Salem High School - Witch Yearbook (Salem, MA)

Page 13 text:

“A new day has begun, the star-ways must he won.” — Georgia Douglas Johnson Yes, a new day has begun, the age of Aquarius is upon us. It began in 1904 and will last for two thousand years. In contrast to the previous Age of Pisces, the age of Aquarius will he characterized by brotherhood, scientific advancement, and peace. Already we have made some motions in the direction of these three ideals. The Civil Rights marches and demonstrations, the Space Program and the protests on the Viet Nam War have brought us a little closer to our goals. The predictions of the Aquarian Age introduce the theme of this year- book. We have attempted to combine three separate hut closely related themes; man’s vast potential, the promise of youth, and the joy of being, into one theme which expresses an optimistic outlook on life and a hopeful attitude towards the future. 9

Page 15 text:

EDITORIAL THE POET SPEAKS How much living have you done? From it the patterns that you weave Are imaged : Your own life a totem pole, Your yard of cloth Your living How much loving have you done? How full and free your giving? For living is but loving And loving only giving — Georgia Douglas Johnson It is often said that graduation from High School is the threshold of life. But I venture to say that some of us have already begun to live and some of us never will. It we have been able to open ourselves to others, if we have tried to care, then we have begun to live. When we are ready to cast off our disguises and stand naked to the hearts of others then we have begun to live. When we have shown our true inner selves we are most susceptible to the pains of life. When we are not protected by our armors of false confidence or shyness we have no defenses. The pain is felt most acutely, but pain is a constant part of life. We must not withdraw into our armors from its sting but rather we must become strong and overcome it. Every man’s true goal, no matter how he tries to attain it, is happiness. To reach this goal in life one must be capable of caring and loving unselfishly. In other words, in order to be fulfilled one must reveal his soul and in revealing his soul he is giving the most important of all things, himself. We must remember this as we enter this new phase of life. It is true that now our real test comes. We had the excuse of adolescence, hut adults have none. If we do not learn to give, to love, then we will never live. We will be hollow, empty people, frustrated, lonely and bitter. We must learn to be real people, compassionate and whole. Then we will not stand alone but rather hand-in-hand. Christine O’Connor Literary Editor