North Andover High School - Knight Yearbook (North Andover, MA)

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1937 YEAR BOOK The rapid progress of industry was made possible by the expansion and de- elopment of the frontier. But now the frontier is gone. There is no great outlet for dense populations and factory products. In the development of this vast continent industry became capable of very rapid production and built up a powerful inertia which must be slowed down if machines are to con¬ tinue to serve men. Now that the frontier is conquered this enormous cap¬ acity must be diverted from the hit-or-miss quantity production and directed into the channels of quality and improvement. This leads to the third way in which the old order has change—namely, liberalism. By liberalism I mean the adoption of new ideas The spirit of liberalism is an outgrowth of the problems created by the unplanned advance of science and business. 1 he severity of the last depression would seem to indicate that there is need, in our economic system for some new ideas. This generation has learned that prosperity which appears in spots cannot survive. When big business thrives at the expense of smaller enterprises, when wealth accumulates and men decay, then there can be no question of national policy. The spirit of reform has made its debut in the “New Deal.” Whether we approve of the “New Deal” or not, we are forced to admit that the era of national planning has begun. This generation looks with disgust at the enormous debts which are forced upon us. We stand with our mouths agape before the hideous slums and poverty stricken areas. We gaze with horror at the denuded hillsides, the gluttonous floods and dust storms, the rapid erosion of soil and the exploitation of natural resources. These are huge problems which the new order has thrust upon us. But it was man who made these problems and it shall be man who cures them. Whatever the future may hold for us, we cannot face it if we have come to distrust our own powers. We need the will to overcome and the determina¬ tion not to be downed, whatever may happen- But let us hope that in the midst of these external changes our sense of fair play, of duty, honor and the dictates of conscience shall continue to govern our spirit of progress. PAUL BIXBY CLASS ESSAY Horace Mann, the Pioneer of Education T would not be possible in these few minutes to review in full the life of wro ' Horace Mann ;— whole books have been written on it. Still more im- aSfiSal possible would it be to attempt to draw even in outline the immensity of his educational work and ideals. There is however one tribute we can pay this great educator. We are finishing twelve years of public school life,— years filled with every advantage,—and have considered them our heritage and due. Now on our graduation, we can pause to recall, with appreciation, the milestones in his career, and to consider some of his ideals and accomp¬ lishments which have so benefited us and will continue to benefit generations to come. His was the American dream,—his the thought of free education for all. In his own words, “If there ever was a cause, if ever there can be a cause, worthy to be upheld by all of toil or sacrifice that the human heart can endure, it is the cause of education.” 21

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JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL CLASS ORATION The Old Order Changeth—Yielding Place to New U NDER three headings , let us consider how the old order has changed. HI These three headings are science, business, and liberalism. Let us take iMzl the first of these, science, and see how it will revolutionize our coun¬ try in the future. Until 1850, science had concentrated its efforts on the dis¬ covery of new sources of power, such as steam and gasoline and the founda¬ tion of such fields as chemistry, bacteriology, and mechanics. The application of these discoveries is evident in the great industries of which our country is so proud. But science today has taken an entirely new aspect under the imagination of the modern pioneer. The house of tomorrow will be made of glass. Beds and floors will be pneumatic; the closets full of revolving shelves; and dish¬ washing will be done automatically. Amelia Earhart predicts that airplanes will zoom at the rate of six hundred miles per hour on intercity routes. The Vic e-president of General Motors visions the car which will run eighty miles on the gallon. Or maybe it won’t use gasoline at all. Radio-transmitted power is the vision of today’s prophets. But modern scientists aren’t entirely dreamers. They have contributed much to the welfare of you and me by the utilization of waste products. Who would have thought that the vanity of modern woman could be appeased by a spray of perfume made from ill-smelling coal tar? Who would have thought this vain creature would be satisfied in powdering her shiny nose with ? pea¬ nut shell derivative? From the lowly sweet potato, scientists have produced more than a hundred products, ranging from shoe-blacking to molasses. The organic chemist of today will undoubtedly boost progress by the utilization of white elephants. In the field of surgery great strides have been made. Repair work on arter¬ ies is a surgeon’s most ticklish job. But not long ago surgeons actually joined two arteries together as a plumber might join pipes. Their accomplishment was part of a spectacular operation upon a boy which made a new thumb out of his big toe. Day by day the products of the modern laboratory are being consumed by a hungry nation. And thus we find science relieving our pains, adding to our comforts and finding new markets for formerly useless products. Now let us turn to the business aspect of our changing order. Business has changed in three ways during the last century. First, industry has been stepped up by the installation of machinery; second, industry has be¬ come specialized in an effort to increase production ; and third, competition in the larger industries has been partially reduced by the formation of trusts. The addition of power machinery to our civilization has worked great changes. Enormous populations have invaded the manufacturing districts. Thousands of farmers have left the plow to guide fascinating machinery. The bewildered tradesman abandoned his workshop to enter the red-brick build¬ ings and become a machine himself. However, this transition is by no means to be regretted. Industry has done its part in making this a better country. Working hours are reduced ; a high¬ er standard of living is obtained and our natural resources are opened up. 20

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JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL Horace Mann’s life although not particularly exciting was one of accomp¬ lishments and significance. Born in Franklin, Massachusetts, he was brought up in poverty but after obtaining a hard earned education, he graduated from Brown University when twenty-four years of age. Upon leaving school he practiced law, but later entered political life as a member of the state legisla¬ ture. With the establishment of the first state board of education in America Mann gave up a promising law career to become the secretary of this board just one hundred years ago. This decision was a turning point not only in Mann’s life but in the history of American education, for it was during his twelve years in this office that he accomplished his great works which so benefited America. To fully appreciate Mann’s achievements in this position one must realize the condition of the schools at that time. The Revolutionary War had for eight years pushed aside all thoughts of education which then, even in New England, had been developed only to a very limited degree. Even after the war real liberty and equality were not practiced. The old idea of class distinction still survived and only a few realized that education for all was necessary if a democratic government was to remain. Each state had its early leaders who helped to bring about the great educa¬ tional revival of the mid-nineteenth century—at the head of which was Hor¬ ace Mann. The problem which he faced in Massachusetts was fairly typical of that in the other states. Free public high schools had not yet won the con¬ sent of the people. There existed only the small, scattered district schools, and to unite these into one state system with proper state and local control was Horace Mann’s task. He described the drawbacks in the district system, saying, “These schools at the present time are so many independent commun¬ ities each being governed by its own habits, traditions and local customs. There is no bond of brotherhood or family between them. They are strangers and aliens to each other.” With the establishment of the Massachusetts Board of Education and the election of Horace Mann as secretary a new epoch began. This pioneer did more than promote and improve the common schools; he lifted the ideals of democracy itself. Through him the whole school system was transformed. Mann has said, “In a republic, ignorance is a crime,” and so clearly did he set forth a plan for the school system that for a century educational progress has moved steadily in the direction which he indicated. At the end of twelve years he resigned as secretary of the board. During this period he had placed education in Massachusetts upon a firm foundation. During his service he brought the cause of education favorably before the public; installed a system of state supervision for schools ; attempted to elim¬ inate sectarianism ; introduced the use of school libraries and established the first normal school. After Horace Mann’s resignation he accepted the presidency of the newly established Antioch College at Yellow Springs, Ohio- Antioch at that time was more or less an experiment and he put his courage and energy into bring¬ ing about order and system from the chaos that existed there. To him a col¬ lege was not only a home of scholarship but also a place for physical and spiritual training. This idea has persisted throughout the life of the college up to the present day and signifies Mann’s achievements there. Six years after his entrance into Antioch, Mann died worn out by the years of overwork and strain. He had come to the end of a career which was to stand out forever in the hearts of all friends of education and of democracy. 22