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

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M. F. H. Contentment, like ambition and most other human qualities, may be either a virtue or a vice. To be discontented and do nothing about it, except to make everyone wretched is like having a bee in one's bonnet because he enjoys the buzzing. It has, however, been chiefly responsible for our comfort, pros' perity, and civilization. The dissatisfaction of Julius Caesar, Pericles, Aristotle and Solon caused them respectively to drive the barbarians from Rome, to have the Parthenon of Athens built, to expand a philosophy, and to compile the earliest code of laws. Discontentment is responsible for the achievements of Christopher Columbus, Cy' rus Field, Thomas A. Edison and Henry Ford. Clara Barton's dissatisfaction with military hospitals led to the organization of the Red Cross, and jane Adams' resentment of the slums in Chicago created Hull House. There are people who are discontented with their government but, who do not take the trouble to inform themselves or vote. This sort has wrecked more good homes and created more general wretchedness than all the floods and cyclones in our history. The lazy sterile brand leads to nothing but parlor oratory and the suggestion that somebody should do something about it. Who's Who in America is full of names of leading citizens who must have been equally dissatisfied. Their names are where they are because they did their work well and prepared for advancement. This is what the poet calls divine discontentnicntu. Contentment, too, can have elements of divinity. The man or woman who has little and loves it, or has much and loves that, is an enviable person. The man or woman s. Prto-r 5 happy in his or her home with an occasional glimpse of mountains or sea reach the height of contentment. That other nagging something produces Fords and Edisons but, it also produces Han' nibals and Hitlers. The wisdom and virtue consist in being content with what we have and not with what we are. This wisdom has made America a great nation, and it will become greater. Our country is made up of human beings behaving humanly, in American freedom. The best of America for Amerif cans is yet to come. CAROLYN PULSIFER '46 POSTWAR EDUCATION Right now, in looking forward to the postfwar world, many are wondering just what will be the educational possibilities. Many men in military service are asking themselves questions like these: Shall I be able to continue schooling when I get home? Shall I receive any help from the govern' ment? and Shall I be too old to study? Certainly, you will be able to continue your studies! The Government expects to provide educations for millions of veterans, by paying each man S50 a month and his school expenses up to S700 a year. Of course you won't be too old to learn. It is much easier to learn when you have developed a greater desire for knowledge. Some veterans are already studying, and of them it has been said: There is less nonsense about the veteran than about the prefward collegian, and he has a greater appreciation of the value of an education. He makes more intelligent use of his avail- able time. You'll have to Hnd a job as soon as you get home? Even so, it would be possible

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4 M. F. H. s. PILOT if i , yllXX, X. X , 1X l M il Nall W X X X ful, L WX 'X X 1 i T' i li g f lllll llll' f . 'ww gi 59 53 fli. l ll. Fil l ll ill lvl RX r - HX , 1 ill 'N , ' ' ' L if -Y 3 E ii riai. POST-WAR JOBS Millions of men who are now in the armed forces will soon be returning to civil' ian life and civilian work. Some veterans already know what they will do-have jobs waiting for them. Others will want to make a fresh start. One could hardly ex' pect, for instance, a young lieutenant to return to his prefwar oflicefboy job. Many temporary war workers will want to estabf lish a permanent career for themselves. In fact, the biggest part of Young America is already, or soon will be, searching for a job with a future. And just what are the industries with possibilities? Some of the following fields are already wellfdeveloped. Others are excitingly new. All offer magnificent chances to those who have imagination and who are willing to learn. Radio is one of the older fields, but the new frequency modulation, which makes possible clearer, staticffree programs, offers a new manufacturing field and opportunities for hundreds of new broadcasting stations- all requiring technicians, artists, engineers, and so forth. Television promises to be a billion dollar industry, for eighty per cent of the homes having electricity will eventuf ally want it. Chemists have found amazing new uses for wood, glass, and light metals. New uses-new jobs! Plastics will come of age during the next decade. The synthetic textile industry will boomffin fact, manuf facturers are already piling up postfwar orders. The frozen'food business offers new jobs to home economists, butchers, storefkeepers, and manufacturers. Some Helds should be treated cautiously as they are apt to he overcrowded. Avia' tion is one of these. It is quite true that all America will take to the air during the next decade, but there is great overexpansion in the aircraft factories of today, and millions of trained pilots and mechanics will pour forth from the Air Force. The future of the automobile industry is also uncertain. Farming is another narrowing businessg what agriculturists there are will be ex' pertly and technically trained. ' After the war there arei going to be thousands of interesting new jobs. Some of these are as yet undreamed of. But this is certain: the best of these jobs are going to the trained and skilled workers. Now is not too early for civilians to begin preparf ing. The educational provisions of the G. I. Bill of Rights will provide training for servicemen. So make your plans! We have a thrill' ing new world at our fingertips. Don't let it slip by! JANE YouNG '45 - THE RESULT OF DISCONTENTMENT America was made by dissatisfied people. We wanted a higher level of living and we got it. If we ever think we've arrived where we want to be, we won't be Amerif cans. Both contentment and discontent' ment have their places in the building of civilization.

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6 M for you to study an hour or so each day. And, if you prefer vocational training, the Government will pay for your tools and materials, and will give you SSO a month while you train. The High Schools, too, are apt to under' go changes after the war's end. Compulf sory military training should he a part of every boy's education, I think. Readiness for war is no less important than education. Perhaps our education system will be pat' terned in part after the very successful one worked out in Denmark. There, students .F. H. S. PILOT leave school at fourteen to work or to enter military service. If, at eighteen, they have the desire to learn some special thing, they are allowed to go to school part of the year. Of course, this plan would work only if the people earnestly wanted to learn. Education is what remains after we have forgotten all we have learned. It must train the three aspects of man: body, mind, and character. And neither mind nor char' acter can he built without a spiritual element. HUBERT Woonsum '47 'X''lvlvl''I l I X l ! ! ! X''X X l l X ! ! Z X I I ! !0! X ! I''X !-'X X- 2: -If 3 I IN MEMQRIAM 1 Z ROBERT CROOKER 119331 :Xt ROYAL JEFFERSON 119355 all 2 CHESTER RAYMOND 119371 :xi Z ' EDWARD j. KING 1Exf193SJ 'X' -xf I EPITAH FOR A SOLDIER 2 E Where alien skies If :XXI Eternally are blue, fi: i Beneath an aged fi: :XII Sliellftorn olive tree Z Ll: And trampled flowers, 5: Z One sleeps 3: Z Who loved his life 3: 1 As we love ours, if I Yet fought and died 'f' 3. 'X- ,f, For those he never knew. i E Copied from N. T. Times 2 3 MARION J. COFFIN '45 fi: 3 ri rj: 4, 'X''! Z X X ! X X X Z ! I''X X X X+'X X l X''X X'-X+'X+'l ! l0! l X !+-X I''E