Mabel Dean Bacon Vocational High School - Torch Yearbook (New York, NY)

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7 0I'l'l0l'l'0lfU If 20,94 By HELEN MASSENBACHER. june '49 VVhat can you expect from this younger generation? is what some people are saying. It is up to us to prove that we can raise our children so that this question will not apply to them. Some ways in which we can improve ourselves are: to become more intelligent, to eliminate prejudice within ourselves, and to practice democracy in our daily lives. As always, prejudice is still a major problem, and a threat to world security. We must help to reduce this problem. If each individual did his part in respecting people of other races and religions, it would help. Another means of helping is to raise our children without any trace of prejudice and to encourage them to play with children of other races and religions. It is very foolish to judge a race or religion by one had person. Getting to lcnow more people may help you overcome prejudice, as prejudice always springs from ignorance. Right now there are not too many countries in the world that are fortunate enough to enjoy a democracy like ours. We must appreciate this fact and try to help our country by malcing our democracy worlc. We should not talce advantage ol all the freedom that we have loy abusing it. We hope that our country will lceep up and improve its practices, and that other countries will establish democracies too. We hope that this will he accomplished for the good of 'future generations. We cannot overcome prejudice or talce a useful part in our government unless we are intelligent people. Every parent must act intelligently to raise the children of our next generation. It is our responsibility to educate our children properly, so that they in turn can become intelligent people and responsible citizens. It is everyone's duty to he a good citizen. We must he ahle to accept new ideas and methods. ln order to prevent a future war and malce this world a hetter place to live in, we must all strive to improve ourselves and feel directly responsible for events of future years. The present and future are ours. V609

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0 0 , .1411 ,xgmerccan Qrfzi Imam By MARION MARRONE, June '49 The American girl l am referring to was loorn of immigrant parents. She is the girl who not only has the problem of speaking a foreign language at home and trying to improve her own spoken English, hut also has to present her own ideas of life to her parents who cannot understand her language or her thoughts and dreams. She would like to he ahle to have her parents meet her friends, especially hoys, without her motherys saying, Hes a hoy. You shouldn't speak to him. She would like to have a gathering of friends in her home, to hold a ujam session or a party, without having her mother worry, There will he so many boys in the house. Vvhat will the neighbors say? These are just two of the problems an attractive and lively girl has to face if her parents are from the small towns of Europe, where, having led sheltered lives them- selves, they cannot allow themselves to give their daughters the freedom which other American girls seem to enjoy. What can an American girl of foreign parentage do to win her parents over to the American view of wholesome hoy-and-girl friendships? In the first place she should convince her mother of the desirability of her hoy friends: that is, she should make it clear to her parents that these boys are the type she would he proud to have as her own sons. If permission is granted once for a party to he held in the home, all the guests should act like well-mannerecl young ladies and gentlemen. The good behavior of the young people will convince the parents that the hoys and girls with whom her daughter wishes to associate are trustworthy and likable, They will certainly then he disposed to grant permission for future gatherings in the home. VGQEW 40

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'Ma ifom rom uroloe During the Christmas vacation thirty-tour students trom the Ntarshatt Ptan coun- tries arrivert to attend the Ht-teratct Trihunen Youth Forum on txtarch Hfttr. They tract tween chosen winners in essay contests sponsored hy the New Yortc newspaper. and given tree transportation hy severat airtines. The hoys and girts spent their tirst tour weetcs in New' Yorti. then traveted att over the country. returning here tor the forum at the XVatdortfAstoria, hetore teaving tor home Ftarch ninth. During the whote ot their stay in this country, the students tived in the homes ot high schoot hoys and girts or teachers. Two ot them stayect with our twtrs. Hintze and Ntiss Clhayon. .tate Erguntian. trom Antcara, Turtcey. tived with txtrs. Hintze. and fiahrietta Gisci. trom Rome. ttaty. with tvtiss Cjhayon. They spent severat days at schoot with us. attending ctasses. and speatcing at our assemhties. The ctass ot .tanuary l949 invited tmoth girts to their prom, at the Vvatctort. Jate was escorted hy .tohn Vvittiams. the Engtish student visitor and his host, tVtites Ktein, and Gahrietta hy Uonatd Anderson, a trienct ot Ntiss Qrhayons This picture shows what a tine time everyone had. Thatts txtiss Ghayon on the tett, Gahrietta next. txtiss Cytxeete. our C.0. adviser. in charge ot tht- whote visit. twtrs. Hintze, and Jate. The hoy on the tett is Donatd: the other two are John and Ntites. Then tooth girts tett us to travet across the country hy ptane. They visited a dozen centers ot interest in att parts ot the United States. The uHeratct Tribune kept us informed ot their itinerary. Atter meeting the President, they returned to New Yortc. and Jate spent her tast two days with tvtrs. Hintze and us. XVe shopped on Fitth Avenue, saw a movie ot the students, tour, visited the Stoctc Exchange, and had tunch and ice cream sodas at Schratftts, .tate,s second and tastt Both girts witt graduate from high schoot this June. state hopes to hecome a doctor. and Gahrietta a hootctceeper or accountant. tt was a hroadening experience tor us to hecome acquainted with these tine girts trom other countries. Vve hope they have come to tcnow us Americans, too, so that the purpose ot greater under- standing among ordinary peopte ot many tands Witt have been accomptished. God- speed and good tortune to our new triendst 12