Sault Ste Marie High School - Northern Light Yearbook (Sault Ste Marie, MI)

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'A . 5 N Mamas WW .. W . mW Good Schools - Good Citizens - Good Government Stepping forth as citizens into an anxious world, both for Europe and the United States, we seniors should realize that the future of the American democratic form of government lies with us. The conflict on the battlefield of Europe will have an effect on our lives although it now seems remote. Not just a question of land is being decided, but a question of whether the democratic form of government will survive. Already small republics have fallen into the powers of the totalitarian states. England, one of the greatest of democratic countries, is now being tested. If England fails, we may be next to prove our worth. XVill the American form of government be able to stand such a test? This is a question of vital importance to us as the youth of America. For eighteen years we have been sheltered, al- lowed to enjoy the privileges such a government has to offer without being asked to do a single thing in return. We have been permitted to choose our subjects, join what clubs we wish, and say what we think in the classroom, at club meetings, and at home. No one has forced his beliefs on us. During these years, we have be- come so accustomed to the rule of the majority, freedom of speech and the press, and trial by jury, that we hardly realize their importance to us. But if we stop to think how angry we are when anyone denies us such rights, our govern- ment will appear a precious thing worthy of being passed on to our children as it was to us. Now emerging as adults, we can do something to perpetuate this government in appreciation of our protection and freedom. That some- thing is to make our government so strong that nothing can overthrow it. Service to our coun- try should be foremost in our minds. And the time has come when our country needs youth- ful vigor and enthusiasm to save democracy for future seniors. Not by dying futilely on the battlefield will we accomplish this, but by be- coming intelligent, level-headed citizens. Only with our help and backing can the problems of unemployment, graft, overproduction, and strikes, which give the United States a weak front, be solved. Democracy has given us an education to safeguard its continuance. We must utilize that education by becoming good citizens of that same democracy. To reveal in a fragmentary way how Sault High has prepared the class of 1940 for this task, these pages have been arranged to show how the American way of life is emphasized in halls, classrooms, and in extra-classroom activities.