Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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IS HOMEWORK A LA MODE Frances Williams, ' 43 | yrxa ||I EAT iiivenlioii. the radio. I think as |ip =4 I turn the aforemenlioned on. having |l til already sharpened my pencils and col- lecled niy books |)reparatory to doing fjm homework. I am hoping lo hear some II I music, but no luck! As the sounds grow more distinct, what do I hear but someone extolling the merits of the corn cereal. Korny. Maybe the product is corny, but it has nothing on the announcer. 1 think savagely to myself as 1 turn the dial. The sound of nuisic strikes my ear. liopefulh 1 adjust the dial lo bring the station in more clearly. This lime 1 hear Anton Dvorak ' s Hu- moresque as played by the New York Philhar- monic Orchestra, no less. Grindy I go on turning the dial. Soon I am given explicit directions as to how to get the most for my money by buying Sud-z, the new improved soap for washday. Buy some TO- DAY! In this same harsh, raspy voice I hear the usual plaintive queries: Will our friends return safely? Does Maggie Snoop find her lost lover? Listen tomorrow to ' The Life of Maggie Snoop ' and find out. With great disgust I turn the dial to yet an- other station. My ears prick u|) (figuratively, of course) as I hear Glenn Millers orchestra. Blissfully I settle back to enjoy it and start my homework I never can do anything unless I ' m listening to the radio I . Now it ' s all fixed, not so soft that I have to make an effort to listen to it nor yet so loud that I have to make an effort not to listen to it. Did you ever try to concentrate on The House of Seven Gables while listening to In the Mood ? The picture of Hepzibah and Clifford hearing such music strikes my fancy. I chuckle silently to myself, still automatically turning the pages, but. strangely enough, missing half the story. I am brought suddeidy back to my senses by a call equivalent to Come and gel it! Will I. I think, and fall half way downstairs in my frenzied attempts to get to the table. Supper over, dishes done, once again I turn m thoughts to homework. Again 1 ha e the same diflicullies wilii connnercials. Why were they ever invented? That sounds like I Love a Mystery ' — I must listen to that. Neverthe- less, 1 pick up Cicero, determined to do or die. Soon I have Jack and Doc fighting. Mithradates and Cicero all mixed up in a bear trap. So 1 leave Cicero where he is and turn again lo Jack and Doc. After they have finished their exploit; for another week. I try my luck with math. Soon the telephone rings. 1 pull busily down, oidy to have some innocent soul ask how tht- math problems are done. I chase upstairs to find my math book, tripping over everything in sight, not to mention the things out of sight. Victo- rious. I again arrive at the phone. Not having llie first idea how the problems are done, I sit down and start explaining, hoping the inspi- ration will come. As usual 1 end u|) taking th- direi lions. Math s all done. I sing trium- phantly to myself. Upstairs again 1 think. There s an essay that really should be written tonight. Il ' s two days late already: still belter late than never. I sit down, pencil poised just ready to set my inspira- tions down. There ' s just one thing wrong, — I have no inspirations. Accordingly I think. A few more days won ' t matter much. Again I turn to the wireless. Just as another commercial comes on, I fall asleep. Yes, yes! Great invention the radio. SOUNDS Maria Mansfield, ' 43 Foreword: With all due respect to Henrv David Thoreau s appreciation of homely, wood- land sounds. I give them a different interpre- tation. 1 have spent a day and a night in ap- proximately the same surroundings that he describes. » » -» Mv house was on the side of a hill, a few yards from a beautiful pond, slightly stagnant to be sure, but covered by soft, luxuriant scum and encircled by slimy logs, briers, and small holly trees. The delightful stillness was punctu- ated by the sneezes of my brother, whose ha - fever was irritated by the goldenrod, and th ' mournful but delicious sound of a dog. howling and barking at a squirrel that he had treed. Thrilled by these delightful woodland sounds. 1 wandered idly to the shores of the pond. As I looked out upon its smooth, scummy surface. 1 heard a plop, as if a wet dish rag had been thrown in a dish pan full of soapy, greasy water. It was an entrancing little turtle with orange spots on its back. Continuing along the path thai bordered the pond. I encountered one of the aforementioned little dirtv wet dogs. As much surprised as I, he scuttled off in the bushes,

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14 ©DnDiiiiiies Before the invasion of Holland, she was very confident of Holland ' s defenses. She said that for a small country. Holland was well defended, and that thev had flooded their lands so as to make Holland harder to invade. She even made fun of Hitler and of his shouting when he was addressing an assembly. Then on May 10. 1939. war actually did come to Holland. She expressed her thoughts of war when she wrote. Oh. Barbara, there is nothing so terrible as war. On one of the first days of the invasion of Holland, her family re- ceived a telegram, that her brother had been seriously wounded. She described very vividly the automobile trip to reach him through smol- dering towns, dead bodies and fires — and then their disappointment at finding him dead — and the cross which stands over his grave with the inscription. Here lies Martin Herman Kerstolt, fell for land and queen at the age of only twenty years. She herself barely escaped death when a stray bullet flew beside her head. Now. as she says it is a little more quiet there; people have been rebuilding homes and towns, and starting over again under a new gov- ernment. Her recent letters are of course cen- sored, and they fail to arrive as regularly as before. She very cleverly avoids saying any- thing which the censors might cross out. She has mentioned Dr. Seyps-Inquart. their German chief. She has remarked that perhaps we felt things were worse than they really were, but in contrast to this she has expressed her desire to come to America. She has noted also that she wishes she could say what she thinks. I feel that her thoughts concerning her coun- try ' s defeat are typical of those of other con- quered people. Certainly people who have been used to freedom as we know it. niust find it extremely hard to suffer having this freedom removed. It is difficult for us in America to imagine losing our freedom. We should there- fore be deeply s nipathetic with these people, and work not only to secure our own liberty, but to win back freedom for all conquered people. THE WAR EFFORT: How It Affects High School Students Edward Gilchrist, ' 42 At this time in the history of our country, the war effort is paramount in the thoughts of many high school students. We want to do every- thing possible to help win the war. but we want to do it sensibly and in the right way. When Japan unleashed her treacherous attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7. the whole L nited States awoke from its lethar gy with a start, realizing for the first time that war was actually upon us. Man of the senior bovs wanted to enlist in the naval or armed forces immediately in order to do the most they could for their country. After the first frenzy of war had died down, however, everyone finally real- ized that they probably would be more valuable to the war effort if they stayed in school and got their diplomas. Then they would be better equipped to become efficient soldiers and better citizens of the post-war world. The girls too were anxious to do their bit for their country, and wondered what the could do to help. Of course they couldn ' t join up and fight but they could help the boys who did do the fighting. All over the country women and girls by the thousands began knitting sweaters, caps, and other warm things and establishing community houses where the soldiers could get a bit of companionship and relaxation. Now, however, since we ' ve recovered from our first war time frenzy and are settling down to a steady effort for victory, we all must stop and think what we can do to help the war effort. There are innumerable wa)s to help, but here are a few. The boys can become assistant air- raid wardens or volunteer firemen; they can collect waste materials, a project which is both profitable and ])atriotic: and they can help dur- ing possible air raids by knowing first aid and other things that are necessary. The girls can knit for the soldiers and sailors: they can help at the L .S.O. centers and other similar jjlaces; and lhe also can learn first aid and what to do during an air raid. An(jthcr thing that both boys and girls can do. as well as evervbod) else, is to buy defense l)onds and stamps. The soldiers are helpless uidess the) ha e equipment to fight with, and the equipment is made possible b) the dollais that we invest in defense stamps and bonds. We all love our country and everything it stands for; so let us buy all the bonds and stamps we can and help in ever way possible so that our freedom will be assured for our- selves and our posterity. » Heard in Locker-room — ■ Of course I wouldn t say an thing about her unless I could sa something good. And, oh boy, is this good!

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16 ratlliiig them as he passed. Since the sound of leaves pushing and scraping against one another is as dear to me as is the sound of Take Off Your Shoes, Baby, and Start Running Throuuli My Mind by Artie Shaw, I started to make my way toward the crest of the hill. Pausing a moment on the va up. I looked hack and surveyed my irregular path, which 1 had fondh imagined was straight as any Iro- quois ' . 1 had passed thickets of beautiful shinv thorns, which had emitted pleasant crunching noises as I struggled through, two patches of pine trees, which have a fond way of putting sharp, dry little twigs in your eye. and one delightfullv moist, little swamp, which made pleasant sucking noises as I alternately put in and drew out my feet. Continuing my trip up to the top of the hill, my feet squished and gurgled in my wet sneak- ers. Finally, reaching my goal. I sat down and looked out over the surrounding countryside. Sitting there. 1 was regaled by the melodious sound of mv father, who had found out that someone had lost the keys to the car and who was exclaiming over how he was going to use the car if there weren ' t any keys - !? Ah, what delightful sounds! I jumped to my feet and raced back to the house, eager to learn new and interesting phrases. Arriving at the house. I heard the arresting but not unusual sounds of a family in an up- roar. — drawers banging on the floor in search of the lost keys: a male parent ranting u]) and down looking frantically: the radio going full blast with ' The Shadow as a main attraction: the dog. who had forgotten the squirrel flving hysterically between everyone ' s legs looking for the shortest route between himself and a belea- guered rat — it sounded like home! PRIVATE U. S. AMERICA Rocco Foniri. ' 43 Why am I riding on this Iraiii ' . ' ' A voice from somewhere answers. ou re riding to a l)etter land, you know, to protect the rigiits of mankind. ou left home to join the fighting forces of freedt)m. Riding on the train I fall asleep. Sic p. a deej) sleep — and I dream of the past. 1 dream of the davs when I was in my teens. 1 dream of the hills, of the fields I used to roam. I dream of the friends I left behind me. I dream of the days when I played baseball, football, tennis — when I was young. In w inter I used to skate on the ponds that God gave man. In sum- mer I swam the ocean, where the waters we e its blue as the skv . All this I dream of the past. As I awake, I see men my age about me — I ding to destinations unknown. In their faces I see their hunger for freedom — the w ill to live, the will to die for the right we adore. Their eyes are filled with tears — memories of iiome. We lidc on and on. We see treeless. rreen alleys, large-acred farms, tilled for man ' s use. I get restless seeing land. sky. and field. My eyes get tired. As I ' m about to close them once more. I see a large enclosed area, a well-built fort. I become wide-eyed. I now get off the train. I rush to the truck filled with young men like me. We are taken to the fort that is to teach us of destruction, and the guards close the gates upon us. A group of men come over to the truck. The leader has a large tanned face. With grim determination I stand at attention, my heart beating fast. He tells us to go to be fitted for uniforms. At last my ambition has come true. I shall be a soldier. — not to fight to destrov the right of living, but to preserve and protect the demo- cratic ideals of the United States of America. FLOWERS Maijoric Hat tin. t ' i 01 all the wonderous things there are I he (lower surpasses all b far. 1 he lose that grows on bush and vine .Svinbolizes beauty divine. Daffodils in sunnv arrav Bloom at the dawn of each Mav dav. I licn there are asters bloomitig in fall Flowers thai stand dark, handsome and tall. The lilv conl(- - forth in purest while To give ilscif for onr delight. Of the manv olhiMs thai we know All give happiness uherevcr ihev grow. Dinner durst to Mi. All.insoii: Will (ni pas;, ih ' mils ' . ' ' Mr. Atkinson: es. 1 -upposc so. but I rcalh should flunk liiem. Boy: 1 think I ' ve got a flat tire. Latest Girl: ] think that makes us even.