Loretto Academy - Laurel Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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With the elephants busy tying their tennis shoes or parachuting out of airplanes, the juniors are sharpen- ing their pencils and getting out their paper to an- swer questions about then dome... In a time when money seems to be the goal and end result of almost everyone’s existence, it would be well for us to remember this saying from Ben Franklin's Poor Richard Says. A little house well-filled, a little field well-tilled, and a little wife well-willed, are great riches A little house well-filled” with material necessities, love and children is no longer a house but a home. No matter what you do whether it be housework, school work or manual labor, if you do it well you will have a little field well-tilled.” A wife well-willed is more than just obedient. She is a helpful partner, a good mother and skilled housewife. All these things are beyond monetary value, but not beyond human endeavor. Pinki Bedlinglon, '65 “WU -4„ jr 1 am the pillar of the world. Without me, man would fall into a subhuman existence. I am like manna from heaven, to be gathered in small quantities, and enjoyed every day. Possess me and you possess the supreme object of life. But do not seek me in the distance, for I am right under your feet always. I am a sunbeam that never lost its original rays, but I am not perfected until I am shared with others. I am not for one man, or two or three, but I am for everyone. What do they call me? It is a simple word for such an indefinable quality. I am happiness. I come in many ways, shapes, and forms. To every person I exist in something different. Some men think they find me in money or pleasure. Some never find me at all. But always remember: all who would win me must share me. Happiness was born a twin. Grace Donaldson, ’65 Wool. J Z.vi.un Ole DUfofJt Jill What is the main purpose of movies? They are factual, entertaining and provide the viewers with opportunity to see different parts of the world that they would not see otherwise. Many writers can put an interesting plot in an attractive setting and transport their audience into another world and make them forget their every day problems for a while. The authors of The Thrill of It AH” seem to have captured this realistic world with many talented actors and actresses headed by Doris Day and James Garner. The dialogue, plot and casting appeals to everyone in some way. The story concerns a successful doctor and his family. If one enjoys light, witty comedies with realism, you will have lingering memories and will chuckle even after the movie is over. Hilarious antics range anywhere from bubbles floating from a swimming pool, to an obstetrician gallop- ing on horseback down the middle of a New York speed- way to deliver a baby in a taxi cab. The story brings in many surprising and totally un- expected incidents which are well planned and presented with plenty of action. Interest never lags. Susan Edelbrock, '65 20 the laurelette

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The reader rampant This is the journal of a white man’s experiences as a Negro in the deep South. The subject matter is in itself fascinat- ing, but Mr. Griffin, an accomplished novelist, does more than document his travels in an informative manner. He observes human nature and environment and creates a moving manuscript with a powerful impact. Sitting in his Mansfield, Texas office one autumn night in 1959, Mr. Griffin pondered what a man might discover by darkening his skin in a land where blackness is despised. He best describes his decision as the only way I could sec- to bridge the gap between us (the races) was to become a Negro. 1 decided to do this. In Fort Worth he discussed his idea with Negro friends. One of these, George Levitan, owner of the Negro maga- zine Sepia, agreed to publish what then was to be a report rather than an experience. The mustard seed was planted. Griffin wondered if both races lived side by side in har- mony as so many Southern politicians claimed. The time had come. He consulted a prominent dermatologist in New Orleans and began accelerated skin treatments (usual time is three weeks to six months—but only a w-eek could be spared) using medication and ultra-violet rays. Now the transition from white to black society began, and cheap hotels became his abode. From New Orleans he traveled by bus and on foot through Mississippi and Alabama. He changed neither his name nor his identity. As an educated Negro writer he could find only menial labor. Travels with Charlie. Writing about his native country, it is necessary for an American author to get acquainted with his subject. This is true for everyone, no matter who he is. Steinbeck had to get out and smell the grass and the woods, see the hills and the water, hear our nation's sounds, and learn the quality of its light. And so, with this in mind, John Steinbeck and his sophisticated poodle, Charley, set out to re-explore” their native land. Only Mr. Steinbeck and Charley could amble around the countryside—completely ignoring the crowded cities—and come back with penetrating insights into the real America. In the beginning of the book, Steinbeck expresses his belief that New- York, Boston, San Francisco, and all big cities, are no more American than Paris, France. Steinbeck claims that they are simply badger holes, ringed with trash—surrounded by piles of wrecked and rusting auto- mobiles, and almost smothered with rubbish. But there is good to contradict the bad. For every badger hole there exists the expanding land. The American, noble land of Throughout his txx)k the bitter struggle for dignity and survival is conveyed through the people Griffin meets. On a New Orleans street corner he ate coon and rice with a crippled bootblack. In a bus rolling into the Mississippi night he comforts a fellow traveler who despaired of his blackness. He shared two rooms of a backwoods shanty with a struggling couple and their six children. These are people who wait for the day we can have butter with our bread. From this pattern of personal experiences the total picture of the Southern Negro emerges. It is one of wanton pov- erty, courageous striving, and crushing frustration. Mr. Griffin gives us no detailed analysis of the Prob- lem. What he offers is part of himself. Reading this book is witnessing a profound soul-searching. It was this full realization that brought Mr. Griffin to repeat his message in this book and in countless lectures and pleadings across the country. The gist of this message is contained in a statement he made recently: The dangers are equal in areas where some rights are denied as where none arc- granted. Our silence is as dangerous as the racists shouts. Black Like Me. John Howard Griffin, New York: New American Library (A Signet Paperback), 1963. rich fields, magnificent trees, and white picket fences— America's inheritance from God. The pair travel through worlds of people and a galaxy of states — each possessing its own characteristics. Mr. Steinbeck became aware that every state has its own literary form—made evident by highway signs. However. Steinbeck comes to the conclusion that the states agree on one mat- ter: Each one admits that it is the finest of all and an- nounces that fact in huge letters as you cross the state line. As Steinbeck rambles in and out of localities, attending witches' ceremonies, renewing acquaintances, and fighting the elements, he learns, along with his readers, that Amer- ica is a land of both good and bad. This, Steinbeck says, is fine. For: What good is warmth without cold to give it sweetness? Travels with Charlie. John Steinbeck. New York: The Viking Press, Inc., 1962. (Also available in Bantam Paperback.) Fall 1963 19

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Too Good To Keep s tnThc Family You can always tell a first year French student. One of them naively described the Louvre as a colony for French beatniks and artists—like Greenwich Village. Life is full of exciting new experiences for seniors—like running with all your might to catch the bus and then remembering you drove to school—as one of our own sen- iors can assure you. Open answer to inquisitive freshman: The girl you've been asking about who stands at the bottom of the east stairs is not a professional bell-ringer; she too attends classes. For the uninformed: Finks! are OUT. A cultured Loretto girl when angry will call you a phinque. Year in and year out we have complaints. According to one Soph, the only place her uniform fits is around her neck!?! 0 J3 Sophomore intelligentsia are learning lots of interesting things. For instance, when their English teacher announced Washington Irving is frequently considered the father of American literature, a hand shot up, followed by the question, But what about Shakespeare? 1 thought he was the father of something . . . ? He was, came the reply, he was the father of three husky children. A certain lay teacher has been confusing her advanced math class by using complicated mathematical terms like as the crow flies. Maybe she’d better stick to simple things like (a -»o . A certain junior caused quite a stir in speech with her pie crust demonstration. What mad scientist of the senior class is inventing new elements like perolium? H — oH + OjT +-1C. Now if she can only find an atomic number for it, maybe Sister Ann Michela will have it put on the periodic chart. THE TOTEM POLE 1207 Baltimore Qmdand fya ik Cfane is £ QliAt yWdty 7510 WEST 80th STREET OVERLAND PARK, KANSAS Nl 2-3388 LARK'S STANDARD SERVICE 5051 MAIN STREET KANSAS CITY. MISSOURI jlic £Boiuju«t fltavtax and H §1!op 5-V-V8 . i xooa! t Aa 9lto. JGfaiui -V-0051 Q iJufi Shoes for the Family V 1-6714 3937 MAIN STREET KANSAS CITY II. MO Steele Cleaners FINER CLEANING - SHIRT LAUNDRY DE 3-5968 DE3-S968 5935 TROOST AVENUE Majestic The House that Steaks Built 2332 Johnson Drive, Shawnee Minion, Kansai Pat O'leory, A.I.D. American Institute of Interior Designer» SKylino 1-3300 Fall 1963 21