Manchester High School - Somanhis Yearbook (Manchester, CT)

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bo 72) 2 OM AUNGEL TS» EVR NES THE VALUE OF APPRECIATION Have you ever spoken a word of appreciation to a tired person, and seen his face light up with gladness? Have you ever noticed how good you feel and how much brighter the world seems when you have either given or re- ceived a few words of deserved appreciation? There is great value in praise. Like mercy, it is a quality quick and keen to bless both giver and receiver, for the giver of praise is bound to feel a thrill when he sees how the other person responds to his words. Moreover, the power to praise is an indica- tion of true manhood. It is not possible for a criminal to praise—he may ap- plaud, but praise is something that the whole heart participates in, whereas a criminal is like a house divided against itself—his conscience against his purpose. But actually to praise, he must employ his whole being, and there- by he becomes no more a criminal, but a man of virtue. You may differen- tiate between the big man and the little man by their capacities for praise. The little man is the man who is not sure of himself, who is so little convinced of his own greatness that he is afraid to recognize that attribute in others for fear that they will out-shine him; the big man is not afraid to praise unhesitat- ingly and with his whole heart. Once a young man named Keats wrote a long poem which has since be- come famous. Unfortunately, he wrote it in an age of censors. He was told to go back to the shop and stay there. There has been much discussion since as to whether or not this criticism really harmed the poetry of Keats. But it must ever remain a matter of speculation as to what would have happened had he met with praise from other writers. It takes a man who can praise to blame. There is a deep principle in this, a principle of life. It is possible to save a soul by praise when no other method could avail. There is a belief, which is really the truth, that if you see a friend pale and ill, you may send him to the grave by advising him of the fact, whereas you may save him by proclaiming his robust appearance. Another and a very important phase of appreciation regards the praise bestowed upon children. A few words heard in childhood may remain in the mind forever. How necessary it is then for these words to be words of praise rather than of punishment. The most prevalent idea of training children is the idea of prohibition and punishment. You say to a child, “You are not to do that.” If he does, you punish him. If he doesn’t, you don’t notice it. The great mistake made is the heavy stress laid upon negative virtues, and the fact that punishment follows when one does not do a re- quired thing, but no reward is offered and no words of praise bestowed for refraining from doing it. A child may spend hours preparing some sur- prise for you; he may deck your room with flowers, or tie scarfs to the ban- ister to represent flags to greet you. “Very pretty, dear,” you say, and the child notices that you scarcely look, “and now clear it all away nicely, won't you?” The child clears it away, but loses confidence in your sense of jus- tice. In the world of men, the rewards for active virtue are money and praise. But there are deeds for which money cannot pay; these are rewarded by medals or paragraphs in the newspaper—not at all the same thing as being rewarded by the spontaneous praise of your fellow men. After all, apprecia- tion is what men work for, not gold. In Illinois, in 1906, a man named Backus formed a society to reward the courteous, pleasant public servant. When a member of the society came in contact with a person who impressed him as being courteous, pleasant, yet business-like. that person’s name was given to his employer as deserving of promotion. In this way Mr. Backus made courtesy pay. The creed of this society reads: “If your friend is a help, a joy, an inspiration to you. tell him so. There are so many discouraged hearts everywhere, just hungry for ap- preciation.”

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SOMANHIS EVENTS 27 by anything which nature may throw in their path, but many past the prime of life. Have they come to seek “nature’s unpolluted pool’, in order to wash away the discouragements of everyday life? To these older people life has meant a long, hard struggle, as can be discerned from the worn expressions on their faces, and from their eyes that have become slightly dimmed by look- ing down at their tasks instead of up at some cheerful vision of hope. Their tongues have gone through the ordeal of learning a new language, their minds, of trying to fit themselves to new social and political conditions, and even their hearts, of learning to love a new country. In spite of the many years thus spent, their work is only half completed, and some invisible cord ties them to their fatherland across the sea. At the first note of a well remembered folk-song their eyes begin to shine, their heads to nod, and their feet to tap with the music of a recollected folk-dance melody ; they are carried back to the days of their childhood when their mothers sang to them, or when, perhaps, they were dancing on the green with dark-eyed Tina or blue-eyed Alice. Perhaps it is the same Tina or Alice who is now seated beside them, and by close observance one can see that her eyes are often dimmed with tears, not with the sadness of re- gretting, but with the joy of remembering. These were, most likely, the came tunes that cheered them at the altar. comforted them in time of need, lightened their burdens, gave them courage at sea, and encouraved them to enter the battle-field with a shout for king and country. These songs have been their companions all through life, and now have helped to link the pres- ent with the memories of the past. In these melodies are “visualized all in- timate aspects of their own past and their souls are granted one of life’s re- cesses in which precious memories are gathered up in a golden cup and offer- ed to lips, longing it may be, for jvst one refreshing draught.” Such an audience is musically unspoiled. It does not like a song be- cause its neighbor does, nor does it owe its musical tastes to education ob- tained from the daily newspapers; while one group may favor the melodies of its own native land it maintains an attitude of neutrality toward the pro- gram as a whole. ; The war awakened a keen inte-est in the life and thoughts of alien peo- ple, and the study of folk-lore has helped to open up new paths for under- standing the immense groups of foreigners forming the population of our crowded cities. It seems curious that just at this time when a civilization, a century old, seems to be tottering on the brink of an abyss, caused by com- mercial jealousies, imperialistic greed, and racial hatred, when music, art, and literature without the least resistance are hecoming expressions of a world governed by materialism and machinery, there should be a revival of folk: songs. This may be the reaction of the world grown timorous by the dis- appearance of some of its accustomed things. and now reaching for some- thing fundamental in which it can obtain a firm grip, and which in some measure it finds in the “supremacy of the imagination.” There is at any rate something significant in the revival of the folk-song, for while some. persons may think that such a movement is emphasizing the spirit of nationalism for the elimination of which much money and effort is expended here in our country, there is another side te the question which shows that by means of the folk-song there is a possibility of creating a “binder of songs” between foreign groups in search of a better understanding of the national character- istics and racial psvchology. Nevertheless this is certain, that however the nations of the world may differ in character. speech. manners, and customs, the folk poetry and folk songs of all countries are based upon lasting human traits. It is in the folk song that we hear the harmony of the folk soul, and the finely attuned ear may catch the faint overtones as they come forth from the depths, coloring and enriching the mother tongue but leaving no doubt as to its basic origin. Henrietta Kanehl ’23

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SOMEAN ELS EAVEN IES 29 The reason we find so many discourteous people in the world is that their efforts are not appreciated. They begin their work with high ideals; they intend to do all they can to please the public. For the first few weeks they are all that could be desired. But sooner or later they realize that only a very small fraction of the public appreciates their work. Then it becomes just a means of earning a livelihood, and finaliy they arrive at the stage where every man is an enemy, and the strongest man wins. Of course when one of these people dies, his friends and acquaintances shout his praises. How much brighter his life might have been if these praises had been given at a time when he could hear and enjoy them. Years ago, to praise a man to his face was almost a sin. The old adage, “Praise to the face is open disgrace,” has not been entirely blotted out with the passing years. People said that praise made a person egotistic—as though it were not good to be thus. Where will you find a virtue that is not egotistic, that is not the assertion of an abundant personality? Men would be frigid, mechanical things without a certain amount of egoism. The following poem, written by someone who understood the value of appreciation in the world, will, I believe, drive this point home: “Tf with pleasure you are viewing any work a man is doing, If you like him or you love him, tell him now. Don’t withhold the approbation till the parson makes oration, And he lies with snowy lilies o’er his brow; For no matter how you shout it, he won't really care about it. He won’t know how many teardrops you have shed, If you think some praise is due him, now’s the time to slip it to him, For he cannot read his tombstone when he’s dead. More than fame and more than money, is the comment kind and sunny, And the hearty, warm, approval of a friend. For it gives to life a savor, it makes you stronger, braver, And it gives you heart and courage to the end. If he earns your praise, bestow it, If you like him, let him know it, let the words of true encourazement be said, Do not wait till life is over, and he’s underneath the clover, For he cannot read his tombstone when he’s dead.” Ethel Robb ’23 THE MEANING OF “A GOOD SPORT” There is probably not a more common expression in the English lan- guage with more different shades of meaning than the term “Good Sport.” The most commen meaning is probably the one applied to the person who frequents a country club, or indulges in some sort of athletic games for which thousands of dollars are expended yearly in the United States. This sort of “Sport” however, is not the type about whom I am going to speak. The “Good Sport” to whom I refer is one who plays the game of life under strict compliance with the laws of sport. These laws are applicable not only to athletic sports but also to life, for there is little, if any difference between the two. In both there are opposing and aiding forces; the men in life like the men in the game, have their respective positions, and in both there must be a goal.