Major Edwards High School - Mesa Yearbook (West Boylston, MA)

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ative work can he do here? This man here planned to bo an engineer. Now,, he engineers a shovel l Another looking off into space is a musician. How can he express the melodies in his soul pushing a shovel? No wonder they wear downcast and pessimistic looks on their faces; they can ' t do the big things they want to do. Individualism is gone: -their talents arc wasted. Could not a Dante remedy this? By this time I have almost completely lost hope for these mortals. Can they do nothing but fight and lean on shovels? But wait — maybe there is hope! Perhaps the answer lies behind the brick walls of the thousands upon thousands of brick buildings scattered throughout ' the length and breadth of this land. These are the schools, recipients of munificent gifts from the wealthy and receivers of liberal allowances from community budgets. Here I see every boy and girl in this vast country being given the opportunity to ac- quire an education — an education open only to the favored few when I was last on earth. At this time of year I sec thousands of these young people standing upon platforms as they complete their courses of study. Their formal education is over but their real education the education of life is just ' beginning. They are q serious lot, these graduates of 1938. Tho world they are about to enter is sick and weary, disconsolate and discouraged. Perhaps somewhere, some one of these graduates is going to provide the answer to these perplexing problems. Perhaps some one, reinforced by this great educational system and backed by the intelligent public opinion of the gradu- ates, will lead these nations to a new day--a day dedicated to the ideals set forth by the Dante of tho past.

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EULOGY Francis A. Kirby One of the greatest characters in western history and yet a man little known here in the east was Father Junipero Serra, a Spanish priest who started the spread of Christi- anity on the western coast at California. Father Junipero was a native of the village of Petra, Isle of Majorca, Spain, and was fifty-six years of age when he first set foot on the golden shores of California where he founded the Franciscan Missions, some of which are still standing. He died at his own Mission of San Carlos of Carmel at Monterey, in the year 1784. He was not only a great priest, but also a great administrator, with a pro- found genius for organization, a poet, an orator, a musician, a scholar, and master of the arts and graces. His labors in California during the sixteen years of his ministry were her- culean and were marked by extreme self-sacrifice and a Christ-like love. Though he never sought worldly honors, his name is now, over a century and a half after his death the one great, immortal name in the history of California and one of the immortal names in the history of the human race. There were many great and beautiful incidents in the life of this disciple of Christ and one of the most touching was that which occurred several months after the arrival in California of the Spanish party of which Father Junipero was a member. Not one conversion had been made and Don Gaspar with his band of soldiers, some of whom were in a terrible condition with hunger and wounds from poisoned arrows, had returned from a trip to the north in search of Monterey, and had reported that their search had failed. He immediately ordered the entire company to board ship to re- turn to Mexico, All the survivors sent up shouts of joy and then--a firm voice was heard at the side of the Spanish cap- tain. It was that of Father Serra-- Serra Gaspar, my son, you do not know what it is you do. Gaspar What do you mean. Father? Serra How can you abandon this land v ith so many, many souls here that are crying for help and do not yet know where to find it. We are needed here. If you go, I must nevertheless remain, Gaspar No, Father, you are going with uaj Why do you not give up the idea that you can ever help these un- couth savages? Have v e not seen since my return