Mechanic Falls High School - Pilot Yearbook (Mechanic Falls, ME)

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M. F. H. S. PILOT 3 A--vw A . 'ii Q l as I '-ff: -Q awake . , 60,5-2? - X X sa.-fag aigsp .1 .- -1 t .5551 'Ft' ?'f4i'?' ,orytinti -Q, l- ir3!1' THE VALUE OF PATRIOTISM In America all men are civilly and politi- cally equal, all have the same rights, all wield the same arm of defense and of conquest. The divine gift of liberty is God's recogni- tion of man's greatness and manis dignity. In liberty lies the sweetness of life and the power of growth. The loss of liberty is the loss of light and sunshine. Under the spell of great memories, humanity never has ceased to dream of liberty. Now and then, here and there, liberty had for a moment caressed humanity's brow. But not until the Star-Spangled Banner rose toward the skies, was liberty caught up in humanity's embrace in a great and abiding nation. In America the government takes from the liberty of the citizen only so much as is nec- essary for the welfare of the nation. In America there are no masters who govern in their own right, for their own interest, or at their own will. Ours is the government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Our Government is our own organized will. In America, rights begin with, and go up- ward from, the people. In other countries, even in those which are apparently the most free, rights begin with, and come downward from, the government. In America the liberty of the individual citizen remains intact at all times. Else- where there are governments called republics where, once established, the government at will invades private rights. One republic only is 1iberty's native home-America. GLENN FIFIELD '44. BENEFITS OF EDUCATION Unfortunately, few of us realize to what an extent education rules each individual throughout his entire life. Perhaps you think education is a waste of time. In a few cases we have to admit that education has done more harm than good. An example of this is the staggering number of crimes com- mitted in the United States every day. It is true that there is more organized crime in the United States. today than in any other country of the world. Many of our crimi- nals use their education to work out compli- cated methods by which they may outwit the police. However, we are able to educate our police much more thoroughly on this sub- ject, thereby keeping the police one jump ahead of the criminal underworld. Educa- tion affects the country as a whole, not merely the individual. You may believe that, if no one had a very high education, we would all be just as well off because we would all be on the same level of mental achievement. This would not be true, though. The nation at large would sufferg we would make no progress in any of the sciences and arts, as no one would be inter- ested in' bettering our civilization. Our standard of living would descend to that of any tribe of aborigines. At present the high standard of living in the United States ex- ceeds that of any other country. This fact is due to the extensive education which the youth of America fall heir to. We take our schools and everyday training so much for granted that we don't get the importance of its purpose. In many countries the cost of procuring an education is so great that only those lucky enough to be born into rich fam- ilies may benefit from this vital factor in present-day life. Today the trend is toward college work rather than being satisfied with a high school education. The high schools

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FACULTY Froilt row, left to right: Miss Culbert, Mr. NVillett, Mr. Diehl, Mr. Edwards, Miss Higgins Back row: Miss Nelson, Mrs. Mains, Mrs. Adams DEDICATION We, the members of the class of forty-two, sincerely dedicate this issue of THE PILOT to the entire faculty in appreciation of their zmtiring egorts to make our school more pleasant in every way.

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4 M. F. H. S. PILOT train us in the fundamentals of every-day life, but colleges go into things more deeply and give us specialized training in various fields of interest. Many people think that college is impossible for those who have no money. This is not true. In-so-much as education betters a country in general, natu- rally everyone will try to help you get through college. Every college has some plan by which ambitious students may earn part or all of their room and board. Many scholarships are given each semester to those who can prove that they are worthy of such aid. Every person who is well-educated will advise you to go through college at any cost. More and more employers are hiring only college graduates today, so it is of decided value to you to go to college. If you want to go through college you can do it. Don't be afraid to try it. CARLETON C. QUINN '42. YOUR PART IN THE WAR All of us know that our country has been drawn into a second World War, yet few of- us realize how grave our situation really is. When we entered World War I there was little chance of being on the losing end, but today the case is extremely different. We can lose this war and with it our rights as citizens of a democratic nation. On the other hand we can, and must, win it. We all want to be victorious but many haven't as yet made themselves believe that they must do their part. During the last few months Civilian De- fense classes in first aid, nutrition, and home nursing have been formed in practically all our towns and cities regardless of size. Motor and canteen corps have been established and the defense leaders in every community have appointed several air raid wardens who are now being trained to recognize enemy air- craft, extinguish incendiary bombs, and per- form many other tasks which will be neces- sary in case our country is invaded. At the time of the last war, Liberty Bonds were sold to finance our loans to our allies as well as to equip and transport our own troops. Today our government has issued Defense Bonds and Savings Stamps which have been placed on sale at all the post oflices throughout the nation. In the thousands of cities and towns in our country, plans are underway for complete blackouts and possibly the evacuation of all women and children in case of air raids. In fact many of these communities have already had test raids. Perhaps you will think this foolish but it is generally agreed that it is an important factor in the protection of this country from an invader. Thousands of our physically fit men be- tween the ages of 21 and 28 are already serv- ing in our armed forces and every man be- tween the ages of 20 and 45 inclusive has registered. A great number of these will be conscripted within the next few months. Many of our soldiers have been transported to foreign battle fields and are faithfully do- ing their part to sink the Axis. u ARE YOU? IOHN TRINWARD '43. Xb ZR! X,-.3 f Q91 tn! 5, gr, XJ