Mount Vernon Seminary - Cupola Yearbook (Washington, DC)

Page 9 text:

Mr. and Mrs. George W. Lloyd To the Class of 1955: I am writing this on one of those rare February days which spring seems sometimes to steal from winter. There is a magic feeling in the bright air, and one can almost hear the stir of growing things beneath the dark earth and on bare branches. This happy expectancy makes me think of you — eager now to be through with school and on to college. Indeed, were it not so, we should have failed you, for all the effort of the past four years should bring us to your graduation on tiptoe with eagerness to put to the test what you have learned here. You have been a class with a gay quality of initiative and enthusiasm, which has made you leaders from the start. The world is waiting for those qualities of leadership — ability to get things done, to inspire others, to keep a brave heart in the face of discour- agement, to stand for an ideal even when you must needs stand alone. Two thoughts about leadership I should like to couple with my farewell to you. One you have often heard me quote comes from John Buchan. The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there. ,, For the second we turn to the greatest Leader the world has ever known. One who imparts a sense of mission which surmounts all difficulties, discouragements, and lone- liness. He gives us the most satisfying definition of enduring leadership: Whosover would be greatest among you, shall be the servant of all.” 5

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The Passage of Time Time, that dimension of the world which we measure in terms of before and after.” Bergson Time is infinite . . . perpetual . . . eternal. Chronologists have standardized it with clocks, history books, calendars, and time zones; but still its essence cannot be fully conceived by the human mind. Philosophers, grasping for an explanation, have given us several definitions. A nostalgic songwriter said, Turn Back the Hands of Time.” Poets expound upon the immensity of the universe, the end of the world, and the infinity of the stars. Yet, while we are receptive to the philosopher’s theory and sensitive to the poet’s dream, we tend to think of time in relation to our own lives and the lives of those we love. What sister, wife, daughter, or mother doesn’t remember the day when the war ended in Korea? When our parents laughingly recall the first automobiles or the Roaring Twenties,” we are probably not as impressed as we would be if they were discussing the first 3-D movies, the hydrogen bomb, the first jet to fly around the world, or any of the other spectacular events that have taken place during our lifetime. What will future generations remember about the year 1954-55? Perhaps scientists will talk about the imperfections of color television. People will marvel at the scientific synthesis of food without the aid of sunlight. Maybe historians will be debating about the famous Dixon-Yates Conferences. Perhaps this year may be considered a turning point in the Formosan situation. Whatever they will be saying, those dim faces of tomorrow, let us hope that their inspiration comes from the past, just as our hope is placed in the future. In the light of the preceding paragraphs, the Cupola of 1955 introduces its theme, the passage of time. To represent time we have chosen a familiar, everyday object, the clock. Since the world began, man has constantly improved his means of telling time. The first method was probably to observe the sun and the stars. In Egypt, the obelisk was used to tell the time of day. This was based on the simple principle of a perpendicular casting a shadow in the sun’s rays. Similar to the obelisk, the sundial was widely used in Europe. The hourglass probably originated in medieval times, but it wasn’t until the Continued on Page 6 4

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Table of Contents Seniors Class History Underclassmen Poem — To the Underclassmen” Government Alma Mater Activities School Calendar Christmas Dance Athletics page 1 0 page 1 1 (inside flap) page 38 page 39 (inside flap) page 44 page 45 (inside flap) page 48 page 49 (inside flap) page 59 page 60 Passage of Time (Continued) sixteenth century that the clock came into use. The clock itself, as it was gradually improved, acquired various sizes and shapes. Today we have a wide assortment of timepieces for multifold uses. The theme of the yearbook is carried throughout the book on the division pages. Each clock is symbolic of a facet of life at Mount Vernon. The Great Grandfather Clock represents to us the maturity and achievements which we hope will come with age. The Mickey Mouse watch is illustrative of the fresh, gay spirit of the underclass- men. To represent government, we have chosen stately Big Ben, who has been the solemn witness to so many momentous events in government. Because the busy Cuckoo Clock never stops to rest, it has been selected to record the hours that were spent in extra-curricular activities. What is more typical of athletics than a stopwatch? It recalls the last minutes of an exciting basketball game, the shrill cries of the spectators, or a crisp afternoon of hockey in the fall. We hope that this yearbook will help you, in the years to come, to relive a wonderful year at Mount Vernon — the year 1954-55. 6