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

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Salutatory THE TRUTH ABOUT TEEN-AGERS Are teen-agers going to the everlasting bow-wows? Every generation entering middle age has trumpeted this fact over a shivering world. Yet when the middle-aged group of today was itself the teen-agers, were not they too the subject of the jeremiads pronounced by their middle-aged groups? And so it goes. But the teen-agers of twenty years ago are now the «olid, respectable, respected and beloved parents of the teen-age group here on ' he stage before you tonight. We think those teen-agers of long ago are about the best people we’ll ever know. Dare we hope the same will be said twenty years hence about us? Here are reasons for believing so. Teen-agers are painfully aware of their bad reputation. In a survey in a large midwestern city, teen-agers listed the charges most frequently made against them. The three most often mentioned were crime, narcotics and reckless diiving. Juvenile delinquency, today, is a catch phrase used to cover a multitude of acts never before classified as sins. Even the word delinquency depends on where you live. In some cities, young people caught smoking on the public streets can be arrested as delinquents. In a western town, police were sent to round up all teen-age bootblacks and book them as delinquents. At the same time, in a town fifty miles away, the mayor was honoring teen-age bootblacks for their independence and industry. He gave a turkey dinner for tliese youngsters and referred to them as “today’s Horatio Algers.” As far as actual arrests are concerned, people call for the police a lot quicker than they used to. Consider some recent “crimes” for which teen-agers were arrested. In Fresno, California, four boys removed the caps from pop bottles still in the vending machine and drank the contents through long straws. In Seattle, Washington, three boys tossed paper bags of water from a second-story window. In Atlantic City, New Jersey, two teen-age school girls daubed a poodle belonging to a cranky next-door neighbor with red paint. A generation ago such problems would have been solved in a woodshed. But even after the misleading case is discounted, the fact remains that real juvenile delinquency is on the rise. Inadequate schools, insufficient government facilities and apatl etic communities must share the blame. The most important cause of delinquency is what should be called parental delinquency. The American home has frequently ceased to exert its influence for the good. Some recent statistics on teen-ag rs reveal that only twelve out of a thousand get in trouble with the law and that means that there are 988 who are doing well. What is the real story on youthful drug addiction? The American parent has been deceived into believing that there are millions of teen-age drug addicts walking the streets. Actually there are only 10,000 teen-age addicts in the whole country; horrible enough, but not as hopelessly a black picture as has been generally painted. Dope is not an insidious, seductive temptation liable to engulf anybody. The parents of the reasonably happy, normal, adjusted child can relax. Teen-age accidents behind the wheel have been cruelly publicized by news¬ papers and magazines. Teen-agers do not have mbre accidents than more experienced drivers but, when they do have a mishap, it is usually fatal. Because this ugly condition occurs, reporters swarm to cover the story, thereby pointing a treacherous and accusing finger of guilt at teen-agers. The teen-agers have responded wholeheartedly to the move for Driver edu¬ cation offered by their elders. Today only highly trained paraplegic drivers and equally well-trained commercial truck drivers surpass the teen-agers’ safety record. It was not long ago that drivers under the age of twenty were at the very foot of the safety record.

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Valedictory AN OPTIMISTIC AMERICA Here we find ourselves, in the year 1952, confronted on all hands with evidences of scandal, corruption and Communism. Our very government itself has not escaped the vicious taint of these evils. Amid the trials of Communists operating in high official capacities, the Mink Coat and other such scandals, and the vile political graft which day in and day out serves as the theme for so many newspaper headlines, who can deny that we are in great need of reform? But, although we have not come here to delude you into the misconception that the outlook is “rosy”, so to speak, neither would we have you believe that our country has fallen so deeply into the miry bog of national decay that all trace of virtue has been eaten out of its soul. We can and must review, analyze and appreciate the honorable characteristics of our America if we would eradicate the undesirable traits. Why? Simply because no human being can constantly face only the ominous issue without becoming pessimistic or corrupt himself. What is there then to give us confidence? Why, the very essentials which went into the molding of this great country. The founders of our nation held a firm belief in their principles. They believed in liberty, justice, the natural and unalienable rights of the common man. They believed in themselves. But perhaps most important was another belief: belief or faith in an omnipotent God. Yet what avail is a belief, no matter how staunch, if there is no initiative, no leadership, no will to practice the belief in the sweat of honest labor? In the history of the United States we discover an abundance of these characteristics. Washington, who led the continental army to victory over the British regulars; Lincoln, pushing his way through the Civil War, pulling the nation behind him; Theodore Roosevelt, carrying his big stick — all exemplify the aforementioned attributes. There is a third feature essential to survival — fortitude. It took guts, to use the language of the boys, for the industrious pioneers to follow their convictions and, guided by them, to construct our great Republic. In this word “pioneers” we would include every visionary man and woman from Columbus to the scientists of today. We won’t even mention the bravery of the American armed forces in war after war, over the past few centuries or the pluck of thousands of heroic civilians giving freely of their time and talents to better our homeland which not only permits but encourages its citizens to think and express themselves openly. Tell me, friends, concerning these three qualities which were so outstanding in previous years in this country, have they become old-fashioned, passe? Are we, as a people, now barren of these desirous traits? The answer is an obvious and emphatic no! When we see the cases of people like Arnold Schuster (God rest him) who dared to do his duty as a citizen even though he must have been aware of the danger imminent to himself, how can we fail to recognize the presence of such moral excellences as we have been considering? Another evidence of these qualities is the story of the Los Angeles school teacher who campaigned for better conditions for her pupils. She believed in herincentive, she worked unceasingly toward her goal, and she had the courage to carry on her purpose even after she lost he r job in the fight. Then we cannot omit the example of the Korean Conflict, an all too constant reminder of these American characteristics which too many men are dying to prove. There are numerous national virtues which should serve to give us individual confidence. Three of these we have dealt with directly. These, in turn, naturally lead us on to others. In the last analysis, of course, our optimism must lie in Faith, Hope and Charity. Let us live confidently in an optimistic America. George Knightly I 15

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They are now in third place, proving that given the proper instruction, teen-agers equal and excel in ability many of the middle-aged automobile drivers. The teens are a period of physical and emotional adjustment. Even young people who are clearly headed for a very mature and stable adulthood sometimes pass through periods of wild, irresponsible, distressing activity. Although the storm and stress period may cause an awful uproar at the time, it apparently has little effect on the final result. The adult should play an important role in channeling youthful energy so that young people can let off steam in a manner that will do no harm to themselves or others. Youth is not “getting worse and worse” with each succeeding generation. Teen-agers do not live in a world of their own but in the world which everyone shares with them. Juvenile delinquency very clearly goes up and down with the changing ther¬ mometer of group and international tensions, with public calm and turmoil. Teen-agers are willing and anxious to work on their own problems, to clear their record. Society has never been better equipped to help them. Youth’s performance falls short of its ideals, but teen-agers know right from wrong and they do not have cynical, selfish moral standards. A generation ago young people were w orried almost exclusively about getting a job and getting ahead. Now they are much more concerned about international amity and the application of democratic principles to practical living. They are more interested in the square deal than the big deal. Hence, youth’s prospects are encouraging and this country has reason to feel optimistic about its rising generation. Joyce Hamilton Class Essay THE OPEN DOORS It was a lovely summer day with tiny, white puffs of clouds floating lazily across the blue sky when I closed the book I had just finished reading. Having enjoyed the book, I considered how T much I might have missed if, swayed by the general prejudice against a classic author, I had passed by this book. Then, as in a dream, I seemed to be surrounded by a multitude of open doors bearing such labels as art, literature, music, science and many others which I realized I had overlooked many times. I wondered, almost simultaneously, how ' many others were also missing the countless opportunities offered by these open doors. First, I considered literature and its numerous rewards. Most obvious, of course, is the deep, abiding pleasure one experiences as the imagination soars to un¬ dreamed of heights. However, beneath the surface lie such hidden treasures as a fuller understanding of human nature and a real sympathy for one’s fellow: men. Then a few strains of a lovely melody drifted into my reverie and I felt the immediate release from my everyday world into a completely new land of incredible beauty. Suddenly, the knowdedge of something beyond the material sent hope surging throught my heart. Then, as the last measures faded in the distance, I seemed to discover an exhibition of pictures, all the masterpieces of the ages. Somehow I knew ' that with better understanding would come the key which unlocks the doors of the past and may well fit those of the future. Finally, through the last door, I noticed a microscope and, peering into it, veils of mystery suddenly slipped away and knowledge stood out in all its glory, emitting a glow which brightened even the darkest corners. Later, considering this imaginative journey, I sincerely hoped that others might follow in my footsteps, to discover the endless vistas and opportunities for service to mankind which lie just beyond these open doors. Diana Reach