St Marys High School - Blue Mantle Yearbook (Milford, MA)

Page 31 text:

‘ GLANCE BACKWARD: N glancing backward on my school days,I fully realize the marvelous privilege which I have been given in being al¬ lowed to have a Catholic education. There is an element in St. Mary’s which differs markedly from that found in any other school and that is the accord which exists be¬ tween scholastic endeavors and religion. My teachers are religious Sisters, members of the Congre¬ gation of the Sisters of St. Joseph, who have given their lives for the promotion of Catholic education. Their teaching ability has im¬ pressed itself indelibly upon my mind. The problems which of nec¬ essity sometimes arise, are faced fearlessly and competently, the issue is not avoided as is sometimes done in other schools because of what public opinion or the law or the fear of losing a position may be to the teacher. The religious viewpoint in all my subjects is considered in its full extent. For instance, the teaching of American History in the public school and that of the parochial school is entirely different. The public school disregards entirely the powerful in¬ fluence of Catholicism and its effect upon the New World. All this is clearly and accurately verified for us in the history taught in the Catholic school. Therefore, our knowledge of history is free from biased criticism because the facts are faced openly without the fear of interference either within or without. Our teachers have one principal object in view when they are in school and that is to teach us to the best of their ability honestly and fairly. Because of their convent life, they are by no means handicapped in modern educational methods,as they contin¬ ue in their free moments,the progressive road of education by sum¬ mer courses at home and abroad. The courses which I may take are either the Classical or the Commercial. The Classical, or College Course, is required for two years by every student and after its completion, he may either continue in this field or change to the Commercial Course. The decision is usually made after a frank, open discussion with our teachers or Father Donahue, who gives only the most excellent advice. We appreciate this interest, since we know that from our records and abilities, they will advise us which course is bet¬ ter suited to us. This consideration for the individual needs of the stu¬ dent is not so thoroughly diagnosed in the public schools as in the Catholic schools. Students in a public school arc usually placed where they will appear to the best advantage of the teachers and therefore, one principle of education is avoided. Encouragement is rarely given a student and with a lack of confidence, one be¬ comes averse and is more liable to failure than success. This may not be so in all cases, but, speaking from personal experience, I

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A CRY FOR PEACE A man cries out from day to day, It ' s peace I want! It ? s peace I say] What price you ask, be it more or less We ' ll take it, for. we want happiness. For peace alone can only give, A man his rightful chance to live. 0 God, if man could only wake. And realize all the things at stake. His life, his children, wife and home. And yet, he won ' t leave trouble alone. The countries of this world still arm. To do their fellow men more harm. They shoot and plunder, steal and kill Forever, cry peace, yet carry on still. My God, I ' m old, but still release My words which show I ' m seeking Peace 1 ' . His wailing cry rang out in vain Far o ' er the earth, to echo again. Hopeless he seems as he looks to the sky Praying to God, lamenting his cry. Peace O Oj

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can honestly say that in my case it has been true. Therefore, regardless of race, creed or color, I would en¬ courage any student,who is not getting all he or she deserves,to go to a Catholic school where every student is welcomed and is the re¬ cipient of a fair and wholesome education. O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O-O In an attempt to implant and encourage the ability to think clearly and logically, the daily paragraph was instituted by Father Donahue. The remarkable success of the experiment in devel¬ oping in the student the ability to write intelligently and with - out hesitation, has proven conclusively that the art of writing well, as indeed the art of doing anything well, can be mastered by persistent application. The number of paragraphs exhibiting logi¬ cal continuity of thought and accurate sentence structure has in¬ creased daily until at the termination of the course an overwhelm¬ ing majority of all the classes has mastered the essential princi¬ ples of written exposition. The marked superiority of the later efforts of the stu¬ dent to those of the beginning of the year more than justified the few minutes daily expended in their composition. ■ 0-0-o-o-o-o-0-0-0-0-0-o- M Every man who enters our employ is an investment. If he fails to grow, to advance, he is a bad investment and we are the losers. If I do not trust a man, I do not give him responsibility. If I do trust him, I let him alone, I want my men to think for themselves. I want them to come to me with a decision, not for a decision. I expect them to handle their jobs as they see fit,know¬ ing that they will have to answer to me only for results.” J. Ogden Armour