Leilehua High School - Ka Leilehua Yearbook (Wahiawa, HI)

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ESSAYS Second Prize IERE SMITH, lunior ON SURFING THE OTHER NIGHT, while I was sitting at home chatting with some friends, the following remark was made: It seems certain to me that all island people are distantly related in some way. The person that remarked thus was referring to the nostalgia displayed by travelers whose homes are in Hawaii Nei. Fur- ther proof of his statement was made when he told us of a letter which he had received from a true son of Hawaii who is away at college. The most important cause of homesickness seemed to be the fact that surfing was not to be had there. Surfing, as you may know, was originated by the old ,Hawaiians-real chil- dren of the sea. It was the principal avocation of these people, and they were taught from childhood to master what they considered the art of arts. Each member of the family was afforded the wood for a surfboard, which he had to fashion himself. To the average individual, the ability to ride a board in the simplest possible manner, lying down, will come after about six or eight months of faithful prac- tice. Since this is a sport really typical of these islands, every visitor should make an attempt to learn it. The first thing the beginner must master is the ability to hold the wave 1 that is, to keep his board well in front of the wave without getting too far in front. He will find at first that he will slip off his board or that it will turn un- expectedly and he will slide off the back of the wave, sidewise. If he is lucky enough to get well in front of the wave, he will probably pearl dive 1 that is, his board will dive towards the bottom and in doing so will throw him off. As time goes on, however, the surfer-to-be will learn to stay in the wave and, perhaps, to stand up on his slippery toboggan as it slides swiftly shore- ward. He will learn the best spots in the wave, and also which way he must slide across the wave, left or right, to get the best ride. In addition to this, he learns the courses and strengths of the various currents. Later, he will endeavor to ride larger and faster waves, and perhaps if he is lucky he may be able to ride the Queen Surf and Castle Surf at Waikiki, Surfing has today become a tourist trade, much to the disgust of many true lovers of this ancient art. Men who have surfed since childhood now turn to surfing as a means of earning a livelihood: large hollow and pieced surfboards. polished and painted in gay colors, are imported from Los Angeles factories and sold at great profit. In the place of the clumsy boards made from the wood of the koa tree, these shiny new steeds ride the surf at Waikiki. Nevertheless, in spite of these modern additions, to anyone who knows the islands, surfing is still the sport of sports. To me, as to others who love the islands, surfing exemplifies the true spirit of Hawaii. fCoutinued from page S67 easily acquired and acquaint one with foreign lands and customs, with no expense on our part-unless our book is overdue at the library. Books for all phases of life are easily found, and most of them are enjoyable. By Blue Horizons therefore, I do not mean that point where the earth and sky seem to meet, but the point where knowledge blends with the unknown. When we go beyond those horizons, we go to new places, study new things, and can even transport ourselves from past to future. Practically all we need is patience and a good imagination to supplement any dry information and make life more interesting.

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ESSAYS First Prize NANCY TUPPER, lunior BLUE HORIZONS . HAVE YOU ever met anyone who is content to stay calmly at home, never won- dering what is just around the corner? There are some such people, though fortunately for humanity these are very few. A person devoid of curiosity, in my opinion, is like a piece of unbuttered dry bread. Don't you, when you visit some new place, wish you could stay there long enough to nourish that ever hungry imagination of yours? For instance, if you are visiting a distant city, wouldn't you feel cheated if you stuck to the beaten paths, and saw only what every other tourist does? It seems to me that some forces, invisible, but none the less strong, draw me to unfrequented little shops, Where often the dust is so thick it makes one think the proprietor must pepper his goods every morning instead of dusting them. But ask yourself, doesn't something bought from that little shop give you as much, if not more, pleasure than an extremely expensive nicknack from a gigantic department store? Even if you aren't fond of travel, or you can't afford it, there are Blue Hori- zons practically at your back door. lf you are a city dweller, try observing the people around you, and you'll be surprised at the many different types you will find. If you don't care to study character, study your associates' physical char- acteristics. See how many people you can find with hair as dark as charred paper, or as bright as the gololenrodf' Or, if you find that dull, try noses. Dur- ing numerous dry lectures, especially at school, l have often amused myself in this way. Look around right now, and see how many different types of noses you can find. One's nose might be at such an angle that his proboscis seems to be shaped like a parrot's, another might have a peculiarly shaped broken nose, and still another's nasal passage might be so flat as not to seem to be present at all. Bythis observation I do not mean that you should be so obvious as to make the people around you uncomfortable, or that you should make fun of these people you are observing. Others are possibly conducting an observation of their own, and you may be the object of much mirth. ln this case I believe you should obey the Golden Rule, and then let your conscience be your guide. Many persons probably object to this callous study of their friends. There- fore, if they wish to study animals they may take the so called lower order. ln this class the persons living in the country have the advantageous position in the study of domestic animals, as they are in their natural environment. Now we come to the advantage of the city over the country. The city possesses a zoo, wherein various strange animals are kept, but as their real natures cannot be studied, we encounter another disadvantage to the nature student. Once one has started these studies they become more and more interesting, and many amateurs have made themselves proficient in judging. Insects are something anyone can study if he is so inclined. These small animals are so continually around, however, that we rarely consider them more than we do a troublesome stone. The lives of insects are extremely inter- esting, and it is amazing to note that some, ants especially, have many traits that are much like our human ones. To anyone who does not desire to hunt for living specimens to study, or has not the money to travel, there are books. Of course, books are read by nearly everyone now, but it is sad to say that the good ones are touched by only a few rare persons. If one knows what he wants, he can derive much pleasure from stories. If fiction is desired, one may be carried into far away lands where make believe is true, and the impossible usually happens. Travel books are Cflontinued on page 875

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THE CONSTITUTION AND NATIONAL DEFENSE Revocato Medina, junior, winner of The Star-Bulletin oratorical contest for the island of Oahu, placed fourth in the finals for the territory. Here is a reprint of his prize-winning speech. A CENTURY and a half ago, the far-sighted framers of the Constitution, in order to provide for the common defense and to safeguard the ideals and principles of liberty and democracy-made provisions in the Constitution for the nation's defenses. It was with a common aim, with the memories of having been under the rule of a king-of another nation, with the memories of tyranny and oppres- sion that they laboriously wrote in the defense clauses. Furthermore, having seen armies trample over people's rights in other lands, they divided the powers of the army and navy to prevent the return to monarchy -which Europe had predicted, to prevent dictatorship, or imperialism. The president was given the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Army and Navy, whose blood, in the words of Dupuy and Elliot, is the precious coinage in which the price of Liberty has been and may again be paid. To keep within bounds of the constitutional principle of checks and balances, Congress was given the sole power to declare war, to raise and support armies, to provide and maintain a navy, and to make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces. Today, with the world powers running in the greatest armament race in history, with international lawlessness on the rampage, with undeclared wars raging in the East and West, and with fascism threatening the world, the na- tional defense phase of the Constitution is becoming more and more important -for it may mean the life or death of that great document. It was in President Roosevelt's Chicago speech that the eyes of the world were first opened to the fact that the United States would use a strong arm in keeping itself out of war, in an active search for peace. Perhaps I can best illustrate what followed next in this Associated Press newspaper article lead printed in The Star-Bulletin : WASHINGTON, lan. 28.-President Roosevelt asked Congress today to authorize millions of dollars of new expenditures for the navy's fighting force and the army's land defenses to bolster armaments he termed inadequate for the purposes of national security. lust recently the billion dollar naval expansion bill has passed the House and is now in the Senate. I-'or the army's land defenses 447 million has been recommended by the House Appropriations committee. In a recent poll conducted by the American Institute of Public Opinion, it was proved that the vast majority of the Americans overwhelmingly favored more adequate defense. The result showed that 74 per cent voted in favor of Roosevelt's Big Navy program, 69 per cent for the increase in the strength of the army, and 80 per cent for the enlargement of the air force. The institute studies showed that while the people favored more adequate defense, they nevertheless, definitely, did not want to fight the wars of other nations. It was clearly demonstrated that the World War has taught the Americans a lesson hard to forget. Let's turn to Emil Ludwig's Life of Roosevelt for an interesting glimpse. It was at the brink of the World War when Wilson, with historic consciousness, refused the advice of Roosevelt, who was then the Assistant Secretary of Navy, to mobilize the naval forces explaining, Come here, Roosevelt, and sit down. i ll explain it to you. The eyes of history are fixed upon us. Yes, it is true that we shall probably enter the war. But look you, in the year 1980, some historian will be writing the history of this war . . . a German or a Russian. This man must say, 'AMERICA DID NOTHING TO BE PREPARED BEFORE IT WAS COMPELLED TO GO TO WAR'.