Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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CHIMES 23 Neither can we abolish vocational education, for if we did, many would not be interested in school and hence they would remain practically uneducated. We must allow matters to continue as they have in the past, with a liberal education for those who wish to gain background and cul- ture, and vocational education for those who wish merely to make a living. This is the only course we may take if we profess to any semblance of a true democracy. MY HOME Joan MacDonalo, ' 48 The white sand of the beaches, The blue dome of the sky. The wheeling, screeching sea-gulls. The swift ships passing by — This is my home and haven. This is the place I adore, Close to the bed of the ocean, Near to the sky and the shore. Life ' s long and dreary labors With beauty, seem to fade. When the sun sinks from the heavens To the ocean nature made. Now the fisherman ' s day is over. Now they wearily come to rest, ' Tis then I see the beauty Of this land I love the best. THE OLD DESK Annelaine Limper, ' 47 Linda Blake knelt down on the damp earth and shoved her hands into the warm moist dirt, picked up handfuls of it, and rubbed it between her fingertips. She had been stricken with a severe case of spring fever and was planning her garden in her mind. Suddenly Linda jumped up and started running toward the house. She thought, This is a wonderful day to clean out that old desk in the attic. Stopping halfway to the little, weatherbeaten. Cape Cod structure, she turned to survey her small domain. A gentle spring wind fluttered the new leaves on the two gnarled, old apple trees and tossed a few fluffy white clouds around in the otherwise-unclouded azure sky. Linda shook back a lock of long, wavy, auburn hair and breathed a deep sigh of contentment. At that moment a little girl clambered over the ivy-covered wall and ran toward Linda. Hello there, Natalie, Linda said to the dark- haired, dark-eyed little nymph of seven. Hello, Linda, Natalie replied, I think you make yummy cookies. Natalie was very quick about coming to the point. Well, it just happens that I made a batch of sugar cookies this morning. I had a feeling that I might have callers, Linda announced, as she took the little girl ' s hand. In the kitchen, she offered Natalie the well-stocked cookie jar, which was quickly relieved of half its contents. Linda remembered that she had started to the house with a definite purpose in mind and sug- gested to Natalie, Wouldn ' t you Hke to come upstairs and help me explore an old desk? They climbed the steep stairs to the little attic, Natalie carrying two fistfuls of cookies and Linda, a small gold key. Linda seemed as eager as a young girl; and Natalie, being a young, young girl, was naturally ready for exploring. Linda opened two dormer windows to let in light and fresh air. Then she ran over to a beautiful, antique cherry desk. The dust-covered desk had been in her family for four generations and had four deep drawers and numerous in- triguing cubby holes. Linda opened the cover of the desk to disclose yellowed documents, old photographs, and a fat bunch of letters tied with faded blue ribbon. She ignored the photographs and old papers; the letters were apparently of more interest. Natalie, sticking close to her side, inquired, Who are all those old letters from? Linda, with a wistful smile on her face, said, Oh, someone I used to know a long time ago. Linda realized that Natalie wouldn ' t be inter- ested in all those old letters and showed the little girl a trunk filled with old-fashioned wooden toys, rag dolls, and a wealth of doll clothes that would delight any small girl. Na- talie immediately became absorbed with the trunk and its contents and Linda returned to the letters. As she untied the worn blue ribbon, a faint smell of lavender arose. Linda laughed to her- self and extracted a fragrant sachet from among the envelopes. She thought to herself, Weren ' t high school seniors silly, though? After ten years, one would think I ' d have a little more sense. But here I am, poring over David ' s letters and getting as much pleasure out of them now as when I received them. Linda started the first letter. She continued to read for a while, then let the paper drop to her lap while she reminisced. She had gone with David all through high school and many years after that. Delving through a drawer, she found her memory book. As she opened it, a few, dried-up, brown gardenia petals slipped out. Linda looked through the book, at old dance

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22 CHIMES raduatU lion Emily Whittaker, ' 45 ' HE problems which follow graduation are many, and the graduates of the class of 1945 have more than usual to overcome. The boys in our class can ' t plan their future definitely because they don ' t know whether or not they are going into the service. Some of the boys who are graduating this year are not old enough at the present time to enlist. These boys who are planning on going to school, college or some kind of trade school will just get started when they may be taken out to go into the service. The boys who are old enough usually find that it is a few months before they knowt whether or not they have passed their physical examination. Those who do pass have to wait several months before they are called. In the meantime it seems hardly reasonable to plan to go to college. Those who do start college will be inducted when of age, and will not know whether they will be in the service one year or four or five years. Of course there are a great many boys who will learn a trade in the service and will continue in that line when they get out. The boys who have reached the draft age and can not get into some branch of the service will have the same opportunities as the girls to ob- tain positions that pay high wages. This seems to be one of the most perplexing problems that confront us. Should we accept the highly-paid positions which are now available and take the chance of keeping them? Or should we spend a few more years on education? We must take into consideration the fact that if we do go to school the positions now obtainable may be pay- ing lower wages when we get out. These prob- lems remain unsolved in our minds. Are we sup- posed to be able to cope with them? For a few students, on the other hand, the future is quite clear. They have made up their minds what they want to do and they are all prepared to go to college and start their life in some line or profession. In spite of these problems confronting most of us, there are many opportunities ahead. In the post-war world there will be reconstruction problems which will demand our best talents. After graduating we will be ready and willing to do our part in the great world. On oCiLerai diicaL ion Richard Hands, ' 45 NURING the past few years there has been JL an increasing desire to drop the culture of a liberal education and force upon the stu- dent a vocational education that would make him virtually a slave. For decades the only type of education offered was a classical education. After pupils com- pleted such a course they would often be as tm- fitted for work as when they commenced to study. This condition brought about an educa- tional theory, that each person should be trained for one particular job, and that cultural back- ground should be absolutely disregarded. This system gave to individuals of inferior mental ca- pacity a chance to obtain steady jobs at good pay. On the other hand it forced upon those of superior intelligence the status of an ordinary cog in a machine. The basic plan used by the dictators of ancient and modern history was to keep all of their subjects so ill-informed that the populace would not realize there was any reason for discontent. These dictators not only encouraged, but even enforced vocational education and forbade the teaching of a liberal education because they did not wish their citizens to realize that they were, in reality, slaves. In the educational system of many countries there is no such thing as a liberal education. The rulers do not wish the masses to become informed about facts of history and economics. They know too well the disaster that would result if the populace became aware of existing conditions. From this brief summary we may conclude that if we are to completely abolish the liberal education and establish in its place vocational training, then we will become like these other states.

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24 CHIMES programs completely filled with David ' s name; at souvenirs of parties; at withered corsages. One page held a graduation program and a senior pic- ture of Dave, which was signed Love, Dave. Linda looked at this picture for a long time. She remembered exactly how he had looked on grad- uation day, with his black hair combed down to an unusual degree of neatness and his blue eyes glancing over in her direction so often that he almost didn ' t respond when his name was called to receive his diploma. Linda sighed and remem- bered how badly she had felt when Dave went away to college and she left for art school. Nat- urally, they couldn ' t see each other so often, and Linda had been deathly afraid that Dave would meet and take an interest in some other girl. She hadn ' t known that Dave was worrying just as much about her. When the letters had all been read and pon- dered, Linda still sat on the floor with a far- away look in her eyes. At times she looked pen- sive; at other times she had a distant twinkle in her eye. It was getting toward evening; the light was growing dim in the attic and Natalie was be- coming restless, having dragged everythmg out of the trunk. She pattered over to Linda, who was gazing off into space with a few tears es- caping her green eyes. What ' s the matter, Linda? Natalie ques- tioned. Nothing ' s the matter, you rascal! I think we ' re both just hungry. Let ' s go down to the kitchen and see what we can find. Natalie very readily agreed to this and, after pushing every- thing back into the sturdy old desk and carefully locking it, Linda followed her little guest down the stairs. Thank you just loads for the cookies, said Natalie when they were both outside again. She had turned and started to go home when she suddenly stopped and asked, You ' ve always told me to call you Linda because we both like first names ever so much better than. Mr. ' s and Mrs. ' s. What ' s Mr. Blake ' s first name? Linda laughed and said, Mr. Blake ' s first name, Natalie? Why, I thought I ' d told you. It ' s David. COMPULSORY MILITARY TRAINING Donald McPherson, ' 46 One of the questions now under debate almost everywhere is the problem of compulsory military training after the war. Some are of the opinion •.hat this would be a useless waste of money and would turn us into a nation of professional mil- itarists. It is thought that it would even change our government, installing a military form of government such as is seen in some South Amer- ican countries. On the other hand there are many people who take the opposite side of the question. As every- one knows, we were caught unprepared at the beginning of the present war, with insufficient men and supplies to meet the highly-trained and well-equipped enemy. Not long ago we were liv- ing in one of the most prosperous and happy eras the world has ever known. War was the farthest state imaginable in our thoughts. True, we had started a defence movement, but the fact remains that we lacked trained soldiers to beat off the aggressor on that first sneak attack. This must not happen again. War is as likely to occur again as it did before. We may have a war within a week of surrender of our present enemies. There are many nations that are po- tential enemies. Who knows when and by whom we will be struck? The only answer is a training program to fill the needs of the country. Next, we must look for a method of arriving at our objective, a method which would not turn against us and ruin our time-proven government. First and most important is the coordination which would be necessary between the military and the political heads. The training must be in military hands and the supervision in political hands. Friction between the two could result in failure. Training would be given to every mentally and physically-fit boy the year after he graduates. The idea of four summers is not good as the con- stant interruptions caused by school or work would injure the boy ' s chance to get ahead. The accent would be on not only technical training but the physical condition of the boys. This would be beneficial to the boy himself as well as to the nation. The fundamentals of war- fare, which never change will also be taught. Militar) ' courtesy and drill will be presented. The first few months will be spent on this type of training and technical training will fill the remaining time. Such a program will benefit the boys through- out all the remaining years of their life. The discipline which will be enforced will help build better men. Also the life will build their char- acters. Complete medical and dental care will be given them, and some defects which would otherwise be overlooked will be attended to. Talents which would otherwise remain hidden might be brought to light by the numerous ap- titude tests given the new recruit. The life work of some might be found in the specialized train- ing of the army.