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

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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

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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 The worldless majesty of starsg That one still hour, before dawn, That brings self-knowledge, proud and unafraidg The hand of a friend in time of needy A friend's eyes in a crowded room, The safe knowledge of sure loveg Understanding and pity for humanity- These goodly things I give to thee. W., '38. BRIEF INTERLUDE The water lapped rhythmically 'against the boat lying at anchorage within the sandy bar, as I lay stretched on the deck. The sunbeams danced upon the ripples that played along the side of the boat and the green water that was as clear as glass seemed as deep as the sky was high. I could hear the mewing of the gulls flashing by overhead, the Whistling of the soft wind blowing through the eel grass at the Water's edge and the low clang of a distant bell buoy. Along the horizon rose great mountains of white clouds broken only by the huge rocks which stretched upward, bleak and bare, towards which the breakers sprang as young, joyous and impa- tient hounds. As I gazed at the cloudls, I discerned a smudge of grey and soon felt the long, even swell that rose and fell betokening an approaching storm. The birds flew higher, uttering discordant cries and the rigging hummed mournfully as the boat began to lurch in the choppy Water. I furled the sails, and stowed the jib as the mast creaked to and fro. The wind had increased to a gale and the boat pitched at her anchor as the waves bore her hither and thither. Dark, foaming vbillows dashed over the bow and then like the boom of a gun, the storm broke from the murky blackness. Torrents of rain fell and the hail skidded across the water treacherously as the lightning streamed across the somber water. Then the wind shifted to the northwest and steadily diminished as the sun struggled through the low-lying clouds to touch the tops of the green waves chasing each other past the boat. With a swish and a swash the boat again lay at anchor, and no signs of th-e preceding squall were visible. The sea, though it responds to the race of the winds and -becomes a lake of stormy waters, responds as quickly to the softer moods of the West wind and becomes almost as placid as a mill pond. In the depths below, the waters preserve their undisturbed calm though the surface may roll with towering waves. Even so, now and again, we meet great souls who, like the deep hidden waters, keep the even tenor of their peaceful lives unaffected- by th-e thousand disturbing currents and cross purposes which threaten their lives with tumult and storm. W BETTY Bnooxs, '39. 18