Malden High School - Maldonian Yearbook (Malden, MA)

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Joyce Perkins Delivers Class Oration THE UNEXAMINED LIFE The unexamined life is not worth living.” Writing these words two thousand years ago, Socrates reflected his belief that each man must find his own personality, must make explorations into himself, must become himself. Otherwise, he will find only frustration and unhappiness, a meaningless existence, a day-to-day life with occasiona l high points (a night on the town, a promotion, a European vacation), but without the satisfaction or richness which is necessary for a healthy spirit. The self-knowledge which must be gained is the discovery of one’s identity. Identity itself is the set of moral values and the self-commitment which a man has made for him¬ self. It must be not static, but ever-changing, developing as the man develops, growing to allow for the growth of the man. A person must make decisions concerning his beliefs in a God, his existence, and the purpose of his life. These decisions entail a great deal of responsibility, a burden which causes many to take a simpler road in which society makes all the choices, and society dominates the man rather than man dominating the society. A man must be free from dependence on a state, because an organized state places restrictions on the spirit of a man. In his desire for material success, he finds himself offered conformity, and he accepts it because it is easy. In a short time he may find himself choked by the sameness, but he is not willing to exert the effort needed to break the force, and his personality is smothered. The process by which a personality is stifled is described by Eric Hoffer: He must cease to be George, Ivan, Hans, or Tadao—a human atom with an existence bounded by birth and death. The most drastic way to achieve this end is by the complete assimilation of the individual into a collective body. The fully assimilated individual does not see bimself and others as human beings. When asked who he is, his automatic response is that he is a German, a Russian, a Chinese, a Moslem, a member of a Joyce Perkins—Orator certain tribe or family. He has no purpose, worth or destiny apart from his collective body. It is a frightening idea that man can lose his identity so utterly. The loss of the confidence gained by a knowl¬ edge of one’s identity signals the end of a personality, and consequently the end of a man. It is therefore vital that a person make the effort to become himself and not his neighbor. I should not stress, however, that this exploration is only a chore; it is also a thrilling and satisfying venture. When one thinks of the wonderful experience that self-discovery is, Henry David Thoreau automatically comes to mind. In his retreat to the Concord woods, he found himself. He wanted to avoid leading what he called a life of quiet desperation.” He wrote: I went into the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. At Walden Pond, he came upon that awakening of him¬ self that he felt to be the essence of living. Self-examination is therefore to be eagerly sought after. The only way for a person to become completely content and able to have satisfying relationships with others is to have worked at knowing himself. The joy which comes with self-discovery is described by Emily Dickinson: One is the population Numerous enough This ecstatic nation Seek—it is yourself. JOYCE PERKINS receives the D.A.R. Good Citizenship Award from Headmaster F. Champlin Webster, Jr. 20

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Deliver Messages Emphasizing Education WHO IS THE EDUCATED PERSON? The Greek philosopher Socrates, when questioned about his idea of the educated person, answered in the following manner: Whom do I call educated? First, those who control circumstances instead of being mastered by them, those who meet all occasions manfully and act in accordance with intelligent thinking, those who are honorable in all dealings, who treat good naturedly persons and things that are disagreeable, and furthermore, those who hold their own pleasure under control and are not overcome by misfortune, finally those who are not spoiled by success. An education, then, is not to be acquired easily. However, today there exists a popular misconception that a person who has received a diploma of some sort has automatically received an education. As Socrates intimated, this is far from the truth. The person who seeks an education cannot lean upon the school too heavily. The school is, for one thing, a passive agency which cannot transform human material. It merely provides the student with a set of op¬ portunities, which can form a basis for an education. The student must be the active party in this relationship. It is also true of many schools, that they feel that the most im¬ portant aspect of education is the acquisition of informa¬ tion. It cannot be denied, as Mr. Walter S. Myer, Director of the Civic Education Service, stated, that Facts, the learn¬ ing of the past, are foundations without which no in¬ tellectual edifice can be built. Nevertheless, it is more important to a student’s education that he develop the initiative to learn on his own and to acquire a better un¬ derstanding of certain issues, an understanding which goes beyond books. Furthermore, it is necessary for an educated person to acquire certain habits which cannot be categorized under learning as we know it. A peison cannot call himself edu¬ cated if he does not possess the qualities of honor, up¬ rightness, and dependability. These attributes constitute character. Although character is vital, it cannot be taught in all schools. Therefore, it is the person’s task to acquire it. Character is essential to a true education. Habits other than those contributing directly to character are also important in the educational process. Education never reaches maturity; its life depends upon continuous growth. Thus an education does not end with graduation. A person should never be satisfied with activities that are not educative. He should continue to receive new informa¬ tion and acquire fresh knowledge. Otherwise, he will soon become indistinguishable from the uneducated person. CLASS PRESIDENT JAMES TUXBURY, who, because of an injury, was not able to help distribute diplomas, gives words of encouragement to Salutatorian Gerald Brodsky. Gerald Brodsky—Salutatorian Another distinct sign of an educated person is tolerance. However, it is possible to go through school without de¬ veloping this. A student might accept a new idea or concept only when it agrees with his former beliefs. This is not education; his old prejudices remain, his old limitations are retained. He refuses to free his mind and explore the world of modern thought. This retardation is characterized by anger when an idea which disagrees with his own beliefs is brought before him. A person who attributes undeserved motives to those who hold views against his own demonstrates ignorance and narrowmindedness. An intellectually trained person will not throw away his own ideas when confronted with a new thought, but he will not immediately reject the new idea, either. He will examine it; hoping that it will add to his knowledge and enrich him in other ways. Intellectual progress and educational growth mean change. A stagnant mind is not an educated one, while a growing mind is a changing one. Discarding inadequate beliefs and substituting truth is essential to education. An inclination to examine new facts and ideas truthfully is a sign of an educated person. It is my opinion that acquiring an education is one of the greatest achievements that any man can attain. The task is difficult; the hardships are many, but an education is a priceless reward. As Horace Mann, one of our greatest edu¬ cators, said: If ever there was a cause, if ever there can be a cause, worthy to be upheld by all the human heart can endure, it is the cause of education. 19

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MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL SCHOLARSHIP FUND Cynthia L. Barahona June M. Berardi Janice Burke Harvey S. Caras Ilene L. Fine . Ruth A. Greenstein . Maureen G. Greenwood Gloria C. Hirsh Richard Klayman Mary Ellen Kapralos Charles R. MacKay . Patricia E. Mayhew Steven H. Mesnick Mary E. Phinney Martha A. Raimondi Marsha L. Sazin Joel A. Sonenshein Nancy M. Schneiderman Donna E. Superior James W. Tuxbury Daniel R. Verrengia Christine C. Vito Marcia L. Weiner Susan E. Woods $300 $400 $300 $400 $200 $400 $500 $200 $400 $300 $250 $200 $400 $250 $250 $200 $300 $200 $300 $400 $300 $200 $500 $250 HEADMASTER F. Champlin Webster, Jr., officiating at the graduation exercises, introduces each speaker. MR. LAFIONATIS presents the Yoke certificates. MRS. MARGUERITE HOLLAND speaks to the class. 21