Paris High School - Arena Yearbook (Paris, IL)

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A WORLD The Atlantic Charter embodies the ideals for which we fight; on it are based our hopes for an everlasting peace. The oppressed peoples of every downtrodden nation are waiting, hoping, praying, for the day when their fiendish masters will be forced to flee in fright, when the sound of marching liberators will fall upon their ears as a low roll of thunder, ominous in its portent to the aggressors, beautiful to the enslaved, the death knell to greed and tyranny, the voice of freedom resounding throughout the world! With liberation must come the proclamation of the Atlantic Charter and the Four Freedoms for every land. The eight points of the charter cover paramount questions which may arise in re- pairing the world after this terrible struggle is ended. It is this which must heal the raw wounds of war which have been inflicted on every nation of the world, whether or not they have taken active participation in the fight for right o:id justice. No country has remained absolutely unaffected and untouched by the war; all will have grievances and problems which must be solved quickly. The light of democracy shines throughout the Atlantic Charter. For example, the peoples of each nation are to be the ones who shall decide what type of government shall rule after the war in their own particular country. The Atlantic Charter sets forth our economic principles, too. The fullest collabor- ation between all nations in the economic field is desired. This will aid in securing for all improved labor standards, economic adjustment, and social security.

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THE ARENA THIS EDITION PUBLISHED BY THE SENIOR CLASS PARIS HIGH SCHOOL PARIS • ILLINOIS Co-Editors Mary Dickenson Howard Shipley Advisers Ruth Lindsey Maude E. Dorsett Mary Ida Riedell Volume XXXVI Photos by LYNN SANDERS Engraved by PONTIAC of Chicago Printed by WILLIAMSON PRESS

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FOR ALL MANKIND The statement that we wish no territorial addition whatsoever should go tar in winning over the nations who are distrustful of America at the present time. Access to the trade and raw materials of the world is guaranteed to all nations. In connection with this, freedom of the high seas is strongly advocated. The eighth and last point states our belief that all nations must come to the abandonment of the use of force, or else peace can never be maintained. The Four Freedoms form the foundation for the Atlantic Charter. Do we battle for the territory and possessions of others? Do we fight through greed and lust? Do we seek domination of the world? No, we fight that the world may be safe for all mankind; that each and all may live in an atmosphere of brotherly love, human kindness, and true equality. Can a man be really interested in world peace while his body is racked with pangs of starvation, while he cowers in some foul place, trembling in fright? Satis- fy his hunger, banish his fears, give him the right to speak and to worship as he pleases. Without these in- born rights, our high hopes for a world peace must surely fall, shattered into tiny bits by the cruelty of tyrants and the selfish thoughtlessness of the common roan, who have never considered the plight of their fellows. To the four corners of the earth, into every nation, every home, and every heart, must these freedoms and principles of the Atlantic Charter be carried. The path will be long, hard, and treacherous, but it must be traveled. We shall always be striving toward this goal, the essence of a perfect world peace. Then, and only then, will the peoples of the earth be in complete har- mony with one another. We, the youth of America, salute the Atlantic Charter and the Four Freedoms, and give our solemn pledge that, though the way be weary and the torch- light dim, they shall be ordained throughout the world.