South High School - Oriole Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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DEDIC TO OUR FOREIGN To those of you who, born on for- eign soil, have dared to venture from your native land, have given up your homes, left your friends and relatives, sev- ered communica- tion, for a time, with many near and dear to you, ATION BORN PARENTS braved ridicule and abuse at the hands of many in order to wander here to America to settle and rear your family as American citi- z e n s, vv e, t h e classes of '34, dedicate this, our Class Book.

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THE MELTIN6 POT .... ln the little village of Zuirblaukia, Lithuania, there are twenty-five or thirty houses with a great number of barns and cattle sheds. Most of the houses are built of wooden logs and are generally thatched on the roof. In one of these peasant cottages I was born. The room in which I first saw the light of day was bare except for a huge stove and several wooden benches ranged against the wall. From the ceiling, attached to a branch, was a long bas- ket made of birch boughs. This was my cradle. As the branch was very elastic, I was rocked to and fro while my mother was busy with her household tasks. Outside in the fields, my father sang while he plowed his acres, he sang about his straight furrow and the lark above his head. In the forest my brother, john. brought the timber from the great woods on a raft down the river. At the end of the day when the outside work was done, the men would come into the house and wash up while mother prepared our simple meals. Before a large and elaborately carved cross father said grace, and then we were ready to sit down to our meal of creamed beet soup and rye bread. After the supper dishes were cleared away, our neighbors would gather outside our door and we entertained ourselves by singing and dancing until eight o'clock, when we all retired. In such an atmosphere I grew up. We all worked hard in both the house and the fields, but still we always seemed to have time to celebrate the many holi- days in true Lithuanian fashion. One festival day, Vainikinas, as it was called, stands out vividly in my mind. On this occasion I wore my best clothes. These consisted of short woolen many-colored skirt, a white blouse and a tight em- broidered sleeveless bodice. My hair was elaborately plaited and on my hands were rings of silver, tin, and brass. Vainikinas means binding of wreathes. Accordingly, about sunset my two friends and I set out for the forest where we gathered flowers and made them into wreaths. Adorned with these we then went in search of two young birch trees. Having secured them, we entwined them together and made a per- fect triumphal arch. The men, in the meantime, had made a similar arch. When these had been erected, we marched through them, singing appropriate songs, as the couples met, they kissed and marched on. The day came, however, when our family packed its few trunks, said good- bye to our dear friends, and set out upon our long journey to America, the long- discussed Land of Freedom. Unfortunately, we had succeeded in getting only one pass. This enabled my mother and father to cross the border line of Lithua- nia into Prussia, but made no provision for my brother and me. Leaving us at home was out of the question, of course, so we were hidden under the straw in the cart. In this way we crossed the border without detection and boarded a train which took us to Amsterdam. Then we climbed the gangplank to the pol- ished, shiny deck ofa great steamer. Never shall l forget that memorable trip across the Atlantic. After we had located our quarters, we lay down to take a little rest. I awoke to find my stom- ach soaring up and down, and the next thing I knew my mother had boiled some ramuliu tea, which changed my seasickness to a feeling of hunger. We dined upon cream cheese, onions, black bread and thick cream. With my appetite appeased, I strolled along the deck and gazed wide-eyed at the strange men who, with sleeves and pants legs rolled up, were washing the decks. Everything was very fascinating. The second day out l became acquainted with a Lithua- nian professor who was coming to America to teach our language in a large New England college. I-le had already spent several years in America and had a thor- ough understanding ofthe English language. To him am I indebted for the foun- dation of my education as an American. For several hours each day during that two weeks' trip, this new-found friend labored with me. I was indeed proud to