Manchester High School - Somanhis Yearbook (Manchester, CT)

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30 SOMANHIS EVENTS pleased? Yet he smiles, and as he smiles all around catch the gleam, and their hearts are lightened. Life is too long to comment upon all ages. It is worth while, however, to see and to think about an old person. Young people are attracted to a little old lady, who always smiles and bows as they pass by, and boys love to follow a sprightly old man as he keeps busy with his steadily decreasing activities. There is something so fascinating in an old person’s smile— these old people who seem to be always smiling. So many pictures have been painted, especially during the war, of the mothers, grown old and grey with worry, welcoming home their soldier boys with just smiles to ex- press their joy, and the mere picture makes us smile in appreciation of their joy. Then there are people, old people particularly, who never seem to see anything which is amusing. Minot Judson Savage has said, “When one never sees anything to smile at; it is because there is a serious defect of mental vision.” Persons of this type are disgusted with the younger genera- tion, looking for and finding, to their horror, all the immorality and frivol- ity there is, and then sighing to themselves, “what is this world coming to?” Such people are not desirable companions. Shakespeare has said that the Heavens smile, and in our imagination they do. It is merely our happy frame of mind, but we love to think, es- pecially as we read some love scene, of the Heavens smiling down upon the happy lovers. Smiles are not simply beautiful; they have a meaning. Smiles mean everything in business. Just one incident shows this. “A man received a wire one day, while on a business trip, that his business had been wiped out by fire. The depression which followed this news threatened for a time his mental balance and he even gave serious thought to taking his own life. While in this dangerous mood he received a letter from his daughter, a girl of mine, which read: ‘Dear Daddy—I went down to see your store that was burned and it looked awfully pretty all covered with ice. Love and kisses from Betty.’ The man laughed and the day was saved. That glint of humor was like a ray of sunshine in a dark cell. The spirit of the man was released from the prison of his gloom,” In play, as in work, a smile is not worthless. Who is generally the leader when children play “Soldier”? It is not the boy who shows that attitude, “If [ can’t be captain, | won't play”; no, it is rather the sunny dis- positioned boy whom all his playmates like who is always captain. That same boy will go right on through High School and College and still be the leader because he is the most popular, and popularity is governed by dis- position, When grown to manhood he will become prominent in society. His disposition will not change; he will be a financier, a captain of in- dustry, or, perchance, a president of his country. Handicapped and unfortunate indeed is the man whom nature has not endowed with this sunny disposition. Some may ask, “How can you smile when you are unhappy?” That is exactly when it counts, for: “Tt is easy enough to be pleasant When life flows along like a song; But the man worth while is the one who will smile When everything goes wrong.” Why not smile with the rest of the world? A smile represents pleas- ure which we love. It is caused by humor and the humorist, but largely by human nature. There are smiles both real and unreal. Nevertheless we

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SOMANHIS EVENTS 29 thoughts, kind words make your heart swell ten-fold in appreciation. A companion, an acquaintance, or an adviser, who can offer you these, will do you more good than you can ever fully realize. Besides this sort of pleasure, there is humor, one of the strong points of an American, for, while other lands abound in songs and sermons, America has sent her laughter over the world to keep it alive better than anything else could. Comedians are humorous, and, since Americans love fun, com- edians are very popular. The American love of fun and appreciation of wit surpass all others. Perhaps we only imagine this, because occasions which are very humorous in Scotland or England do not in the least appeal to us, but no nation puts the same stress on humor that America does. America has furnished many humorists to the world. The two princes of American wit and humor were Mark Twain and Artemus Ward. First, let us consider Mark Twain who was more than a humorist. He wrote, even with the humor left out, some of the best books ever written. Others have written books for boys but they do not compete with Mark Twain's “Tom Sawyer”. The great English critic, Mr. Andrew Lang, has said, “While we are awaiting for somebody to write the great American novel, Mark Twain has already written it and its name is ‘Huckleberry Finn.’ ” Artemus Ward is not less appreciated than Mark Twain. Lincoln on the day that he read to his cabinet the emancipation proclamation opened that important meeting by reading from Artemus Ward. When rebuked by one of his serious minded cabinet officers for having called them into an important session to hear such nonsense, Lincoln replied: “Why don’t you laugh, gentlemen? If I couldn't laugh, I would die.” Pleasure and humor are great assets to smiles but the truly greatest cause is human nature in its various forms at home, in school, or at busi- ness. The every day occurrences which come, unbidden, into the home, es- pecially into the home where there are children and pets, are most inter- esting. It would be a long list if we attempted to set down the sudden and strange questions or the cute remarks that the youngsters pass. Although they do not quite understand what their Mother and Dad are saying, yet they quickly form some vivid idea in their minds, and you smile to see with what attentiveness they listen, and sometime after you may overhear them discussing with their friends and even arguing about some question far above their power of understanding. In school, what we do unexpectedly, the mistakes we make and just the bumping together of different types of character, rather than the plan- ned and expected occurrences are what make us smile, and are what re- lieve the monotony or drudgery of school life. In business, as well, it is human nature that makes work bearable and enjoyable. It is the unaffected, unproduced form of pleasure and there- fore of smiles. Webster has defined a smile, many have stated its causes, and now the question is, who smiles? This is easy: the world smiles. ‘The world, ah, that is so vast for though we say literally that the world smiles yet this is just a beautiful saying that we love to think about. It is, in reality, the people of the world who smile. All people, from a baby to an old man who lies on his death bed and smiles up at his dear children as they stroke his forehead or kiss his cheek. A baby’s smile is one of the most beautiful things in life. How eagerly the fond parents, in their enthusiasm, stand guard over that little soft ball of life, only one month old, and watch for that first smile, just to boast about it afterwards. Then how they continue to watch for, and to coax those innocent baby smiles. Can we say that these smiles are caused by pleasure? Has such a tiny baby understanding enough to know when he is

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SOMANHIS EVENTS 31 all smile; even the Heavens are not omitted. The smile has not proved it- self worthless; on the contrary it is of great value in work and in play. Last of all, “Since it is true that ‘one touch of humor makes the whole world grin,” what difference does it make what that humor is; what dif- ference why or wherefore we laugh, since somehow or other, in a sorry world we do laugh. Helen Keith '22 GREAT POSSESSIONS OF NATURE We are now living in an age when in all the haste and hurry there seems to be no time to pause and look about us, to see and understand the beauties that nature holds out to our unseeing eyes. He is indeed a for- tunate man who is a born naturalist. and ever finds his pleasures near at hand in the great book of nature. We sometimes feel inclined to seek new and far-off lands, to find what beauties nature has wrought there. But what could be more beau- tiful than to step out into the open country on a golden, spring morning? All we have to do is to raise our heads, inhale the cool, clean air, and follow where fancy leads us. We walk down the lane to the place where the wood and marsh be- gin. All nature seems astir, and as we near the woods we discover that the delicate buds are, indeed, visibly swelling. Not only the buds on the trees, but also those creeping close to Mother Earth, feel the magic spell of spring. The blushing arbutus is shyly lifting its head, and the bloodroot and columbine near the babbling brook are opening. We detect a faint, sweet fragrance, and, following the scent, we catch a glimpse of what appears to be the abode of the gnomes,—a bower of pink and white blossoms, perfumed with a smothering sweetness. Nature is indeed a rare out-door volume, marvelously illustrated, and full of beautiful poetry, that few have ever read profoundly. But we must not keep our eyes on the ground to see and hear all that is given us, lest we miss nature’s little birds. Whose heart does not rejoice when the first, winsome bluebird makes his appearance? With his azure wing, gentle manners, and soft voice, he is the spirit of Spring, incarnated in a bird. It is not for long that the bluebird reigns supreme, however, for robins and swallows soon come, and bring with them warmer days and the more ma- jestic summer. Now as we stroll through the fields, finding gay flowers and birds’ nests, we think not only of the perfect workmanship of them, but of the truth of the words “that a life unenjoyed now is unenjoyed; a life not lived wisely now is not lived wisely: for the past is gone and no one knows the future.” Gaining the summit of a hill we find another treasure house in the view that is spread before us. In the distance the everchanging hills are drowsing in the hot sunshine, and nearer, the meadows are brimming over with swaying timothy. Here boisterous winds playing upon the Aeolian harp of pine needles above us would fain sing us to sleep, and let summer wane and fall be upon us if we linger, but instead we hasten back to see what changes have come upon our lane. As we wander down it this time, we notice that the leaves are tar- nished and the birds’ songs have ceased. Signs of approaching autumn are