Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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14 ordering from a boatyard. This method of procuring a boat is the best if. and onh if, vou don ' t object to waiting five or six seasons. Re- member this: the art of procrastination was developed in the Middle Ages by boatbuilders. and as they have been practising this lazv habit all through the years, they are just about per- fect at it now. Buying a boat second-hand is bad business too. for nobody will sell a boat for less than ten times its true value. Now that I have shown just how impossible it is to get a boat, there ' s nothing left for vou people who don ' t own one to do except to dis- continue your reading unless, of course, vou want to continue on general principles. Now 1 11 tell ()U who are left, all about sail- ing. But before )ou get into the actual sailing, however, you should know the different parts of the boat and their use. To begin. At the back of the boat, or as you shall henceforth call it. the stern, is a flat, queerly-shaped piece of wood. This is known as a rudder. The rudder has two purposes: first, to steer the boat: and second, to support the tiller. The tiller, in turn, is used to support your hand, which turns the tiller itself, which, in turn, turns the rudder. Do you follow me? Moving forward, you will discover in your path, a seat, or in nautical terms a thwart. The most important thing that this thwart is good for is for sitting upon. That pole before vou now is the mast. Those ropes from the to|) of the mast to the sides of the boat are called shrouds, while that from the bow to the mast is the forestay. It lends moral support to the jib. Those ropes from the jib- clew and the end of the boom are called sheets. Doubtless some of you are wondering what that large, hollow, flatiron-shaped thing underneath you is. Sailors refer to this as the hull. The duty of the hull is to support the rudder, the mast, and at times ourself. The onh parts of the boat left undescribed are the centerboard and the halyards. The centerboard prevents side-slip and the halyards are used for hauling up the sails. The may be referred to as hal- vards. haillards. or those-ropes-up-front-that- pull-up-the-sails. Now that you are fully acquainted with your little craft. I will begin the preliminary sailing instructions. First: there are five principal sailing maneuvers: running, or going before the wind: reaching, or going across the wind: coming about: jibbing: and cajjsizing. The latter is not recommended but is inevitable. Second: a warning, never go sailing when the wind is blowing: it s too dangerous. Third: forget all that I have told you and take up golf. MORE OR LESS Pntrici-a McLean. ' 43 A simple little sign. you say, ' hat difference can it make? But oh. the direful consequence That follows this mistake W hen misplaced minus quantities Come trouping in its wake! For oh. the treacherous minus sign Must neer be trusted far; Tis wont to lurk among the terms And right solutions bar; Or stand before parentheses ith power to make or mar. L nlike the plus, this sign will oft Our hearts with mourning deck. By making our completed work An algebraic wreck. Though we ' ve tried through many ])recious hours In ain. to make it check. Oh. all ve little Freshmen, ho ho er round the gate Of higher mathematics. Beware of this sad fate! And watch the minus quantities. — Their values estimate. O erlook them not in factoring: Against their trickeries guard. Else life and school and algebra Become extremely hard hen you find some misplaced minus In red. upon your card! THE HUNT Fay Joseph. ' 44 It was a clear October morning. The shrill cry of the hounds proved thai the hunt was being made readv. The distant sound of the bu le whs heard. Thev were off! They cantered down the bright green field, making an exquisite picture — the men in their gay red coats, and the women in their smooth, shiny skirts and caps. The vehet- like coats of the thoroughbreds reflected the warm glow of the sunshine as the galloped along the woodland path. There was the dismal ba ing of the hound . The hunters plunged over the jump, all but one. speeding onward — onward! At last the dogs picked up a scent! as it a fox? — Silver or red?

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dimes 13 CITIZENS OF TOMORROW Or in Gould, ' 41 Throughout the nation the month of June is anxiously awaited by all high school seniors. When June arrives, our long-cherished dream of graduation will become a reality. Although we shall be proud and happy to be members of a graduating class, we cannot but look back on what have perhaps been our happiest years. From the first grade of school until the year of graduation, the school children of America are taught to become good citizens. Our teachers have taught us the blessings of liberty and democracy. They have shown us what a truly great thing it is to have a country to live in that is free from the social upheaval which is so prevalent in the old world. We have been given the opportunity to learn and judge for ourselves what is right and what is wrong. Most of us have formed opinions of our country, and the standards by which it is run. No more loval supporters of this great nation can be found than the graduating students of today, who are lo be the citizens of tomorrow. Through the many years of our schooling, we have all been obliged to observe the custom of saluting our flag. In that simple pledge we find embodied the reason that our country has endured through many storni years. All good Americans know the simple pledge, but it can never be repeated too often. I pledge alle- giance to the flag of the Ignited States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible with liberty and justice for all. The thoughts behind this pledge will endure as long as there is an America, for they are America. When the graduating students are handed their diplomas, they will have received an instrument that will enable them to make a start toward engraving forever their names on the face plate of the world, as the defenders of right over might. Although we may not all become figures of repute in this mightv nation, we all have a mission to fulfill, which we will try to do to the best of our ability. Upon the shoulders of America ' s citizens of the future rests the burden of carrving on the true spirit of Americanism. In a world torn by wars and new orders, this task may seem too great, but it is not if we face the world with a stout heart and a smiling face. Many of us may feel that we are stepping into a world which neither needs us nor wants us. but this is not true: we are needed and will soon find our place in the world, although its importance rests with us alone. Of all the graduating classes that have issued forth from high schools through the years, none have had to face times that quite compare with those of today. When we read our newspapers and magazines or listen to the radio, we are engulfed by sights and sounds of bloodshed and hate. In Europe young people of our age are graduating from military schools to the front line trenches, instead of from high school into colleges or jobs. We must strive to make our country a nation of goodwill and prosperity, instead of a nation of hate and greed. From the East to the West and from the North to the South, America ' s finest are being groomed for their part on the great stage of life. We shall step forth with courageous hearts to take our place in the whirlwind of destin . Before we turn the page on Chapter One of our book of time, we should take one more glance at our high school years. Without the patient hours of study we should not be well prepared for our sojourn into life. In parting, we must not forget our teachers, who with valiant efforts have given us the tools to finish writing our book of time, as America ' s citizens of tomorrow. Over there the light of right is burning low. It is your duty and my duty as future citizens to see that America ' s light of right will never die. ON THE BOUNDING MAIN Herbert Friese, ' 41 How many times have you looked out upon the clear blue summer waters of the ocean and watched little white sailboats gracefully bumping into each other? How many times have you wished to be in one of these boats with your hand on the tiller peacefully sailing here and there? What! Never! Then stop reading right here. - - - - Well, now that there ' re just a few of you left. I ' ll continue. - - - - Ah. but what kind of a boat? If your first thought is a motor boat or a stoneboat, you. too, can stop reading now. Of course, a sailboat! There are many kinds of sailboats; but as the sloop is the commonest and the easiest to handle, that is the kind for you. Now that you know what to get, how to get it? There are many ways, such as home- building, ordering from a boatyard, or buying second-hand. We ' ll disregard home-building because if you could build a seaworthy boat, you wouldn ' t need to read this. Now about

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15 They flew onward over the level meadows and down the shady woodland lanes. Over one more hill and the prize would he won! Who would obtain it. that silvery fox. to mount it with his other trophies. The puffing steeds mounted the slope and stared at the hounds that were huddled over the prize. One rider called out. The first to arrive fiets it. Four of the most skillful riders reached the scene first. An unpleasant odor filled the air. The prize was a skunk! NOW SMILE Wi ' liam Brad lee. ' 42 Among the definitely less tastier events of the scholastic season is the annual ordeal of picture taking;. Bein ' r very unphotogenic. I would go to almo-rt any extreme in an attempt to dodge this terrifying experience. Let me just attem|jt to describe a typical picture. I am in a classroom working very, very hard as usual when in prances a member of the high school orchestra, excitedly waving a notice to the effect that the orchestra are going to have their picture taken for the Chimes. Im- mediately I sit bolt upright, knocking the books in front of me belter skelter all over the floor, with the definite im|)ulse to run home. On shaking legs I proceed to exit from the room, almost fainting between the room and the auditorium, where the picture is to be taken. The rest of the orchestra stagger in, and amid the sly glances and knowing smiles of the last group photographed, we are lined up in front of the camera. If there is any thing that makes cold sweat stand out on my face, that infernal mechanism is it. That is one of the few inventions which to my thinking is a complete drawback to civili- zation. How an man heartless enough to invent a machine which would harass his fellow men as the camera does can have the audacity to accept the Nobel peace prize is beyond my minute mind. Being tall. I am placed right smack dab in the dead center, trembling with uncontrollable vio- lent undulations. ( Don t bother looking at the oichestra |)icture to see: take my word for it). The orchestra is arranged and rearranged and finally is judged O.K. That ' s that. But I soon find out that isn ' t that. The orchestra are told to quit fidgeting with their respective instruments. The director is told to put his legs together and to quit pulling his socks up. The sax player is told to lower his head. The back line is told to cease swaying to and fro. and I ' m told to quit hanging on to the kid next to me (little do they know I hang on to keep from colla psing.) At this point the photographer crawls under the mvsterious hood on the camera and feeds us the line that we ' re the best-looking group to come yet. I Of course everyone in the band is too modest to swallow that. I We are told to smile; so we all smile, but the picture is not taken until the smiles have all fad d awav and everyone is looking dumb — well, I look dumb anyway (no cracks please I. The toughest thing to do in this world is to smile at a camera when some one is watching you. The camera clicks, and I am amazed at the fact that it doesn ' t burst into a flare of flames ?nd completely disintegrate. Another picture ( Happv days, so called — Everyone smile now ' ) is taken and still no crack appears di- agonally across the lens. I conclude they must have special tough cameras for jobs like this. Then we are told to return to our classes, and I race through corridors anxious to get back to my dear old studies. Soon I find myself lost in some such interesting thing as The Life of Mamaduke Pipplehoff or Berstein ' s Law of Emotion. Finall) the pictures come out. I take one look at them and think they look like well, take a look yourself. THE PINES Cornelia Leitli, ' 41 Down in the meadow when I was small Three oung pines grew along the stone wall. Tall and straight in the morning sun. They lived each day as though just begun. When the wind was blowing and the sun was high. How they could toss their green heads to the sky And stoop low to touch their skirts to the earth Or start shaking together in make-believe mirth. Two men came through a long while ago. Said one to the other. Those three pines must ?:o. The sound of their axes rang through the air Until the trees fell and the sky was bare. In the meadow the sun no longer shines; The old stone wall is covered with vines. » Irate customer: Well, waiter, I suppose I can sit here til I starve. Waiter: Sorry; no sir, we close at eleven.