Newport High School - Live Wire Yearbook (Newport, ME)

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THE LIVE WIRE vice call, they were dumbfounded to find themselves physically unfit! They, who had considered them- selves in the pink of condition, physi- cally unfit? Some of them can't yet understand the verdict. Somehow or other, average people confuse muscle strength with physi- cal fitness. 'Tm in the pink, they proudly say, as they invite you to feel their muscles. They can run one hundred yards in eleven seconds flat-they are good for three fast sets of tennis! That is their own idea of physical fitness. The fact that they have four dental cavities and six missing teeth does not concern them. They do not consider tooth-health a part of physi- cal fitness! Half-vision in one eye and three- quarters in another? What has that to do with physical fitness ? they ask. Seventeen pounds underweight? Twenty pounds overweight? What is the difference as long as they are healthy? There is the rub! Most people con- sider themselves healthy as long as they are free from pain. They con- sider themselves sick, only when it's time to call the doctor. We are soft. Many of us have never bothered to ask ourselves the question pertaining to what health and phys- ical fitness mean to us and the rest of the world. We have just sat back and let the world and other people take care of themselves. - As the years have rolled by, every- thing has been made easier for us. We don't have to work-no, that would be too much of an exertion. We've even had our foods made softer I so that we hardly have to bother to chew them. Now, it is a different story, how- ever, war has come upon us, total War! We aren't prepared. A large percentage of us are physically unfit for the simple reason that our world has definitely progressed too rapidly. What are we going to do? Why, certainly, we're going to become physicially fit. Everyone can do his part by obtaining sound medical ad- vice, adequate nutrition, performing healthful, vigorous exercises, and keeping a courageous spirit. If all true American citizens follow this way of living, they cannot be conquered. L. Clement. ARE YOU DOING YOUR PART It is a dark, calm night at an American airfield somewhere in England. Hundreds of our heavy bombers are being prepared to take part in a bombing mission over Ger- many. What are in the minds of these young Americans? What do they think of before leaving on a mission? Surely they must know that there will be many of them that will never re- turn, while many others may be taken prisoners. Yet these men are not complaining. They know that they have a job to do, and they intend to do it the best way they know how. Everybody has a part in winning the war. These men know their part and are prepared to do it. Are you, the students of America, prepared to do your part? Many of you will soon be in some branch of the service. Knowing this, you may allow your studying to slacken. This 1 ,

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NEWPORT HIGH SCHOOL thing in order to rescue it. But this would also prove that they would not be so destructive in their war. This is just plain simple fact that is true. If armaments are of such importance that both countries are pretty sure to destroy each other, it would then give each of them a chance to feel that he will have a chance-with very slight expense-to win a victory. But, of course, one of them will lose in one way or the other. To finish this story of war, I should like to say first this-The most im- portant thing to all is to have a cen- tral organization with a wise power of making decisions, of educating for peace, not for war. The development of law and the controlling of educa- tion are of greatest importance to us all. The majority of people have be- lieved in self-interest and in social and world regulation. We must be a confident, and we must think of some way that will de- velop this world and unite us togeth- er before this war has ruined our civilization. Great man, proud man, No coward soul in thee. There is no room for death, Thou will never be destroyed. R. Scott. VACATION Vacation! Thirty-six crammed weeks of digging, digging, digging, and now vacatiion! What a magic word! Weeks of leisure, fun, laugh- ter and sunshine! Nothing to do, and all summer to do it in! But wait a minute! Did you say vacation? Aren't you one of Uncle Sam's boys or girls? Isn't Uncle Sam at war? Doesn't Uncle Sam have I a huge army overseas? Doesn't that huge army have to be fed? Sure it does. So what? Well, I'll tell you what! Do you know about those potatoes that must be planted and harvested up there in Aroostook County? What about those acres and acres of corn, peas, and beans here in our own Somerset, Pe- nobscot, and Kennebec Counties? And do you, by any chance, know of the blueberries in Washington County? Have you ever seen those berries when they are really blue? Well, I have. How about it boys and girls of Newport High? Somebody has to plant and harvest those crops. Those somebodies are you and I. Let's not wait for the shame of being forced to do these things. When June is here, and school is over, let's each of us be sure of his place in the gigantic work which lies ahead. It is our work, and it is our responsibility. Let's make certain that that broth- er in India, that uncle at Casino, or that sister in England doesn't go hun- gry for those potatoes of Aroostook County, for the corn, peas and beans of Somerset, Penobscot, and Kenne- bec Counties, or for those blueberries of Washington County simply be- cause you and I just had to take that vacation. Mildred Fletcher. .i- - HEALTH AND FITNESS IN WARTIME The day after Pearl Harbor, many thousands of young men rushed to re- cruiting ofiices with a fervent wish to do their bit. Like thousands of others ready and proud to answer their selective ser- l

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NEWPORT HIGH SCHOOL should not be done. If you are to do your part in winning the war, you must not fail to do your studying. The training that you receive while in school will be beneficial when serv- ing in the Army, Navy, or Coast Guard. The men who fiy in the For- tresses and Liberators must be train- ed specialists. The Army and Navy will teach you to do these jobs. But the men who know the basic things that are taught in the American school are the ones who are almost always chosen for the positions. Now, students, is the time to acquire this knowledge. Don't let the opportun- ity slip through your fingers. Attend school regularly and get what you can out of it. In this way you are prepar- ing to do your part, as are the men at the front lines. Don't let these men down. Howard Shapiro. T0 THE SENIORS At last you've reached your goal -you've graduated! When you were just a greenie, you thought you couldn't wait for the day. Now that it's here, you've got a lump in your throat, and you start thinking about all the swell times you've had in high school. You wish you had studied harder, and cooperated a little more with your teachers. But, it's too late for regrets, and so your memory be- comes filled with only the pleasant days. Even your old enemies hold a special place in your heart. As you march up in your caps and gowns to receive your diplomas, you feel pretty grown-up, but just as scared, too. There's an empty feeling in your heart. You're sad because you are leaving all the familiar faces in the crowd, you're happy because you're going to do new things and make new friends. Excitement fills you, but it's not going to be any picnic, and you know it. First, you're scared. You ask yourself, What can I do? Can I stand the competition? Can I do it? More than once you'll wish you were back in high school again. Then, you're raring to go. A fiood of con- fidence sweeps over you, and you're ready to fight and battle what life has to offer. You feel as though you can lick the world. These sensations come and go, and finally one or the other settles for good. This determines your success or failure. Don't be the failure. You can do ANYTHING if you want to badly enough. Don't be afraid of competi- tion. They're as green as you are and just as scared. Dig right in and give it all you've got, and I guarantee you'1l come through with fiying colors! You get out of life what you put into it. It's up to you! P. M. Whittaker, '44. I 8 l