Oak Grove Coburn High School - Oak Leaves Yearbook (Vassalboro, ME)

Page 18 text:

OAK LEAVES heat, makes it a mecca for visitors during th-e whole year, but especially in April and May which are the hottest months in the lowlandfs. The beautiful United States Army Post, Camp John Hay, is not far from my home. We often go there to see th-e Igorot women Weaving G strings and blankets, and occasionally to attend Canao, which is usually given in honor of some visiting celebrity. Among the soldiers at Camp Hay are Igorots from almost every non-christian tribe of the Mountain Province. The Bontocs, Ifuguaos, and Kalingas are the warlike head hunt- ing tribes from the land of the famed Rice Terraces, and the peaceful Benguet Igorots are those who live in and around Baguio. At a Canao each one of these tribes gives an interpretation of some of its native dances, as taught by their parents, and such as were actually danced back in their native villages in celebration of Marriage , Victorious Head Hunting Expeditions , Rice Planting and Harvest Time . I could ramble on for hours telling you of the many interesting things in the Philippines. Do you know that Dr. Fulton of Yale just made a trip over here by Clipper to get a Tarsius monkey in Bohol which is the only place in the world they can be found? I could tell you of my trip to beauti- ful Zamboanga on the Island of Mindanao, Moro Land, where the monkeys really do have tails, so don't believe the song. I cannot complete this panorama of Baguio without mentioning the most important industry, gold mining, for the Philippines produce more gold than Alaska and the Benguet Consolidated mine and its subsidiary, Balatoc, are among the richest gold mines in th-e world. They have given em- ployment to many thousands of Igorots who formerly maintained only a bare existence by farming some small plot in these rugged mountains. As a result these Igorots, now grown prosperous, swarm into Baguio on pay day to make the Baguio Market Place a colorful scene. The Philippine Archipelago lies about six hundred miles southeast of China and five hundred miles north of the Equator. There are about one thousand inhabited and six thousand uninhabited islands in the group. The largest is our island, Luzon, which compares in size with the combined areas of Maine, Massachusetts and Connecticut. Do you realize that I can leave Manila by Clipper at five o'clock in the morning, have lunch in Hong- kong, and return to Manila the same day in time for dinner? I wish you might all fly over to visit us. With fond memories of Oak Grove and best wishes to you all, ANN CLEMENT. . TWILIGHT The smoky sky with the rosy streaks: The place where the foothills waver, cease g And the fairy mists over the hills Bring a feeling of mystery and peace, Hauntingly tender, hauntingly sweet. 16

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OAK LEAVES YOU Lilacs Budding, Breath of spring, Warmth of sunlight On the world, Light on your face- Your face I know so well And hold so dearly, Sunlight on your face- And love in my heart. ANON., '38. A LETTER FROM THE PHILIPPINES It is only a year ago that I was Waving good bye to you and dear Oak Grove where I had such happy days. I shall never forget Oak Grove or Mrs. Owen. This year finds me at home in Baguio, on the Island of Luzon which is about halfway around the world from Maine, or approximately twelve thousand miles. By boat from San Francisco it takes twenty-one days, stopping at Honolulu, Yokohama, Kolb-e, Shanghai, Hongkong and Manila, but by Pan American lClipper the trip can be made in live days and that b-rings us much closer. Baguio which is about a hundred and twenty-five miles north of Manila can be reached in one hour by train and is a unique city, more like a beauti- ful park in a forest of stately pines atop green clad mountains. Although one mile above sea level, its ideal climate which never knows frost or severe B1 .r 15

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OAK LEAVES Royal blue now decends on the earth, Trees, young and old, grow velvety-dark And nod grotesquely at the sky. We'll sleep 'til we hear the song of the lark, Hauntingly tender, hauntingly sweet. ANN BLACK, '40 IRONY SUPREME 'Tis Christmas night, when shepherds, Who watched their flocks, heard angels sing, 'Tis Christmas night, when over all the world, Some twenty hundred years ago, peace reigned, And a Holy -Child was in a manger laid, Because there was no room within the inn, And the Three Wise Men came, adoring, And bearing gifts, gold, frankincense, and myrrh, And yet tonight in Bethlehem, Before the place wherein the Child was born, Stand men in khaki, bearing guns, Stand armored cars, and hate, and fear. Are these the gifts ye bring the Child- The Child who was the Son of God, Who died for us upon a cross, That we might have eternal peace? TO- All fair and lovely things I give to thee- The sudden splendor of the ocean's blu-eg The whiteness of beaches in the sung The purity of birchesg The silence of a summer afternoon, The mournful sighing of the pines, Green moss in a shadowy wood, Elves' cups on a knotted stump, A tiny spotted fawn beside a brookg A soft, 'blue hour, just 'before darkg The crickets' cheerful song, 17 E., '38