Medina High School - Medinian Yearbook (Medina, OH)

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MEDINIAN ’37 She became the community mother and advisor and, in the absence of a pastor, officiated at the funeral of a child. A little girl met with an accident and it was found that one of her fingers would have to be amputated. The child naturally dreaded the ordeal. The teacher promised the child a real doll if she would go through the operation. To her amazement, the little girl asked for a doll with red hair! This was a difficult request to fill in that community. However, after a few days spent in searching the surrounding towns, a red ' haired doll was finally found. The child was so thrilled that she braved the operation without a whimper, holding the doll tightly during the ordeal. By this time, the news of the woman’s great work had seeped out to surrounding communities. As a climax to her attainments she staged a big Christmas party for the many children of the locality. People outside of that area became interested and sent gifts to help make the party a huge success. As a result of her unselfish efforts, this young teacher achieved real success and at the same time rendered true service to hundreds of people. Another example of worthwhile success is taken from the life of a colored boy who was traded for a horse. He was a slave child with no knowledge of his parents or the date of his birth. Early in life, this boy developed a genius for making something out of nothing. From peanuts he made nearly three hundred useful products including cheese, candy, coffee, pickles, shaving lotion, and even axle grease. From wood shavings he made sym thetic marble. From the sweet potato he made more than one hundred products such as starch, vinegar, ink, dyes, and molasses. Experts say he has done more than any other living man to renew agriculture in the South. As a further evidence of his versatility, he became a painter, teacher, and skilled musician. This colored slave boy is known today as the noted scientist Doctor Carver, of Tuskegee Institute. When asked the secret of his own achievements he replied, “When you do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world.’’ And so, worthwhile success brings happiness and satisfaction, not only to people who succeed but also to those who benefit by the services rendered. As a worthy objective in life let us, the class of 1937, strive for worthwhile sue ' cess exemplified in service to humanity. MOTTO- “Launched, But 7 [ot Anchored.’’ COLORS— Crimson and Silver. FLOWER — Red Rose. Twenty-Nine

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CLASS PRESIDENT’S ADDRESS Evelyn Deyell In this eventful and complex age, people continually ask, “What is success? Suc- cess is said to be the favorable termination of anything attempted. This involves the termination of both worthy and unworthy objectives in life. For example, a gang might be successful in a hold up, bank robbery, or kidnapping, or a racketeering game might be played successfully. These objectives could hardly be said to be worthwhile. A person might have as his objective in life the accumulation of money, the amass- ing of a fortune through good or evil means. The making of money or profit without rendering service could not be classed as a worthy objective. What then, is worthwhile success? Worthwhile success should involve experiences that bring true happiness and soul satisfaction. It is the attainment of character through effort expended along constructive lines. A life spent in achieving a favorable termina- tion of a worthwhile objective is a successful life. As an example of a worthwhile success in life let us consider a chapter from the life of a twenty year old school teacher whose first teaching assignment was in the foot-hills of Kentucky. This occurred during the worst depression years when many living in that section of the country did not have the bare necessities of life. The in- tellectual life of that community was at low ebb. The teaching experiences of the first week were indeed disheartening. The young teacher realized that something unusual needed to be done to waken the people in that community from their lethargy. So she set up new and unprecedented rules of disci- pline and order in the school and, to the utter astonishment of many who said it could not be done, order emerged out of chaos. Not only did the young woman revolutionize the educational system but she also entered into the life of the community. Many children needed medical attention, so she startd a hospital, enlisting the services of physicians in adjoining counties for the more serious operations. Twenty-Eight vl E D J I A N ’37

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VALEDICTORY By Sara Hammer schmidt A Sage once said, “Let me write a people’s songs and I care not who makes its laws.” Laws seem necessary for civilization but civilization means a getting away from the physical and ugly as much as possible toward the spiritual and beautiful — corn sistent with the preservation and perfection of the race. A complete civilization must take account of art and beauty as much as of morality and intellectual development. By art we mean the Fine Arts — one of which is Music. To what extent has the United States taken account of Music, and what are the underlying causes for its slow develop ' ment? The rise and progress of the musical art in the United States is a story of assimila ' tion rather than creation. The American people have no common background, racial elements, or geographical environment on which folk music could be reared. The fea ' tures of our art show that they come from “the melting pot.” There is, however, an Americanism that is the result of the intermingling of all nationalities. It is the spirit of the pioneer that sent our forefathers westward — the spirit of a new country. This must be found in our music before we can claim a national idiom. The colonists brought their music with them, but they were confronted with too many stern necessities to think of music as anything but an item in a religious service or a means of relaxation. Music in the dawn of American statehood was subservient to the church; psalms and hymns were the only tunes allowed in New England, where music as a trade was forbidden. Spiritual tunes were gradually accepted. Music in the South served merely as entertainment. But nothing — that lives — stands still; there must be constant change and growth or decay sets in. So there was an era of attempted improvement in music. Our first musical uplift came with the advent of the singing master and the church organist. Owing to the efforts of a few organists in New England, by the beginning of the nine ' teenth century music had become firmly fixed in the life of the American people; but the art was still in its infancy. The first real American music was made during the last part of the eighteenth century in spite of the interruption of the Revolution. Out of a few singing schools came choral societies, devoted to the study of oratorios. Festivals and national music clubs soon developed and encouraged the cause of music. Thus concert life of the United States took on a serious aspect and led to orchestras. At present, we have at least three orchestras equal to those anywhere, and one has the reputation of being the finest in the world. Hundreds of theaters provided excell ' ent orchestras until the recent invasion of sound pictures. However, high schools and colleges have been stimulated into the development of bands and orchestras. In fact, one of the most significant signs in the United States is the remarkable development of musical activity in the educational system. More attention is paid to music in our public schools than in any country of Europe. A t ft i ! A N Thirty 1