Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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16 THE CHIMES CITY PARKING Maugaret Soule, ' 37 Have you ever tried to find a place to park a car in Boston somewhere near your desired destination? If you haven ' t, you ought to try it about four o ' clock some afternoon. A short while ago I went in town with my father and it took us fully twenty minutes to find a piece of curbing slightly less than twenty feet long. It may sound queer that this should be so hard to find, but we don ' t like to leave our car next to a red or yellow curb. We drove slowly past our destination, hoping against hope there would be a space near it, but there wasn ' t. We moved on, both keeping our eyes wide open. Oh! There is a place, I said; but when we got nearer, I saw a sign that said No Parking from 7 A. M. to 6 P. M. , and, as it was only 4 o ' clock, we rode on. A little farther along there was a space about forty feet long, but there was also a sign that said Taxi Stand — Two Cabs. We didn ' t con- sider ourselves in the taxi class — at least our car isn ' t checkered, even if it does do a great deal of taxiing. As we crept along, I noticed that we were going down Beacon Street, and there were over a dozen buses parked here with Special on the fronts of them. I learned that there was some kind of a labor dispute going on and people from Taunton were consulting or maybe insulting the Governor. Look! Isn ' t that a space? asked my father; but when we reached it, we saw an innocent-looking hydrant nestling on the curb. There is a car that is going out, I said; but it was a woman driver, and she decided to stay put. As it is a woman ' s privilege to change her mind, we could say nothing. That car is going out, and this time it ' s a man, said my father; but the car ahead of us had seen it too, so we had to keep going. By this time we were beginning to get discouraged, especially when we saw one car occupying a space large enough for two cars, but we finally found a space with no paint on it, no signs near it, and no hydrant. Now we had to walk over half a mile to accomplish a very simple errand. When we at last reached our destination, we saw a place directly in front of the store we were going to. Although it was difficult, we managed to rin and bear it. The only thing I can suggest is — when you want to park in Boston, offer a prayer first, and then keep your eyes peeled.

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THE CHIMES 15 THEY DO REPENT Sherman Gates, ' 40 The jury has found the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree. I hereby sentence you, the defendant, to die in the electric chair March 8, 1937, May God have mercy on thy soul. A silence, a murmur, and a sigh, but no words as a solemn, repentant figure leaves a dismal courtroom. The last hour is approaching. At last his fantastic vision of death is turned to reality. Regretful thoughts and tormenting reminiscences are reflected vividly upon his troubled countenance. Was this punishment by death a correction for one moment of heedless frenzy or a penalty for faulty upbringing? Now the long walk into the dirty-walled room, lonely and isolated, except for a giant armchair from which eternal rest emanates. The elec- trodes are adjusted. The switch is turned on. Now he lies limp; he speaks no words; he thinks no thoughts; and he breathes no life. His body is gone with life and its possibilities. Was society compensated for the loss it had suffered? That old idea relating to an eye for an eye might only be termed as a barbaric procedure. Is anything gained by such a procedure? Could it be satisfaction or content? Should our courts have the powe r to execute? Is life so valueless that we can afford to end it? The courts have taken it upon themselves to rule the destiny of man. The words of God are, Thou shall not kill. God is the only rightful prosecutor and he alone is the supreme governor of life and death. Some of us may say there is no cure for the hardened criminal. But this hardened character by patient and resourceful guidance may be melted and remoulded into new forms and patterns. In the prisons of the United States, our prisoners receive kind treatment and training. They partici- pate in sports and enjoy other home and educational assistance. Many of our prisoners have been found to be a help rather than a hindrance in our prisons for many have written excellent stories and possess other wonderful talents. Many have rendered the deepest service to mankind by giving their lives to medicine and science. Shouldn ' t a man who has been deprived of education and moral training receive these in a public institution rather than in a vast unknown? Should we continue to show such extravagance with human life? Those in the courts do make mistakes and the error of executing an innocent man can never be retrieved by anyone; his family and friends are forever deprived of his companionship. Life imprisonment could stave off such a fatal miscalculation. The inequity of the present system is plainly apparent. We shall never reach the height of civilization until we can fully esti- mate the value of a human life.

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THE CHIMES 17 SPRING Nancy Wordell, ' 39 I think spring is the loveliest time of the year. Everything wakes up and all the world seems to sing a refrain. The lawns, so long a withered brown, begin to take on a fresh green look; the baby buds swell and swell until one day they burst, or slowly unfold, according to their nature, into sweet, dainty, green leaves. The pussywillows open in the marshes, and crocuses and daffodils glow in rainbow array; and when a gentle April rain splatters down and the sun shines through, we see the never-equalled phenomenon of the real rainbow. Then the rain stops and the sun glows like a fiery ball until the tiny rain-drops on grass and leaves catch the beams and make the whole world sparkle with millions of nature ' s dia- monds and the air fills with the earthy smell of growing things. Glorious Spring spreads a carpet of buttercups and daisies over the fields and brings romance, in all its beauty, to the world. The birds begin to come back; you thrill to your First Robin of Spring, and you wist- fully watch him as he flies away. Perhaps you can hear the birds calling back and forth for their mates; and if you look closely, you may see them weaving the most exquisite homes on earth. If you live in the country, you watch the fields being sown and the soft green tips coming up to make the whole country-side a vast checker- board of varying greens. If you live by the ocean, you watch it change from the dark sullenness of winter to the deep, laughing blue of spring. The sand seems to vibrate with new life, and every rock seems to glisten with some magic brilliance. Even if you live in the city, you can see and feel unmistakable signs of spring. The lowly grass, bravely pushing its way up through the cracked pavement, heralds the spring; the trees in the park and the bright beds of tulips sing their ode to spring. The small children riding in the swan-boats on the pond, the pigeons and squirrels, all contribute their part to the festivities. Spring is the time when young and old, alike, play and romp and go exploring. Spring is the one time of year when Nature surpasses herself and gives the world the beautiful glamour and true sense of Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men, the sense of love. A Sensitive Soul Sexton and Appleton were seated in a crowded trolley. The latter, noticing that Sexton had his eyes closed, said: Aren ' t you feeling well? I ' m all right, said Sexton, but I do hate to see ladies standing. Mr. Atkinson: What is a racketeer? Susy Hill: I suppose it ' s one of those tennis professionals.