St Joseph High School - Annunciata Yearbook (Williamsport, PA)

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Ghe, I 9 3 3 .ill Qnnunclata Perhaps there is no fact which better proves the democracy of America than the fact that our leaders may come from any walk of life. It is personal worth and genius that count. And to quote President Wilson: There is no home so remote, so humble, that it may not contain the power of mind and heart and conscience to which nations yield and history submits its processes. Every door is open, -- in every hamlet and countryside, in city and wilderness alike, for the ruler to emerge when he will and claim his leadership in our free life. ' Fellow citizens -- our country is what it is today because of these principles. The spirit of that document, namely these principles, has fanned the sparks and fire of pa- triotism in the hearts of Americans down through the years. And it is for you and me to be ever true to those principles, to ever strive to preserve unsullied and intact that document as it was handed down to us by our forefathers, so that, at the close of our generation, it may still reflect undimmed those principles - justice, equality, liberty and democracy. BERNADINE GUILLAUME SUNNNGTIHIITEO ARTIST MT IS morning. The sun fresh from a night's slumber breaks his way through the dark clouds of night. - A faint glimmer shows his approach to the waking world. The sun becomes brighter and higher, until suddenly he drops the black cloak that has hidden him and shines forth in regal splendor-the new day has begun. The sun shines on the waters of the ocean, and they catching the spirit of bright- ness, sparkle and dance in ecstacyg for they are glad the new day has come. The birds draw their heads from under their wings and sing a song to the new day. Then the flowers that had folded their tiny petals to keep out the cold of the night, slowly and sleepily unfold them to receive a bit of warmth. In greeting to the sun, they send forth their fragrance on the air. By this time the world is awake. In both city and country, the bustle of the day has begun. The sun shines on the tall, stately buildings in the city, brightening them with his morning light. He shines on the fields of swaying wheat, coaxing them to stretch a bit higher. At noon he reaches his zenith - then like a conquered monarch, he begins to de- cline. He grows dimmer and weaker and sinks slowly into the West. The clouds of night surround him. He tries to smile through, but in vain. His power is vanquished. The artist that transformed the earth from a dark, cold place into a bright, cheerful world is now spent. Exhausted from the labors of the day, he sinks gratefully into Z1 deep slumber. The fickle world which had but a short time before welcomed him with open arms, transfers her affection to the approaching night. Louise MCMUNN Twcl ve

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cghe, 1933 l dlnnunciata Cllflll-TED SIIDIIIRIIICJIF GDJIF GIIHIHIUIED GEDNSQTIIGIFUCIMCN WHAT does the Constitution of the United States mean to you? Is it some moldy manuscript that has been laid upon a shelf because it is out of date? Or is it a breathing, living thing? When our forefathers drew up our Constitution, it was their purpose to embrace in it the principles of justice, equality, liberty and democracy, and are not these principles of vital interest to all? . Let us consider Justice as an exponent of our Constitution. The law provides for a Supreme Court and a system of lesser courts to pass on the equity of all cases coming under the jurisdiction of the United States. The trial of all crimes is by jury, and is held in the state where the crime is committed. Is not this an improvement over the methods of olden times when people were guilty merely because accused? Imagine your- self a Catholic in Russia or Mexico today. Picture yourself a Jew in Germany! Are people in these countries getting justice? Indeed, you must admit that we have much to be thankful for in this land of ours. It is true that racketeers may threaten, swindlers may steal, and depression may linger, but at least we have the right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. It was also the purpose of our founders to establish equality among men. Have you ever realized what a part this principle plays in the spirit of our Constitution? God created men to be equal, so it is fitting that we, His creatures, should consider them so in the machine of our daily life-the government. But, you may say, there are many different classes of men. Surely the Poor are not equal to the Rich! This is true when con- sidered from a social point of viewg but the so-called rights of man are just as num- erous and just as effective for the Poor as for the Rich. All classes enjoy the same basic privileges under the Constitution. Suffrage is the same for all. There can be no dis- tinction on account of race, color or previous condition of servitude. Equality has been distributed throughout the entire Union--to each and every state as well as to each and every individual citizen. ' Still more dear to the heart of every American is the principle of liberty embodied in its pages. Did not our forefathers come to this country seeking freedom? - the free- dom to worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience, and to loose themselves from the fetters of servitude? Did they not give their very life blood in the battle for independence and to burst asunder the shackles of tyranny? And that free- dom, that liberty, that glorious heritage is ours today! Contrast the privileges that are ours and the conditions under which we live, with the servitude and oppression in Soviet Russia today. Would you change places with them, friends? But those three principles, justice, liberty, and equality, standing as three shining jewels in a diadem are overshadowed and eclipsed by the principle and the spirit of democracy. Ours is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people - a government in which the people carry out the work of governing. Theodore Roosevelt once said: We stand against all tyranny, by the few or by the many. We stand for the rule of the many in the interest of us all, for the rule of the many in a spirit of courage, of common sense, of high purpose, above all in a spirit of kindly justice toward every man and every woman. Eleven

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