Lyman Hall High school - Singer Chronicle Yearbook (Wallingford, CT)

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VIII. THE CHRONICLE. midst of fairly intelligent and genuinely patriotic young Americans. They will salute the flag for you with enthusiasm. They will sing ‘Columbia’ and ‘The Star Spangled Banner’ with more vigor than harmony. They will declaim Webster’s apostrophe to the Union, or cry with Patrick Henry, ‘Give me liberty or give me death.’ ” Thus, through the American public school system, the youthful foreigners are educated and started on the right road to good citizenship. It is common knowledge that intellectual development is necessary for good government. Since all citizens will sooner or later become interested in civic affairs, it is a matter of common welfare to have intelligent men administer government. We can easily feel then, that American educational ideals merge with our ideals of democratic government. Are we sending our young men across the seas only for the purpose of upholding the power of our states? No! They are fighting for the defense and extension of justice; for the recognition of the rights and liberties of small nations; for the recognition of the principle that government derives its just power from the consent of the governed; for the reparation of wrongs done and the erection of adequate safeguards to prevent their being committed again. Who will avenge the Lusitania? Who will vindicate the wrongs of Belgium? Who will face the Huns? Who will dare death to help the wounded? Our young men, the jewels of our nation, are to be sacrificed and given up for the preservation of our political, military and educational ideals, for, our war aims are after all but a union of all the others. They are the citadel of our liberty, of our democracy and the source from which that mighty, everlasting flow of American patriotism comes. In the words of Lincoln: “With malice towards none; with charity for all; with firmness for the right, as God gives us to see right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation’s wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan— to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves, and with all nations.” LONG LIVE AMERICAN IDEALS! May they ever be the supreme aim, the hope and inspiration of all freedom-loving people. Ruth Heilmann ’18 JOAN OF ARC (Valedictory Essay) When in 1914 the Cathedral at Rheims, that wonderful structure which it took hundreds of years to complete, was ruined by the German guns, the minds of the people turned back to the year 1429 when King Charles VII. was crowned in that stately church. The sight of those shattered arches and those gargoyles, in fragments, strengthened in their hearts the love for Joan of Arc, the maiden who long ago had saved France and who had brought her king triumphantly to his coronation. That had been the proudest day that the old cathedral had ever witnessed. Now four hundred years later, amidst the blackened ruins, the French people might well feel discouragement. Yet when the news of the destruction of the cathedral came to the dying soldiers on the battle line, they cried out, “Jeanne D’Arc! Jeanne D’Arc!” “I see her horse!” “Her silver armour flashes!” A soldier who was on the point of death raised himself painfully and said, “Mes camerades, elle est venue!” (My comrades, she has come!)

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THE CHRONICLE. VII. omit to mention their origin. The basis for the social cohesion of the American people is laid in the following passage taken from the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these rights are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” These are the ideals of our forefathers; their sacred and priceless gift to posterity ; the mold from which our own United States was cast. The enumeration of our social ideals can be found in the first amendment of the Constitution, which states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people to peaceably assemble; and to petition the government for redress of grievances.” Almost directly, therefore, our social impulses receive their color and their initiative from our religious ideals. In America, freedom of worship, freedom of speech and freedom of the press tend to broaden and purify these ideals so as to include, according to Jefferson, “honesty, truth, temperance, gratitude, and love of man.” These religious ideals, acting upon our social intercourse, cause it to assume a friendly and brotherly aspect. One can easily see that no special God has been invoked by the framers of our Declaration of Independence, of our Constitution, and of our Courts. Unlike Germany, we lay no claim to a tribal God, but believe in God, the Father of all mankind. In taking up political ideals we will consider first, American international relations; second, American government and education; and lastly, but by no means the least important, the American war aims. Our international ideals are embodied in the Monroe Doctrine, in the doctrine of freedom of the seas, and in the doctrine of arbitration. In the Monroe Doctrine, the United States pledges to defend the western hemisphere from invasion and settlement by any European power. This principle was established not only for our own defense but that of our southern neighbors, the South American republics. The doctrine of freedom of the seas is one of the most cherished ideals ,of the American people. President Wilson states in an address to the Senate: “The paths of the sea must alike in law and, in fact, be free. The free, constant, unthreatened intercourse of the nations is an essential part of the process of peace and development.” A true, much desired ideal of the United States has been that of a World Court, where arbitration between nations can take place quietly, diplomatically and openly. The name, “Melting Pot,” has been given to the United States because of its governmental and educational ideals. The oppressed people of other nations come to the United States and are merged into one nation. The torch which brings about the refining process in the American “Melting Pot” is American education. Aliens, peasants, and all immigrants coming to our shores are refined, as metal is with heat, through American education. Henry Van Dyke gives us a very vivid and comprehensive idea of this principle. He writes: “I can take you into quarters of New York where you might think yourself in a Russian Ghetto, or into regions of Pennsylvania which would seem to you like Hungarian mining towns. But if you will come with me into the public schools, where the children of these people of the Old World are gathered for education, you will find yourself in the

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THE CHRONICLE. IX. Thus we see that as before when times seemed darkest, it was Joan of Arc who filled even the dying men with hopes of victory. It is significant and even symbolic that in spite of all the bombardment and devastation, the statue of Joan of Arc is still standing in the square of Rheims Cathedral, uninjured except that the very tip of her sword is blunted by a shell. This seems peculiar since she once said that she did not need a sharpened sword, for after all she was only a woman. Only a woman! Yet no one ever performed a greater service for his country. And the miracle is, that she performed this public service at a time when no woman not of royal birth was permitted even to think of matters outside of her own household duties. To-day the value of woman’s work and intellect is fully recognized. But for them, there would be no Red Cross to lessen the horrors of war. In the business and industrial world women are taking the places of the men who are fighting for their country. Practically no line of activity is closed to them at this time. The influence of women in public life at the present moment is in perfect contrast with the power of woman in the fifteenth century. In one respect the conditions of that time, however, were similar to those of to-day. There was war, war, war! The English were fighting to conquer the French. France under weak leadership was herself continually engaged in civil war. Such was the situation when Joan of Arc was born in 1412. She was only a peasant maid, who excelled all women in Domremy in the art of spinning, and in love of her country. When she saw her countrymen march past her home, prisoners to the invaders, she wept for them. She grieved because nothing could be done to relieve them. Little did she dream that she would some day be their redeemer. The early life of Joan of Arc was a simple and happy one. She did not live in luxury and ease. When she arose early in the morning, it was customary for her to run to the church to pray. Then she assisted her mother in the general tasks about the home. Sometimes she tended the flock but she rejoiced in any duty that was given her. She was always a favorite among the children, yet she was different from the rest. At times -lie would break away and go to the garden to pray. It was a very quiet and secluded spot. It was here that the vision, an armoured knight, first appeared to her, and she was advised by her “voices” as she called them. These came from heaven and told her that she must go to the succor of the king of France and restore his kingdom to him. This seemed an impossibility for a peasant maiden who had never appeared in court. Yet she was urged onward by her heavenly vision. Although her parents opposed and the villagers criticized, she set forth. The king at first refused to receive her but she was finally admitted to his presence. After a long and discouraging delay, he was influenced by her strong faith and gave her a squadron of men. Behold! There she was clad in her white armour, carrying her sword, in her right hand her banner. No longer is there the peasant maiden who used to go to the garden to pray. She with the long, loose peasant’s gown, her hair fastened in a knot, strong brown arms, and bare feet. Nevertheless, it was this same maiden of only seventeen years, who in spite of all obstacles, led the army, went to Orleans, and defeated the English. Shortly afterward she conducted the king to Rheims to be crowned. Hundreds of men voluntarily offered their services to accompany Jeanne D’Arc. The march was one to be remembered. Everywhere they were heralded with delight. Charles VII. was anointed. This had been her mission, now it was fulfilled and Jeanne D’Arc went for joy. Thousands of people came to see