Plymouth High School - Pilgrim Yearbook (Plymouth, MA)

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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.

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The Threshold Of The Atom The class of 1952 is the eighth class to graduate into the atomic age. Just eight years ago next August, the bomb that shattered a Japanese city, as we all know, gave man a greater power to destroy man, and with it, a tremendous impact of choice-to kill or let live. However, we are one of the first classes actually graduating into a world using atomic pow- er toward peace. In fact, within this year, the first atomic furnace was constructed in Harwell, England-a furnace which will not need refueling until late in the Twentieth Century. Here is a definite stepping stone on the path toward constructive use of this potent atomic energy-. Prompt- ed by the installation of this miracle at Harwell, plans are being com- pleted to run ships and even planes by atomic power, and to further facili- tate production throughout the world by this energy. It is because we feel that this atomic energy will play a vital part in our futures that we use it for the PILGRIM theme. A threshold is an entrance. An entrance is no more than the site be- tween the place you came from and the place you want to go. It is the opportunity involved that makes the threshold an inspirational spot. As a person standing at the doorway, to a church might well approach the altar to pray, as a worker entering a factory might well approach his machine to work, and as the student entering the schoolroom might well approach his desk to think, so should the youth standing at the doorway to an atomic age pray and work and think-all toward a purpose. What is our purpose? For most of us, fame and wealth are not so important as security and happiness. Among the 150 of us there will be scientists and technicians who will endeavor in new paths of the atomic field. There will be teachers and ministers who will develop logic and human understanding. There will be skilled workers who will facilitate their work by atomic power, and there will be workers of all types who will benefit from the storehouse of atomic knowledge. In this modern age, it is not now a problem to seek an interesting occupation but a prob- lem to choose from the vast opportunities offered. Opportunity has never yet been bounded by fences or ocean or atmosphere. The atomic age, however, holds more than a scientific meaning. It in- cludes consideration of human relations. For God-for Friend-for Coun- try is a challenge that requires us to give of our very best to three agencies and that one that discourages us from crowding out one in favor of the others. For one living in such a complex age, thought must there- fore become three-dimensioned. Difficult to become a worth-while citizen in a highly scientific age? Yes, but easier now to steer on the highway than to creep out of a blind alley later. You, Miss P.H.S. and You, Mr. P.H.S, and all your friends, with the aid of Mr. A. Tom hold the raw materials to make the world more interesting and useful and inspirational. Only one ingredient is missing and that is YOU. MARILYN GRIFFITH, Editor-in-Chief IN APPRECIATION On behalf of the PILGRIM Staff, the Editor-in-chief would like to thank Mr. Roland Holmes, the PILGRIM advisor, for his faithful guid- ance, Mrs. Margaret Brown, the art advisor, for her co-operation and time, Richard Blaisdell and his art staff who have worked overtime in the PIL- GRIM art work, and Sylvia Melahoures, who has always been prepared and willing to take any number of candids.