Southington High School - Chronicle Yearbook (Southington, CT)

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any other state. I would like to quote Marie Dyer O'Neil's poem about the Hanging Hills of Meriden. Like maidens at a sky blue pool, The naked hills bend free To see their faces in the lake And preen in vanity. But prim white clouds are coming fast Those naked hills to cover, For shamelessly upon the lake They're dancing with each other. Does Connecticut have water, that element so necessary to make a land- scape charming? She is rich in water scenery. True, we haven't a Mississippi or a Nile, but we do have a Connecticut, a Naugatuck, and a I-Iousatonic which give added hours of pleasure to travel- ers. We haven't a Lake Placid, but we do have Lake Bantam, Wauramaug, and numberless other lakes which give pleasure to artists and to any other seeker of beauty as Well. We may not have the Zambezi Falls or the roaring Niagaras but we do have a lovely falls in the western part of our state, Kent Falls, a spot of rare beauty. Near by we have Bearing Brook. The ravine of this brook is not only a beauty spot but it is also of interest to the geolo- gists. Because of the peculiar formation of the sandstone it is known to the geolo- gists as the Great Unconformityf' Such a relation between rocks as exists there signifies a long period of time Cgeologi- cally about 325,000,000 yearsl. Inciden- tally, there are quite a number of places around our community which interest geologists. A professor of geology at Harvard has made frequent trips with his class to the Meriden Mountain. Another contributor to Connecticut's charm is the wonderful shore line. F ew states have a shore line like ours. Connecticut is beautiful in all of her seasons. One who migrates south in winter misses the enchanting call of a New England winter. Ushering in the springtime, we see such harbingers as Page Twenty-eight -is-if CHRONICLE W the apple blossoms, peach trees, and the dogwood. We catch glimpses of the doq- wood in very obscure places of God's garden-sometimes a rosy pink and other times appearing snowy white. These harbingers are only a reception to our state flower, the laurel, which is also found dispersed in nature where it seems to look its best. Indeed, in all its forms, whether tall or short, pink or white, it is a welcomed stranger. Nature is more bountiful in her display in certain regions and has lavishly supplied Win- sted with laurel where it abounds. Win- sted, as you probably know, is called the Laurel City. These and other spring flowers enrich Connecticut. Our state forests and parks give rise to beautiful landscapes. In summer the green forests are a soothing sight to the eyes, and again in fwinter when they are capped with snowt protecting nature in her slumbers. Another influencing factor in Connec- ticut's charm is the elm and maple lined streets. No other state is so richly en- dowed in trees. Coupled with these tree- lined streets is the charm of the old vil- lages. Litchfield, for example, is one of the most beautiful in all New England. One of the marvelous things about Connecticut is that it possesses all these scenes of beauty within a close range of each other. One can see examples of all of them in a single Sunday afternoon drive. Few states can boast of this. Those who must live in cities may refresh themselves with little effort by indulging in the beauty Spots which this state offers. What I have said or what others may say will not suffice to do the scenic beauty of Connecticut justice. I have shown you that Connecticut, although comparatively small, still has its gor- geous mountains and its sparkling and enticing rivers and lakes. I am sure you will all agree that Connecticut would be a prime contender in any beauty con- test among the states. I hope that my words will make you more alert to the

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-.F -:FE ng? gr. if I I it N but ,W ...M n ith.. fb ,, F37 4, ,k it , iw Q , f'3N t'f: IE'-T' -is-V., 7 1 rf: f,-3.-nz' 1 ,ir U fa STE ,ff-'ri-sr',,,,,1.4 57? r Eg: . ,,, t fm'f f. CHRONICLE yr . At first the manufacture of arms as- sumed no greatest contribution to man- kind in the field of making fire-arms was the fact that it introduced the machine- hades into industry as a whole, without which our highly efficient industries of the present day Could not exist. In this account I must not forget the place Southington has occupied in the industrial development of the state. Southington has had the distinctive part of being the seat of two industries- namely, cement and bolts. In 1829 the first cement mill in the United States was established in the eastern part of the town. the ruins, pits, mill ponds and water courses are still there. Visualize, classmates, the long lines ot ox-wagons crossing the valley to Waterbury or Middletown, laden with cement. The first bolt factory was established here at an early date. Copper mining was carried on in a modest way in the eastern part of the town. In closing, we must not forget the debt we owe to the men whose ingenuity, foresight and courage has placed Con- necticut in her unique position in the nation. To Ierome, Howe, Whitney, Colt, Corbin, Stanley, Remington, Fitch, Win- chester, the Scoville brothers and many other illustrious men, belongs our ever- lasting thanks and reverence. To the State whose interest in industrial prog- ress and in fostering invention and in- itiative made their success possible- eternal love and devotion! aledicto ry SCENIC' BEAUTY IN coumacrrcur My two classmates have told you of the early industries which sprang up in Connecticut and of the places of historic interest. I would like to picture for you, or rather let us visualize together the scenic beauty of this great state. Scenic beauty in our State? you question. Yes, of course, you say. But your thoughts fly at once to the Grand Canyon, the Rocky Mountains, Niagara Falls, the valley of the Shenadoah and the Great Smokies, and the Golden Gate. How does little Connecticut compare with these? You are skeptical. Professor Odell Shepard of Trinity College, Hartford, author of the book Pedlar's Progress, a biography of Bronson Alcott which this year received a Pulitzer Prize, says, We know that if the entire globe should suddenly shrink to one millionth of its present bulk, we should not feel any difference, because it would still be a fully furnished earth. lust so is Connecticut, though small, fur- nished fully as a stateg for she possesses all the radiant beauty of which the human mind is able to conceive. Her beauty and her exquisite panoramas are unsurpassed. She contains in miniature all the beauty spots of our country. Let us begin with our mountains. I'll grant they are not as high as the Rocky Mountains, or as precipitous as the Grand Canyon, but we do have our gorgeous mountains just the same. What mountains could be more beautiful than our own East and West which bound our own little community? Are these not priceless treasures to behold? Because they are not so vast, they are friendly rather than awe inspiring. From the summit of Meriden Mountain talso known as the Hanging Hills of Meriden? one may see across to Long Island Sound to the south: and to the north, as for as the hills of Massachusetts. Artists have been known to say that they can more easily capture on their canvas the landscapes of Connecticut than those of Page Twenty-seven

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I V rest squarely in the these four p to be in ,of Lewis High and be ever faithful to the sound prin- ciples which it has engendered in our minds and hearts. By so doing we will be able to look the rest of the world Cas our great state does? squarely in the face and will be able to go out into this world bravely, and successfully overcome the complex problems of this complex age. ' Farewell, . LAWRENCE MUCCI Senior? arewe!! P Ah, Classmates, the time has come When our school life is run: We've been four years together Through pleasant and stormy weather. Now, friends, we must part Each one in this world to make a start. Later, may our hearts be gladdened by Pleasant thoughts of Lewis High. Old companions now we lose: New friends we must choose. May they prove as fond and true, Asthosewehad'neaththebannerblue. Ohl the sadness of the parting On graduation day: Time is onward fleeting: Soon we'll all be far away. Yes, far apart we'll wander, Perhaps never more to meet, And we'll often sit and ponder Of pleasant times on Academy Street. Ah yes, the saddest time of the year ls parting from old friends dear. T. GILES. Page Twenty-ntno