Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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12 of getting there. When the ban on pleasure driv- ing went into effect, however, dancing school had to be discontinued temporarily. Also, and more important to the seniors, the senior class play had to be given up this year for the same reason. The gasoline problem really IS a problem. Our school cafeteria, too, has had its share of wartime hardships. The ice cream shortage re- duced the regular large variety of ice cream to sherbets I which many of us liked better any- way) ; candy i s disappearing from the counters; and the food shortage had caused a small in- crease in price on some of the dishes. But we have cheerfully accepted these changes, as we knew that the school was doing the best it could for us. After the February vacation two new courses were started for the juniors and seniors. One was a course in mathematics for boys, and the other gave instruction in preflight aeronautics to the girls as well as to the boys. Among the student body many familiar faces have disappeared during the school year as some of the older boys answered their country ' s call for help by joining a branch of the service or by working at a defense plant where workers were needed. To us these changes haven ' t seemed too great when spread out over a year ' s time although, when listed, they seem considerable. However, under fine management we have enjoyed the year in spite of everything. But it is evident, from all this, how war changes even the school life here in the United States, which seems so far from the battlefronts of the world. Yes, war has far-reaching effects. BUILD THEE MORE STATELY MANSIONS Marguerite Bartlett, ' 44 With the tide of battle slowly swinging towards the Allies, it is time to think about the dawn of a new peace. This time we must make sure that there will be a lasting peace founded on the brotherhood of man. It is time to lay the cornerstones now, and we must have a solid foun- dation on which to build our mansion of peace. The four cornerstones might well be the four freedoms ' outlined by President Roosevelt: free- dom from want, that all men may have their daily bread; freedom from fear, that all men. as brothers, may stand on an equal footing and eiijo) the same privileges; freedom of the press, that men ma) know what their brothers are doing all over the world; and freedom of religion, that all men may worship the god the choose, the way they choose. This time we must remem- ber that all men are brothers striving for a com- mon goal. If our mansion is to stand through generations, it must be acceptable to all nations. We must let each nation have something to sav about its structure. Just as Chinese architecture might not appeal to us, some of their customs are not ours. But their ideas of freedom are identical. The same applies to all nations and we must respect their customs and beliefs. If we remember the other fellow and give him a chance, our mansion of peace and good will may stand throughout the ages as a monument to the brotherhood of man. THE VALUE OF A LIBERAL EDUCATION TODAY Matthew Miles, ' 43 In this present-day world of science, mechan- ics, war. and destruction, many educators are of the opinion that a liberal education (according to the Old World definition, that is, a classical one I is best parked on any convenient shelf for the duration. They feel ( and rightly I that Latin and Greek, 16th century French art and Francis Bacon, should not take precedence over trigonom- etry and navigation, over German and Spanish, over ordnance and aircraft maintenance. You cannot win a war by quoting Cicero or Aristotle. Specialized technical education is a must in this conflict. The fact that a young man is a gradu- ate from The Harvard College of Liberal Arts does not make him a better rear gunner or a defter riveter. This same scheme of things will hold true after the war. The world of tomorrow will be a technocracy. To prevent a post-war slump, industry must continue a high output, thus employing large numbers of workers and creating a huge market. American industry can not and must not return to its pre-war pace. In a world such as this promises to be, a classical education is of practically no use at all. However, the liberal education which is lit- erally liberal will play a very great part in the future. Huxley defines the owner of a liberal education as one who is in good physical con- dition, who has a clear, logical, well-oiled mind, who discerns the fine points of life as well as the obvious ones, who knows the laws of nature and of man, who loves beauty, hates evil, and respects all others; in short, one who lives, who gets along with his fellow man. Certainly, this is the individual which the post-war world needs. [Continued on Page 14)

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EDITORIALS OUR SCHOOL ' S EFFORT IN THE WAR Marjorie Hattin, ' 43 Ever since December 7, 1941, we, the students of Scituate High School, have noticed and patri- otically accepted the changes brought about by the war. The first of these changes came in the form of a great loss to the school when Mr. Gillespie, the sub-master for seventeen years, volunteered his services and entered the Navy with the com- mission of lieutenant. To those who had been in his classes, this was a sad event; for he had, in- deed, been a wonderful friend, who took great interest in his work. This, however, seemed to be only the beginning of our losses for during the last week of school our principal, Mr. Calkin, who was a major in the Officers ' Reserve, was called into active duty in the Army. Later Mr. Atkinson of the Commercial Department entered the Navy as an ensign. This year our athletic program has been greatly affected. Fewer football games than usual were scheduled as transportation was a difficult problem. But for the few games we did have, the school was all out with an unusually large crowd cheering the Scituate team on. Next, with the ban on pleasure driving, came the news that the basketball games which used to be played at night would take place in the afternoon. How- much fun it was those other years to get up in the balcony and cheer till our lungs nearly burst — especially during the last minutes of a close game! There wasn ' t the same spirit at after- noon games. We have had our share in the nation-wide drives, too. During the collection of tin foil, keys, books and magazines, we did our part to make the grand total grand; and boxes and bas- kets for the contributions became permanent fixtures in the various rooms. Since the first of this year we have been buying war stamps and bonds within the school, our average weekly sales being about $150. We entered the cam- paign to buy a jeep and succeeded in reach- ing the goal of $900, the cost of a jeep, in three weeks. I think that the greatest change that we have noticed has been in the number of assemblies we have had. Added expense, gasoline rationing, the breaking up of group acts, — all these have caused a great shortage of assemblies. However, in the magazine drive this year we sold enough subscriptions to get a sound projector for the school. In spite of a delay on account of prior- ities and war production difficulties, it is now well on its way, and will make possible many interesting assemblies. Despite the gasoline rationing we were able to have dancing school the first of the year, as many of us walked when there was no other way

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13 THE SNIPER Theodore Holland, ' 44 IT was a da late in February and a lang of spring; was in the air. The slock was all fed and watered; so I had the remainder of the day to myself. What to do? I could fix the two flats on my tractor, or 1 might start overhaul- ing the various farm implements that I would soon be using. I discarded both these ideas as they would require far more |)atience and physical exertion than I felt up to at the time. Mournfully 1 reached for my rifle and headed for the tall timber, my only retreat at a time like this. I wandered for hours, aimlessly, drinking in the warmth and beauty of the early spiing sunshine. Then my progress was rudely obstructed by a high wire fence! How can this be? I said to myself. Who could have pur- chased this land? So I followed the barrier until the opportunity arose to creep under it, which I did without hesi- tation. I continued my stroll, stopping now and then to rest myself, as it was becom- ing quite warm. During one of these pauses, I felt a bee buzz by my head and land on a nearby pine. That ' s strange, I thought, a bee this early? Then I heard another and another. I looked on the bark of the tree, but found only a few woodpecker holes into which the bees must have crawled. As I peered into one of these holes. I felt another bee whizz by my head. Upon exami- nation I found another woodpecker hole and no bee. It struck me suddenly that someone was shooting at me, and I found myself on one of the topmost branches of the pine before I could decide what to do about it. From my perch I had a splendid view of the countryside round about. 1 saw several men, dressed strangely alike, shooting in the general direction of a group of targets about one hun- dred feet from them and situated between the muzzles of their guns and me. I concluded from this surveillance that they were target shooting. I also deduced that these men were Marines, and that the high fence I had met was the boundarv of the Hingham Arsenal, which had been re- cently expanded. I watched the activities of these Marines through the telescope sight of my gun and was surprised to see them all suddenly fling them- selves prone on the ground and turn their guns in my general direction. They must have been frightened by something in my vicinity. I peered around to see what it was, but I could see nothing out of the ordinary. Then the Marine who was obviously in charge crept cautiously to the barrack at one side of the field and returned with a long, round some- thiTig which proved to be a 30-calibre machine gun. After it was set up, he rose and swept my tree with a pair of binoculars. I grinned and waved at him and was pleased to see him grin