Plymouth High School - Pilgrim Yearbook (Plymouth, MA)

Page 4 text:

To Mrs. Miriam Raymond in Appreciation for Thirty Years of Service to Plymouth High School The many'gifts she gave to us Have filtered through her words and deeds, Have pierced the coverings of our youth To satisfy our lacks and needs: A confidence to face the years With firm intent and strength of soul, To let the gold of righteousness Lead us firmly to our goal.- To cross the fields, the mighty hills With gentle but determined tread, To smear no man for eiTort's gain- Erase the words best left unsaid. To fill the flowing stream of life With impetus and urge to strive, To let the plan precede the word, And nourish thoughts to make them thrive. And not to slack when others stop But take the places of the weak, To waste no time, no word, nor space And not to cringe for what we seek. We dedicate to. such a friend Who taught, advised, and paid us heed,- A work of words, and place our thanks On one so blessed as to lead. M. G.

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The Threshold Uf The Future The present is no more than that thin edge of time that em- braces this moment. Before you began to read these words they were in the futureg when you reach the last word printed here they will be a part of your past. We live forever on the thres- hold of the future. But in a broad- er and somewhat looser sense your Commencement may be looked upon as the most significant in this constantly progressing series of thresholds to date. For that oc- casion marks the end of your rela- tively care-free school days and the advent of the duties and re- sponsibilities which will certify your manhood. This is not to imply that between one instant and the next, you will suddenly grow up. But it does mean that from then on your attitude must change from that of one aspiring to grow up to that of one who can prove he is growing up. Essentially it is the difference between the school and the world: the first encourages you to grow, the second demands proof that you have grown. You are on your own. Being on your own there are many things you must be on your guard against, and I could spend pages of type warning you of these. However, I shall content myself with exposing two of these dangers and leave to parents and friends all the others. They are: Q10 'Tm as good as any other man , and 12.1 'Tm entitled to my own opinion. Neither of these statements is true, altho each. of them contains just enough of the truth to give rise to confusion and at times embarrassment. Consider ifl. above. In the eyes of God and before the law you are as good as the next man-but beyond that you are only as good as you prove yourself to be. Obviously you aren't the equal of Joe Louis, or Joe DiMaggio, or Mario Lanza, or J. Edgar Hoover, or Chief Justice Vinson in their respective fields, or of hundreds of others whom you can easily think of. To put it plainly: in the eyes of the world you are only as good as the world is willing to grant, you must fight to establish yourself at your own evaluation. Consider 32. You are entitled only to express your opinion, no more than that. Having expressed it you may have demonstrated nothing ex- cept that you are hasty to speak and not too clear in thinking. For your opinion is valueless unless it is based upon an adequate number of rele- vant facts and is the product of deep and straight thinking. Far better to say I'm responsible for my opinion than to say I'm entitled to it. All too often the argumentative critter who maintains the latter finds in the end that he is stuck with his opinion. Hence it is no more than good sense to be sure of your facts, reserve judgment, and speak only when what you have to say will do some good. - Carry the above items over the threshold into your future and you will find them useful there.