St Michaels High School - Crusader Yearbook (Crowley, LA)

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THIS MOMENTOUS YEAR, I95O THIS YEAR OF I950 IS FOR THE TWENTY-SEVEN OF US WHOM YOU SEE BEFORE YOU TONIGHT, A MOMENTOUS YEAR. SPIRITUALLY, IT IS A YEAR OF GREAT GRACES, FOR IT IS THE HOLY YEAR, UNIVERSALLY, IT IS A YEAR OF UNREST, FOR IT IS THE YEAR OF THE HYDROGEN BOMB, EDUCA- TIONALLY, IT IS THE 'FINISHING YEAR' FOR MANY SENIORS, FOR THEY ARE GRADUATING EVEN AS WE ARE- HOWEVER, ONE OF THE MOST DEPLORABLE FACTS HISTORY WILL RE- LATE IS THAT THE HOLY YEAR OF I950 SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE YEAR OF THE HYDROGEN BOMB, AND YEI, THE JUXTAPOSITION OF THE CONCEPTS IS THE DESIGN OF GOD'S PROVIDENCE. So STARK IN ITS HORROR IS THE DESCRIPTION OF THIS BOMB'S DESTRUCTIVE POWER THAT THE MERE CON- CEPTION OF IT SHOULD FORCE AMERICA AND ALL THE WORLD TO HALT IN THEIR PUNY PURSUITS AFTER PEACE. IT IS HIGH TIME, INDEED IT IS ALMOST PAST TIME, TO WAGE PEACE WITH THE TOTAL EFFORT WITH WHICH WE ONCE WAGED WAR. THE HOUR IS LATE AND THE CLOCK IS STRIKING THE FINAL HOUR, WE CAN EVEN YET DECLARE PEACE, WE CAN EVEN YET RANSOM OUR DELAY, WE CAN EVEN YET REDEEM OUR POSTWAR YEARS OF APPEASEMENT OF SOVIET BARBARISM, WITH THE HELP OF GOD AND THE THREAT OF THE HYDROGEN BOMB WE CAN RALLY THE PEOPLES OF ALL THE WORLD TO RESIST THE COLD WAR, TO PREVENT A HOT WAR, TO WIN PEACE. BUT TO DO ALL THIS, WE MUST WAGE THE BATTLE FOR PEACE SIMUL- TANEOUSLY ON FOUR FRONTS--THE MORAL, THE POLITICAL, THE ECONOMIC, THE SPIRITUAL. No ONE OF THESE MAY BE OMITTED, ONE OF THEM SLIGHTED. FOR IT IS ONLY IN THE CONJUNCTION OF THEM ALL THAT WE CAN STAND BEFORE GOD AND MEN UNASHAMED. No MAN FREE OF STALlN'S SIREN SWAY WOULD FOR A MINUTE DENY THAT THE REASON WE LOST THE WAR WE WON WAS BECAUSE WE FORGOT FOR WHAT WE FOUGHT. IN THE PROUD DAYS OF HEROISM WHEN MEN AND WOMEN GAVE THEIR ALL TO STAMP OUT THE MENACE OF HITLER, WE BELIEVED IN THE PRINCIPLES OF THE ATLANTIC CHARTER AND PLEDGED OUR SOLEMN FAITH TO THE WORLD THAT ITS PROVISIONS WOULD BE KEPT. YET WE HAVE RAISED NOT A FINGER NOR OUR VOICE ABOVE A WHISPER WHEN ONE COUNTRY AND ONE ALONE VIOLATED EVERY PROVISION THAT CHARTER PRO- CLAIMEOQ WE CAN NEVER AGAIN RALLY THE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD UNTIL THAT DAY WE RETRIEVE OUR MORAL DIGNITY AND ANNOUNCE THAT IT IS OUR FIRM POLICY TO SET FREE THE PEOPLES OF THE BALTIC AND POLAND, THE BALKANS AND CHINA, THAT WE SHALL RECOGNIZE 'NO TERRITORIAL CHANGES THAT D0 NOT ACCORD WITH THE FREELY EXPRESSED WISHES OF THE PEOPLE CONCERNEDQN THAT WE WANT 'SOVEREIGN RIGHTS AND SELF- GOVERNMENT RESTORED TO THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN FORCIBLY DEPRIVED OF THEME' THAT WE WILL DO OUR BEST TO 'AFFORD ASSURANCE THAT ALL THE MEN IN ALL THE LANDS MAY LIVE OUT THEIR LIVES IN FREEDOM FROM

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CONTINUATION OF THIS MOMENTOUS YEAR, I950 FEAR AND WANTS' 'THAT ALL OF THE NATIONS OF THE WORLD, FOR REAL' ISTIC AS WELL AS SPIRITUAL REASONS MUST COME TO THE ABANDONMENT OF THE USE OF FORCE.' WE SHOULD BOMBARD THE WORLD BEHIND THE IRON CURTAIN WITH THE KNOWLEDGE OF OUR CONTRITE RETURN TO MORAL LAW. ON THE POLITICAL FRONT THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO CALL A HALT T0 THE SPREAD OF SOVIET DICTATORSHIP, AND THAT IS THE OPPOSITE OF THE WAY PURSUED TO THE PRESENT. UNTIL NOW WE HAVE TRIED CONDON- AND WE HAVE STEADILY LOST GROUND IN TIME THAT THE THREATS OF FURTHER COM- FREE PEOPLES OF THE WORLD BE MET WITH THAT STALIN WILL NOT RISK. THROUGH PRINCIPLES, THROUGH DIPLOMATIC PRE- AND OUR POLICY, THROUGH THE REALIZED ING, SCOLDING, THIS WAR CALLED MUNIST INVASION A FIRM POLICY BROADCAST OF OUR DEMOCRATIC SENTATION OF OUR CONVICTIONS KNOWLEDGE OF OUR MILITARY ABILITY, ON THE POLITICAL FRONT WE MUST MAKE IT FRIGHTENINGLY CLEAR TO THE KREMLIN THAT THE DAYS OF THE COLD WAR ARE OVER. THE ALTERNATIVE OF A HOT WAR LIES WITH THEM. PRoTI:sTINe, COLD. IT IS or THE STILL OF REPRISAL ON THE ECONOMIC FRONT, IT IS OURS T0 SHARE OUR WEALTH AND OUR ENTERPRISE WITH ALL THOSE PEOPLE YET FREE. IT IS OURS STILL TO MAKE THE WORLD SAFE FOR DEMOCRACY. PRESIDENT TRUMAN'S POINT 4 SHOULD BE VIGOROUSLY BACKEDn AND IF SENATOR BRIEN MCMAHON'S PRO- POSAL TO SPEND FIFTY BILLION DOLLARS OVER A FIVE-YEAR PERIOD IN A SUPER MARSHALL PLAN SEEMS PREPOSTEROUS, IT IS AS PIN MONEY IF IT WOULD DO ANYTHING TO PREVENT ATOMIC WARFARE, TO PREVENT A RUSSIAN HYDROGEN-BOMB 'ATTACK THAT MIGHT INCINERATE 50,000,000 AMERICANS-- NOT IN THE SPACE OF AN EVENING BUT IN THE SPACE OF MINUTESa' IF WE CAN RECOUP MORAL LEADERSHIP, IF WE CAN LET OUR VOICE OF AMERICA BE HEARD RELENTLESSLY AND PERSISTENTLY ALL OVER THE WORLD PLEDGING THE CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES OF DEMOCRACY AND LIBERTY AND OPPORTUNITY AND PEACE, IF WE CAN MAKE THE MEN OF Moscow REALIZE THAT THEIR LONG, COLD-WAR AGGRESSION AGAINST US WILL BE RESISTED GRIMLY AND PERSEVERINGLY, THEN PERHAPS THE ULTIMATUM OF PEACE WILL BE EFFECTIVE. BuT IT WON'T BE UNLESS DOWN ON oun KNEES AND BEG ALM DETERMINATION TO FORGIVE oun APPEASEMENT. IF ONE MAN AND THE HYDROGEN Bona MAY EvEN THAT THE PEACE OF CHRIST MAY HOLY YEAR. THAT THE HYDROGEN WE PEOPLE OF NATIONS STILL FREE GET IGHTY GOD T0 BLESS OUR CAUSE AND OUR LAPSES AND OUR YEARS OF HYPOCRITICAL GOD MAKE A MAJORITY, THEN GOD PLUS YET FRIGHTEN THE ENEMY INTO PEACE' REIGN IS THE CHIEF PURPOSE OF THE BOMB MAY NEVER HAVE TO BE USED IS A