Plymouth High School - Pilgrim Yearbook (Plymouth, MA)

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THE PILGRIM 3 but also of heedlessness. When we are prejudiced or opionated we see ourselves only. Our minds are diseased because we have no fair outlook upon life. We suppose we understand things, events, and persons, but our understanding is vague. If we knew more we would arrive at different conclusionsg it is as if we looked on the silver side of a shield without seeing what is on the other side of it. Indeed we can all recall at least one trifling mistake which has been worked through prejudice on our part, and now we wonder how we could make such a mistake. But are there not now some things in which we are still prejudiced? If once we were in error, it is possible that we are many times. We should try to understand the opinions opposite to our own, for it is probable that when we have discovered the reasons for another man's opinions, our own reasons are likely to change. More- over, we can not thrust others' rea- sons aside as wrong unless we know what they really are. Prejudice has never been up- rooted, and no great attempt has been made to kill it. It is the pur- pose of some classes of peoplehto prejudice their comrades in order to obtain what they would seek from them. Our courts .furnish such an example where both the defense and prosecuting attorneys try to prejudice the jurors for or against the defendant. In this Way many a guilty man has been acquitted and innocent man con- victed. Truth is but exactness, and only when we are free from prejudice can we honestly find it. B. BRINI '25 'DO THE STRONG To the strong hand and strong head, the capacious lungs and Vig- orous frame, fall, and will always fall, the heavy burdensg and where the heavy burdens fall, the great prizes fall, too. -Laws of Life. The first element of success needed by the boy or girl to achieve the ideal set before him is bodily strength, a stout physical constitution. Until within a re- cent period, possibly this last year in our school, little or no attention has been paid to physical culture except by those few interested in the school sports and those we know are very few in comparison to the number of pupils. Now that we have a real op- portunity to participate in real physical culture, though it takes the form of the dreaded calisthen- ics, let us accept this opportunity and do these things to the best of our ability. The slovenly habit formed by some of the pupils in doing their calisthenics is indica- tive of the way they will perform their future duties. We all know that it is at this period of our lives that our great- est development comes, both men- tally and physically, and we can- not do ourselves justice mentally if we neglect our bodies. Time was when the youth was urged to burn the midnight oil in poring over his books, but the foremost educators of the day realize the faulty procedure of the past and much more stress is laid on physi- cal well-being than heretofore. At one time muscle was associated with rowdies, long-windedness with chatter and swearing, and tallness was the only sign of virtue, the model young man being lanky, pale, and preferably clerical in appearance. But a revolution has taken place and we find in the schools and colleges the young man who excels not only in the athletic field but in his studies as well, as for example, the last two years have seen Charles Hubbard, a Harvard football captain, who also led his class in his studies, and Keith Kane, captain of the

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2 THE PILGRIM no difference to us how we suc- ceed so long as we do succeed? Is this to be considered the legiti- mate conduct of commerce from a commercial viewpoint? If so- alas for us! Why do we make hundreds of laws to prevent practices which we are employing thousands of lawyers to permit us to follow with impunity? Why do we try to justify shady dealings under the name of clever financeering? Almost anybody can make money if he doesn't care how he does it, but it must be pretty poor fun. There is true adventure and drama and sport in the right kind of businessg in putting in one's best and watching its effect. We are a world power. We are known as a great business people. Let us also be known for our in- tegrity and uprightness in the smallest particulars of our busi- ness dealings. ' M. RICHARD '25 VERSATILITY The old saying Jack of all trades, master of none is not in- fallible. There are, certain sub- jects upon which everyone should be fairly well-informed, and some of us have absolutely no knowledge of them, or at best a hazy con- ception of their principles. The call of ten years ago was for specialization. To do one little thing and do it well became an ideal. It is a fine idea, but un- fortunately for the world today it was much overdone, and its effect is still painfully evident in some lives. In the commercial world the principle has been carried to an extreme, and we see daily laborers doing over and over again the same tedious tasks-tasks which come to be performed mechanically and bring no pleasure to the doer. It is a regrettable state of affairs, and we are glad that it is being somewhat checked. In the world of education, how- ever, the need for the spreading of general knowledge is acute. It is a big subject and it will be long before the situation is greatly remedied. All pupils should' be given some knowledge of for- eign languages and history, as well as the politics of the day. Also, music hath charms which many persons go through life without realizing. When will peo- ple in general begin to put a little time and thought on the matter of better informing themselves on the wonders of this world of ours? It is possible for the average mind to study and appreciate the subjects already mentioned. A knowledge of the different re- ligions, astronomy, botany, and the arts can be gained by all, and life will thereby become more in- teresting. EVA MANTER '26 l.-L-l-. PREJUDICE Prejudice is an old tree whose roots lie fixed in the minds of the masses of people, and whose branches, extending far and wide, are superstition, perverseness, ob- stinacy, headstrong will and opin- ionativeness. The obstinate, that is, prejudiced man, always be- lieves himself to be right in the matter at hand. His weakness is his refusal to consider and failure to understand the need for further investigation. The case with him is quite settledg he alone is right: all others are obstinate in their difference of opinion. George the Third and Philip the Second were men of this type. One characteristic of prejudice can be seen in the expression I don't care. With neither patience nor reason it forces us on to sense- less acts for which we later suffer. It is not only a case of obstinacy,

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4 THE PILGRIM crew and also a leader of his class. It is not necessary that we play football, baseball, or go out for trackg all of us cannot do those things, but we can do our calis- thenics which, done right, are fully as valuable. The value of calisthenics is recognized by the great educators and by all those interested in athletics. It is a daily feature of the soldier in camp. Calisthenics is not new! It is hundreds and hundreds of years old. The ancient Greeksg how well we remember their feats of strength and endurance: they knew well the value of calisthen- icsg the soldiers were forced to do them, the orators, the poets, the statesmen, all gained strength of mind as well-as body by the sys- tematic drill of the palwstra, and we have the opportunity for this every day in our high school life. Let us not be slovenly in our calis- thenics. It is apt to show too much of our methods of doing other things as well as prove a detriment to our physical and mental well-being. D. W. SUTHERLAND '27 ON OPPENHEIM The wide field of contemporary writers includes many who lay claim to popularity, but there are few who can claim to have pro- duced in a lifetime more than one or two actually popular novels. The evident exception is Zane Grey, who has a best seller almost year- ly. Barring this writer there are few who attain a more consistent popularity than E. Philips Oppen- heim. He has many high school readers and the uncertainty of his exact reputation makes him an in- teresting topic for discussion. His published novels are many but there are few that are of great worth. There is an enormous gap between The Great Impersonation and The Great Prince Shan. In the former he is a veritable master of mystery, in the latter The is writing to earn a living and, al- though that is a perfectly respecta- able and necessary part of life, it seldom produces masterpieces. The rule held true in this case-The Great Prince Shan is hardly worth the time. Oppenheim has a distinct and definite style which does not vary. His conversational treatment gives the desired effect. His characters speak as you expect people of their station to speak-his greatest as-' set. The description is often good but the methods he uses to give effects are not so well worked out. His method of giving a luxurious effect is too worldly. For instance, an oft-repeated way is to give a man a Malacca cane when he wishes to show needless expendi- ture. This rather obvious manner is also characteristic of Locke, who substitutes Corona cigars for the Malacca cane. A critic once de- clared that Oppenheim had a pe- culiar knack of producing a happy ending from a hopeless plot. It is all too true, the probability of the plot is often sacrificed to gain this end. E. Philips Oppenheim is not a classic writer but he allows the world to wonder whether or not he could be if he tried. Personally we do not believe he could accom- plish the thingg on the other hand he is probably very wise in not attempting anything which might affect his reputation. He realizes that he has not built a monument of immortal fiction and seems sat- isfied to produce fascinating plots to interest the people of his own time. H. WESTON '26