High School - Tech Liber Yearbook (Waterbury, CT)

Page 76 text:

a g IVY ORATION Fellow classmates, we are assembled here today on this respected ground, to revive, keep alive, and transmit, one of the most cherished tradi- tions of Leavenworth High School, namely, the planting of the commemorative ivy. What does the ivy mean to us of f26? The ivy meant one thing to the Class of '22 and another thing to the Class of '23, It has meant something different to every class which has gone before us. Now in our turn, we have the privilege of telling what the ivy stands for in our estimation. The ivy is a living thing and a symbol of living things. We are planting it as an act of commemoration of the beginning of many active lives, and not as a memorial of time that is dead and gone. You will notice that we have a small, young plant, which we are planting in xthe firm, rich earth. This plant has been nurtured in a green- house until the gardener has felt that it is strong enough to grow for itself. ' There is in my mind a close analogy here between this commemorative ivy and the Class of 1926. The class like the ivy plant is strong and sturdy. It is about to be transplanted from the school where it has been carefully guarded by the authorities, to the rich, broad field of Life where it must grow for itself. When the ivy plant passed from the greenhouse to its new abode beside these beloved walls, a Page Seventy distinctive point of departure was made. When the class passes from these halls out into Life on graduation night, another point of departure will be made. The ivy will never be the same again, it will grow, its tendrils will reach out in many directions. The class will never be the same again. It will be separated and spread out in many lines of endeavor. But the ivy can never get away from the origi- nal stem that we have implanted in the ground today. There it will grow onward, upward, to higher and better and more graceful proportions. Fellow-classmates, we must never depart from that fundamental equipment for Life that we have received here at Leavenworth High School. We must slowly and steadily press toward the higher places in Life, upward, ever to better things, seeking always to make of ourselves grace- ful things, forceful things, righteous things, effi- cient things, distinct honors to the Alma Mater which has sent us out. Planting the ivy at Leavenworth High School is no hollow rite. It is, we believe, a serious act of commemoration which suggests a striking anal-- ogy go the future course of our class in this worl . Robert Emil Schneider. S e-ill' if R

Page 75 text:

in sign-post on the right hand says, Be Happy : that on the left says, Curse Happiness. Let's keep to the right. They tell me that those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves. Seek out the good in every man, And speak of all the best ye cang Then will all men speak well of thee And say how kind of heart ye be. To have a friend, be one. I am just reading a few more of the sign-posts I have seen along the way. This road leads to Success The one on the left will take you to a Soft Snap. Let's keep to the right and tackle all the hard jobs first. The easy ones have a tendency to settle them- selves. Never mind what other people say. The man who really does his best is a success whether or not the world thinks so. Now I don't know whether I can qualify as a traffic-expert or not. I haven't been very far on the road as yet. I am giving you the benefit of the experiences I have had so far. I'm sure of this thing, that a good traffic rule on the Road of Life is this: When you meet temptation, turn to the right. You had better pocket this in your hearts for fear you may forget it. Lest you should forget it,see that your compass is in good working-order. That compass is the still, small voice called Conscience This is just a little traffic-talk, my friends, in this day of safety first. I'm a pedestrian on the Street Called Straight, and I think it is dangerous to take chances. I've traveled a little way, and I hope to travel much more. If you happen to meet me on the highway, you can be assured that I shall attempt no jay-walking. You will find me following the signs all along the wayg that is, the signs on the right. This is the way in which we learn to go through traffic at Leavenworth High School. We think that if many more had such traffic rules our trafic forces would not have to be as large as they are today in directing streams of humanity on the Street Called Straight. Harold Patrick Hanlon. Page Sixty-nine

Page 77 text:

'iii 'mm 3' CLASS ESSAY THIS BUSINESS OF BEING A WOMAN Behind each general who controls an army, behind each financier who controls his millions, behind the great engineer who harnesses the tides, behind the surgeon who conquers disease, behind the teacher who spreads the gospel of civilization, behind the artisan who turns out products needed by man, stands the spirits of women, their mothers. Shall I not sum it all up and say, behind humanity stands the spirit of womanhood. This business of being a woman. Why it's the greatest business that ever was. We girls of the Class of '26 have been getting ready for it for many years. We are about to set out in charac- teristic Womanly fashion to test the effectiveness of our preparation for this business of being women. Women are the disciples of the spirit of beauty. Some of us are going into that great field of art in order to carry beauty to the World, beauty in art that the world needs so much. Others of, us are going into the class-room to lead the rising generation into life. 'Woman is wreeminently the teacher, for the first teachers from whom We learn are our mothers. Down through the ages, kindness and relief from suffering have been associated with women. Some of us are going to pass into that great work of mercy, caring for the sick. This business of being a Woman. Why it's the greatest business there is. It's the business that shines in illumination of rays from Heaven. It's the business that moves in the atmosphere of faith, hope, and love. It's the business of the home, that never-ending business. It's a busi- ness of courage, it's a business of strength, it's a business of vision. ' There we have it, and we're proud of it, we girls of '26, No business can equal the nobility of the business of being a woman. We believe to-day that We're golng out into a world where the business of womankind will be more than ever, a business of uplift. We count these things to be grandly true, That a noble deed is a step toward God, Lifting the soul from the common clod, To a purer air and a brighter view. Elizabeth Wilhelmina Schneider. Page Seventy-one is . is