Spaulding High School - Red and White Yearbook (Rochester, NH)

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THE RED AND WHITE 11 War, destruction, fear and greed have often wounded me. These ene- mies have detached me from the hearts of men along with faith and hope. Because of this fact, I fear that the world will lose me forever. Will I live only as a word in a dic- tionary, never even used or thought about? I would not be living then, for if my meaning dies, my soul dies also. You see a word without mean- ing is like a door Which opens into no- where. It is worthless. Few people agree exactly on my meaning. I mean more than just words. I reach into the hearts and feelings of men and leave a part of me there. No one can really say what I leave, for I become a part of every person I touch. According to a dictionary, I am Hharmonyg law and order, freedom from war. How many other things am I! I cannot express them all. I am necessary for the continuation of life. Without me, all nations will eventually diep I shall continue to hope that some day the people of the world will not find me so hard to grasp, and that I will take my proper place in every man's heart. Such is the ambition of my friends, Faith and Hope, as well as my own. The world will be wonderful when our ambition is ful- filled, and the three of us have a sta- tion together in the hearts of men. Yes, together, because they are a part of me. They are necessary if Peace is to reign. And I am Peace. A Funny Experience MARCIA CAMPBELL, '54 Relatives of mine often recall a family reunion of a few years ago. It was a -beautiful day, and after the usual gathering, all decided to motor toward the White Mountains. At a rambling farmhouse, on a porch over- looking beautiful Lake Winnipesau- kee, the group ordered dinner. My sister who was five years old promised to eat everything brought to her. She thought she would iin- ish her glass of water before her meal. The waitress filled the glass up again, and she drank it obediently. This was repeated until the seventh time. Then in a low whisper Cwhich everyone could hearj, she ex- claimed, Mama, tell her not to fill it up again. I can't drink any more! The Sissy PRISCILLA DAGGETT, '53 Ten-year old Billy sat alone on the large, moss-covered rock, gazing into space. He seemed to lack some of the spirit which usually accompanies a fifth-grade boy at recess. Less than one hundred feet from him his con- temporaries were playing hopscotch. Playfully they shouted accusations at one another and joined into the com- petitive spirit of the game. Sudden- ly, one boy turned to Billy and called, Hey, Bill, come on and play I Naw, answered Billy with a touch of scorn in his voice, that's sissy stuff. The other boy, making a derogatory remark and a grotesque face, turned back to the game. Aw, Billy muttered to himself, I hate ev'rything. He pondered the events of the previous morning. It wasn't his fault that he had been caught cheating on an arithmetic test. It was that guy nex-t to him, Donny Chadwick. Yet, he re- flected, that idea didn't seem right. Donny told on me and it's right to tell on kids that cheat, Billy mumbled aloud. But I never cheated before--the other kids do it all the time, but I only did it once. Appar- ently this idea failed to reassure the small boy, because his frown deep- ened. The end of recess bell sounded its raucous, summons. Billy rose slowly and trudged wearily toward the

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10 THE RED AND WHITE instruments. This time he suc- ceeded. . He tried to look confident as he opened the throttle and turned on the ignition. i0h, oh, he's forgotten his glasses and can't tell which is neutral on the gear shift.J He shoved it all the way forward then jabbed the starter button. Both engines caught and being wide open raced wildly. Frantically our hero fiddled with the controls until he got the gear lever in forward position. This was going from bad to worse. Both mooring lines parted with a twang! snap! and Crummy 3rd departed full speed across the bay straight for Dead Man's Reef. A There was a grinding, rasping sound as the cruiser grated over the first few rocks then a rending crash and a terrific clatter as the boat struck head on. The force drove her clear atop the reef and there she sank in three feet of water. The expen- sive accommodations were drenched in a bath of sea water and the shining mahogany transom split. The two fine marine engines were forced through the teak deck and water filled the cockpit. For several weeks the boat lay there in its rocky grave until the Coast Guard pulled it off and sank it. For weeks it had stood there, mute testimony to someone's tragic care- lessness. Old J. W. B. has a new boat now, but he'll always remember the beau- tiful little cruiser that went to its watery grave off Gull Roast Rock. Every time he goes by in his new boat, he'll make a new resolution to be very careful. i...-... ..i. A Word JEANNE ANN BARCOMB I am a word. I mean a great deal. The people of all nations have been trying to attain me since the begin- ning of the World. They have al- ways failed. I am the goal for which the United Nations is striving. Will the United Nations ever find me? I wonder . . . Sometimes people have found me, but few have ever succeeded in keep- ing me. You see, I am an elusive word. However, I am not an illu- sion, as some people believe. I am real, yes, very real, and very worth- while to obtain. Although very few people will ad- mit it, I have enemies. Everyone claims to want me, yet only a few try to achieve me. I am found in brotherhood. The Russians and the Russian Satellites use my strongest enemy to prevent people from finding me. They have been using this ene- my in Korea in such a way that now I seem even more unattainable than before to the people who earnestly want me. You ask what the weapon is that they are using against me? It is a weapon most people hate! It is violence! From this violence a war has sprung. This war is not just a war among peopleg it is a war against me and all that I stand for. Fear and greed are often used to fight me. They are strong weapons and usually succeed in pushing me farther and farther away from the people. It is not hard to fight me, for I am not strongly implanted in the hearts of men. Too many people doubt that I will eventually reign over the world. Too many forget how important I am to the survival of the world. Why do I seem too difficult to ac- quire? The answer to that lies in the answer to another question. Why can't people retain me once they have found me? I do not try to escape. I am willing and eager to be caught and shared among the people of the world. Alas! I fear that this thing will never come to pass. My ene- mies are always present. The doubts in the minds of men push me from them. To attain me one must have faith and hope.

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12 THE RED AND WHITE school building. His destination was the principal's oiiice and an inevit- able lecture on the evils of cheating. This thought caused beads of sweat to appear on his brow. As he drew nearer to the building, his consterna- tion increased and his small hands be- came cold. More jumbled thoughts writhed in Billy's agitated mind. The kids would tease him about being caught, that was sure. But if he had gotten away with it, he would have re- ceived an A and the others wouldn't have, and that wasn't fair. No, it wasn't. But only sissies think that way, reflected the small oy. He entered the back door of the building and gave the knob an angry twist. ' So what if it wasn't fair? pon- dered Billy. But Billy had always been -disgusted with the boys and girls who cheated. It seemed 'rotten for them to get A's that way. Yet he continued to rationalize. After all, he would have failed the test if he hadn't copied from Mary's paper. But, maybe, he would have deserved to fail. Yes, maybe it was right that he had been reported. He entered the principal's oHice. Completely unexpected was the broad smile on the man's face. Good news, Billy! exclaimed the principal. Your teacher and I have decided that you couldn't have cheated. Your record has always been one of honor and your teachers trust you. It was fantastic to think that you would cheat on an arithmetic test. Thank you, sir, mumbled Billy as he went out and closed the door be- hind him. I'll get an 'A' on the test,' he thought. I'll get an 'A' and my folks will be proud! But suddenly there was a lump in his throat and he knew he was go- ing to cry. Take It or I' Leave It JOHN FRYE, '54 V On the first of October the hunt- ing season begins. There is always a great amount of hustling about the house getting this and that-every- thing that is related to hunting-and putting it on the kitchen table. These various articles are crammed into a small satchel and put into the front seat of the car. This done, Dad grabs his rusty old shotgun and scrambles into the car. There is a muffled roar as the car shoots out of the driveway, skids around the cor- ner, and disappears from sight. As the car is speeding along the highway, a fat young rabbit leaps across the road in front of the car, and disappears into the brush. Dad brings the car to a loud and abrupt stop, climbs out, and plunges into the thicket, giving chase to the rabbit. Two or three minutes elapse before a noise that somewhat resembles a can- non exploding is heard. Later Dad steps into view, carrying a few pieces of what might have been a rabbit. In the late evening when we are return- ing home, Dad explains that he had taken some buckshot instead of bird- shot to shoot the rabbit and it had blown the poor little rabbit to mere fragments! A Costume Ball CARLENE RICHARDSON, '54 The sun had just gone down. Sha- dows were everywhere. Across the shadows murmured the sound of the wind, soft and slow. The air was crisp with a note of gaiety in it. Above, in the trees, was a rustle of excitement. The dancers, dressed in red, yellow, orange, and pale green, waltzed with their escorts, clothed in dark green and brown, to a melody known only to themselves. Around and around they whirled until the moon was high in the sky.