Milford High School - Oak Lily and Ivy Yearbook (Milford, MA)

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THE OAK, LILY AND IVY. 15 with their gallant King Albert to encourage them by splendid example. The Armenians, however, merely because of their Christian faith, have been massacred, men, women and children in tens of thousands, put to death in ways the cruelty of which imagination can scarcely conceive. American sympathy and help has gone out to Armenia and our soldiers now guard several hundred miles of Armenian railroads, and a few of our war-ships are stationed at Baku. But as one Armenian newspaper remarks: “Of what use is it to take care of the orphans, feed the starving and clothe the naked if tomor¬ row all these unfortunates are to fall once more under the whip of the barbarians?” Armenian independence is demanded with an American mandate. But while our help at present means only temporary responsibility, a mandate will mean a lengthy supervision and will involve us in many delicate intricacies of internation¬ al politics with grave responsibility. President Wilson himself is in favor of an American mandate over Armenia, but whether or not Congress will follow him re¬ mains to be seen. Passing westward we come to the matter of the city of Fiume, which, as more than one editor has said, might later prove to be another Bosnia. Italy fought in this war, took her chances with the others, and received her suffering without complaint. As her highest reward she demanded Fiume which was refused her, for President Wilson firmly believes that the Slav race needs that port as an out¬ let for its commerce. So the port was nationalized. Then D’Annunzio, the soldier- poet, took matters in his own hands and seized the city for Italy. The apprehension caused by this action was great. Opinion was divided on the matter, some believing that the United States should have kept out of the matter entirely, while others heartily agree with Mr. Wilson’s firmness, believing that the terms of treaty should be settled on the same principles with which the United States entered the war. Our aim is to help the small peoples of the earth. The sincerity of the Slav race has been shown by their agreement to all the terms of the peace treaty. They must be given a chance to develop for they are a new nation, not centuries old as Italy or France or England. Commerce and industry mean growth and access to the sea is one of the ways to obtain such development. The Czecho-Slavs have only Fiume as an outlet. But France has gained much by the war. So has England, for she and France receive mandates in Arabia and Africa whereas Italy is given only what she would have received if she had preserved her neutrality. Have her fighting and suffering been in vain? As matters now stand, the result will only make Italy discontented, and a discontented Italy will mean a crippled League of Nations. The League must work as a machine with every cog well oiled and smoothly run¬ ning. One cog out of gear may be disastrous. France has a more difficult problem to solve. For, in spite of all she has received from Germany and will receive, she can never be recompensed for the ruin of her beautiful cities, towns, hamlets, and fields. Shelled and stormed for four long years, they must now be rebuilt to their former splendor. Thousands of dollars will be needed for all this work, and the thousands are few in the French treasury where the money is rapidly depreciating in value. While it took a very short time for the ruthless Huns to destroy the lovely cities of France, it will take a long while to rebuild them. It has been estimated that in France there have been destroyed over 350,000 homes which will require the labor of 2,000,000 men two years to rebuild. Add to this the destruction in Belgium and neighboring countries and you will see the tremendous task before the European nations in the war zone. But the dauntless courage of the people who exclaimed “Ils ne passer- ont pas” and who kept their word will not flinch at the greater sacrifice, and laborious task before them. France, of course, like all other countries is affected by so-called Spring

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14 THE OAK, LILY AND IVY. upon it, there will soon come the ethereal light of understanding. The truth will remove for him the clouds that veil another life. Secure in his knowledge he may then, with firm steps, progress on the pilgrimage of life toward the shrine of eternity. John L. Davoren, ’20, SALUTATORY. RECONSTRUCTION—European Phases. We, the class of 1920, feel the sincerest pleasure in welcoming you all here to¬ night at our exercises which mark the end of our High school course. Tonight we shall endeavor to show you the results of our labors and efforts of the last four years. Whatever success we may have achieved we owe to you, our parents, our friends, and our teachers, whose interest and sympathy have spurred us on in dis¬ couragement and failure. In future years we shall look back on all this with the deepest gratitude and the remembrance will help us in our trials. But these trials are still veiled from us by a merciful Providence. Let us turn our thoughts to the great issues of today which occupy the attention of the civilized world. Although the war has been ended now for almost two years, only a few of the minor questions arising because of that conflict have been settled. The armistice terms of Nov. 11, 1918 settled the fighting, but brought on immense problems which are the aftermath of every war. Never so great, however, have been the problms as those of today. Because of the tremendousness of the work of recon¬ struction the utmost care must be exercised, for a flaw in a present decision might result in a recurrence of the very thing that the great men of Europe are trying to do away with,— War. To do this work the greatest co-operation between the nations is necessary, for if there is not concurrent effort there will only be delay, and delay means impatience and discontent. From the time history began, international politics have complicated decis¬ ions after a war in which more than one nation was involved. Never has this been more true than in the war which has just concluded. The status of Turkey is a striking example of the result of the clashing of international politics-. For many years Turkey has been a cancer in the side of Europe. Asiatic in people and in custom, she does not belong in Europe. When this war was ended, the great hope and expectation of many people was that the Turks would be ex¬ pelled permanently from Europe into Asia where she rightfully belongs. But because England was afraid to offend the Moslems, because France feared British ascendency in Europe and because Greece, eager for Constantinople, preferred that the Turks in that city rather than any one of the Great Powers, the Turk today re¬ mains undisturbed in Europe. British and American public opinion has been strongly and vehemently ex¬ pressed against this injustice. No matter how tightly wedgedi in and restrained by the Allied terms, Turkey is still in Europe, and such a decision is a blot upon the escutcheon of the Allies and will not end the Turkish problem. Putting aside the many evidences of Turkish fiendishness and barbarity, Armenia alone stands as a pitiful victim of Turkish policy. With the exception of Belgium, Armenia has suffered mostly from this war. But the difference between the suffering of Belgium and Armenia is this: The Belgians, acting as a barrier between France and the huge grey hordes sweeping down upon her, defended them¬ selves against the anger of the Germans thus held back from their prey. When the war was ended, they returned to their shattered homes, ready to begin over again

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16 THE OAK, LILY AND IVY. Bolshevism. The reaction from the war has to take shape in some people, and so the result is Bolshevism, which like Spring Fever will pass when conditions are normal. But not relying on hope alone, the French government has take n steps to put down this ever-increasing menace. Every country today has the problem to meet and settle, and each country will use its own method. But whatever differences there might be in French public opinion on dif¬ ferent home matters, they are all unanimous on the question of Germany. Germany must be held to the terms of the treaty, watched closely, and kept within bounds. Three times has she asked for leniency and three times has it been granted. But the time has come when leniency can not and must no longer be extended to Ger¬ many, for that country, instead of being thankful, becomes more arrogant with every new concession. Though the government may have changed, though the imperialistic Kaiser has been deposed, and democracy appears to rule, the char¬ acter of the German people has not changed nor will it change. The same corrupt policies used before and during the war are employed now to gain their ends. The Germans with their propaganda tried to disrupt the Allies so as to make their burden easier, unmindful of the fact that the burden they would have imposed on the warring nations would have been inestimably greater. This attempt has been doomed to failure. That Germany could not be trusted was clearly shown by the Ruhr district incident in which she broke the Articles 42 and 43 in the Versailles treaty, for under pretext of police duty against the Communistic menace, Germany main¬ tained there many more troops than the Treaty permitted. France was quick to see the menace to her in this action and appreciated the fact that upon her next step hinged the decisions as to whether or not the Versailles treaty was a treaty with power behind it or a mere scrap of paper. The result you all know. France established troops in the cities of Fran kfurt and Darmstadt, then proclaimed to Germany and the world that there they would remain until Germany withdrew her troops and established herself under the juris¬ diction of the Versailles Treaty. As a result of all this surveillance over the Germans will be greater for too much leniency has been granted them, and has made them over confident. At the Peace table, France was promised American and British aid in case of German trouble on the Rhine, but the Ruhr district incident showed France clearly that if she wished immediate action she must rely upon herself. America has retired again into her shell at the refusal to ratify the peace treaty while Eng¬ land is occupied by homey problems. Relations with Italy are severely strained so that help from that section is impossible. So, as in 1914 France stands with her eternal foe facing her on the left bank of the Rhine, and her own resources her principal aid. Now we come to the greatest question of all: Is “Ireland to be free or not?” For much lesser reasons than those long actuating Ireland we took up arms in 1 775, fought for eight long years and so freed ourselves from the English yoke. Ireland has for hundreds of years remained under the rule of a people which can¬ not and will not try to understand the Irish race. They have suffered many worse grievances than we in 1775 but still today in 1920, when so many other smaller countries such as Ukrania, Czecho-Slovaki, Jugo-Slavia, Poland, etc., have ob¬ tained their independence, Ireland, in spite of all attempts to free herself, remains under the misguided jurisdiction of the British. The ballot and armed forces have battled against the barred gate-way of freedom. The world which has so readily helped the small nations to rise from the gr ound where our enemies fell, dodges the question of Ireland. They have put off too long this issue which should have been decided first of all. But public opinion when once aroused can not long be held back; it will sooner or later overwhelm all its power.