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

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'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

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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

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ii-15,37 ADDRESS TO THE LOWER CLASSES Members of the Lower Classes of Leaven- worth High School: It is a distinct privilege to come before you in this manner and share with you intimately ex- periences of four years. It seems to us seniors that people who have run a gauntlet are author- ized to give their experiences at the end, in order that the next ones who pass over the rough road may find the going just a little easier. Now the secret of really doing anything in high school is to get started. These twenty-nine people on this platform started early in their careers four years ago, otherwise, they would not be where they are tonight. This secret of getting on by getting started applies preemi- nently to the beginning of the freshman year, Page Seventy-two but it may very aptly apply to the beginnings of any of the other higher years. When you return in the fall as seniors, or juniors, or sopho- mores, as the cases may be, do not delay, start your class work and your class activities at once. We are going to commit to you another piece of information that we believe is helpful. When you get under way, you will find that the labor of getting ahead will be made much easier if you do each duty every day. Give today to laziness, 'and it will steal tomorrow from you. Then you will find it to your advantage to be on your job-the big job of going to school-all the time. Be prepared to do the right thing at the right time. When occasion demands it, be