Siskiyou Union High School - White and Gold Yearbook (Weed, CA)

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REALIZATION CFirst Prize Poeml I sat by a window that dark day, And thought of my country in a different way. I realized then what it meant to me To have equal rights in the land of the free. My actions and thoughts were my own over here, And I didn't live in the shadow of fear. There was freedom of press, religion, and speech: Proud hearts no hateful oppressor could reach. Before this war we all felt secure In the thought that our peace would forever endure. With assurance we cried, It can't happen here! No, little did we realize a world war was near. Yes, I guess it took a lightning stroke To free my mind from its selfish cloak. Now liberty holds a true meaning for me, And I'll sacrifice all to keep this land free. BARBARA ROBINSON McCloud High School ,, N'T K, 't' HONORABLE MENTION BUCKY IAMISON Mount Shasta High School 18

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WE STAKE EVERYTHING ' tSecond Prize Essayl By the wisdom and the courage of our forefathers, by great deeds of heroism, by the tried and tested experiences of many generations, we have built up our democracy. We are not foolish enough or vain enough to think that in the course of a long process there have not been blunders: that today our democracy falls short of what we believe it is destined to be. We do not covet any people's territory. We have no desire to impose our rule upon alien populations. The United States is enough for us! All that we have wished for, all that we wish for now is to be allowed to consolidate our own resources, to raise within the United States the level of common opportunity, to draw closer the bond of affection and confidence between its states, and to make it everywhere the worthy home of the best traditions of American liberty. Doesn't it follow from that, that nowhere in the world is there a people who have stronger motives to avoid war, to seek and to insure peace? Vlfhy, then, are American people throughout the length and breadth of our land turning their kettles and plowshares into bayonets? Why is the youth of America leaving colleges, fac- tories, offices, and farms to fill the recruiting offices and the training camps? The answer is: We have Pearl Harbor as a wrong to avenge, and we have a way of life to defend. The American citizen who, facing the awful realities of this war, can move along in his accustomed way, seeking to accumulate money, or to pass his time in the pleasures or the frivolities or even the usual routine of his duties has not grasped the significance of the agony and tragedy through which the world is passing. The men who enlist are not at all unmindful of the reality of the struggle which they are entering. Each one knows full well that he is offering his life: and if perchance fate decrees he be saved, comrades all around him and by his side will die. Our youth are not going from cmy thoughtless desire for adventureg they are going with a full understanding of what it means to be in the trenches day after day, and night after night: to crawl out and over the trenches, through barbed wire, and struggle in a great grapple with death. These things are before them and yet they go forward with a courage which should stir every latent emotion in our hearts. Before such men, those who cannot go should stand with uncovered heads and bernoan the fate that makes it necessary for them to be saved by the sacrifice of the lives of others. These are the living realities, the verifies of the hour. They call in thunder tones to the nation. They call to every humanpheart to honor the soldiers, sailors, and marines, and to make their tasks as light as possible. For these things the American people must work whole-heartedly with an enthusiasm which matches that of the men in the battle line. We have been challenged to fight to the end. We accept the challenge, we stake everything, and we shall be victorious. IUSTIN SMITH, '43 Yreka High School 17

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ENCHANTMENTS CSecond Prize Poeml I love to lie in bed and hear The sound of raindrops falling near: The gentle drip, drip, all night long, Seems to whisper a very sweet song. I love to lie on the bank and dream, While the brook trickles on in a steady stream. Where it comes from and where it goes Is a mystery that nobody knows. I love to see the sunshine fall On the grass that has now grown so tall, On the fields so green and hills so gay, Where the little children frolic and play. I love to see the moonbeams play, And the stars that twinkle so far awaY, The willows swaying in the breeze, These are the things my enchantment sees. I-IELEN EVANS, '44 Fort Iones High School SMILE, BROTHER, SMILE The horse and buqqy days are gone. No more the faithful nag Is worked and whipped 'til his hide is ripped, No more forced on and on, 'Til his muscles sag,,and he's just a bag Of bone and skin called horse. Now we have the automobile, Which men can treat much worse. OI its shiny skin is made of tin And painted red or blue. And it doesn't care if the dope at the wheel Should split a post in two. If it can be done, turn on one, Think of the rubber 'twill save. Don't stop at a light, you'll come out all right And cops, you know, merely rave. So your fenders are bent, and the engine is spent, The radiator leaks like a sieve. Its life's about done, but give her the gun, And yell at her, Give, babY, give! When the buqQIY is gone, and you think the next dawn Will see her scrapped without fail, Give her to the kid, he'll teach her to live. You may soon even have to pay bail. Yes, horses are gone, and time marches on. The old must give place to the new. When your tires are gone, what with rationing on, What then are you going to do? You always can walk, and if your dogs balk, After walking for many a mile, Think of the horse, and the auto of course, And then you can smile, brother, smile. GUYLA TABLER, '43 Mount Shasta High School