St Thomas More High School - Utopian Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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Bll0'l'lIEll', AST SUMMER, I spent a two weeks' vacation at Miami, Florida, with my mother and father, and my brother, Pat. We had a wonderful time. We spent each day on the beach, basking in the sun, with nothing to do and all day to do it in. Then the Monday of the second week, my father pleasantly surprised us. 'LBoys, he said, Htomorrow we are going fishing. That was all we had to hear. Our hearts jumped with delight. He then announced the shady side of the surprise. Be ready at 6:30. That calmed us down a bit, but we assured him that we would be Johnnies-on-the-spot. I settled down snugly in the soft sand, relaxed and happy. Deep-sea fishing, that's the life, I said to myself. It seemed that the next morning came in a Hash, and at seven o'clock we were raring to go. My mother didn't go with us. She wasnit interested in fishing. As a matter of fact, she doesn't like fish. It was a dark and gloomy day, much to our disappointment. According to the weather reports, rain wasn't expected, though, until late evening. We felt safe enough, BY JOHN WALSH, '53 the wish being the father of the thought. We knew that the ocean would be rather choppy, but we didn't mind that either. This was an entirely new experience for my brother and me. The only fishing we ever did before, was in the small lakes in Fairmount Park. We had no idea how really new an experience this fishing trip was going to be. It was about 7:30 when we actually got under way. There were about five people on the boat besides us. They didn't look too smart either. The captain kept up a fast pace of interesting chatter as we put out to sea. He was a big man, about sixty-five years old. He was born in Ireland, he told us, and had come to this country forty years ago. He could have gotten off the boat yesterday for my money, because he had a brogue as broad as the ocean itself. We were out a good distance when the captain ordered the anchor to be dropped. We made our casts, and then waited--and waited- and waited. Needless to say, the fish werenit very hungry that morning, or maybe they were still-in school! Eventually, a couple of them must have got out early, because one lucky fisherman caught two in a row. Need I say that my little brother was the lucky fisherman! He was the toast of the boat, but done only on one 1, 'e f--N F 1, H- . A N V , ' Kflrlllfpl in r 21 ' Wm Ng' ,gqfkxx : 5 X xvyliifz if fm ' fy, , 235 H, 'l yfgv V. , ,, , I, ... 5' Qs Wlfffgy .Q 4 JW il, FN L ? X, Yjwv l i f L ,J f ' 9, J GW f W ff'rrf,1 , , ' - 1 4 K! .Ir 'JI I lv I X ' 5-In -I .A Y -' ,V-I f,ff.:Vu E+' L. ,J f ' so W all I t rs. l' I af ' ,ff ffffff 'M 7',f'V' ' Nf l AA, H -M Xb ,117 7 M71 f fy! g ff fur I My ff ,A u f K, 1 f ' fly gy H, Illustration by 'il I ,,,f'511'.,-,e,,f'L, M, , pf Qfj V+' af ff fi ,fQ.1Qf MR. GERARD I I ll, I 'Jigs' 2: h f ,f,I,f4y,l1 1 f , N fl I., V If . --1' 'Z' Af, V, 1 1 . . ,E ' ' . 524.5 6' Q' X- M if-fa - U -5 'W-It-+ - 1 f ' ' X 1 ' N 1 li7i!'l73'7W fl ' , f' ' A- ' 1 ff ,peg X .t esss n .954 V WZ E ' . , . 's f Q , a fw ' if IJ- V ?2H I., N I- ffl ' .Se 3 .,,' I f .fr Max ' , fifif.. 5, .--fffw 1. m V' 9' F if ' ' pl . ' mt - 4' Q1 e ' ,iff 'ff-on f if 1Tfzff?:1i- 3Jl- 2eV:f1Zr fig' K -' 4 23 if rdf-fs ' .:-551 ' -as .Mg f fr 4 'Ee .s I 9.. . f ,.

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LA GUAGES-F0liElGN INVESTME TS ANY STUDENTS wonder as they reach that point in their studies when it becomes necessary to include a foreign language on their roster of studies what the value is of studying a language, a different tongue. They see little value in spending extra time in studying German, French, or Spanish. They maintain that a foreign language is something that will be studied now, but will never be used later on. Yet, there are many very practical reasons for trying to master a language other than one's own. Today, modern means of air-transportation have made the mile-distance between countries ridiculously inconsequential. Traveling has become cheaper and less inconvenient. Because of this, many who might never have expected to travel any great distance, can plan to see much of the world during their life time. Though a knowledge of foreign language is not absolutely essential for travel, it does add to the enjoyment of traveling, and certainly promotes a more friendly understanding of the people one may meet in the country he visits. Even though each of us has his likes and dislikes for study of this sort, the usefulness of learning languages cannot be reduced to a merely personal consideration. Linguistic dif- ferences are a perpetual source of international misunderstanding. This misunderstanding pro- vides good material for warmongers to further their own evil ends. Therefore, we can say that a knowledge of the languages people speak is one way of contributing to world peace. We, as Americans, enjoy a privilege which no one outside the Anglo-American speech- community enjoys. We have in our English tongue the keys to ten living European languages. This is so because our vocabulary is derived from the same stock as the German, the Dutch, and the Scandinavian languages. Furthermore, our language 'includes so many words of Latin and Greek roots. Consequently, we should take advantage of our singular position, and use it to obtain a working knowledge of the languages which our nearest neighbors speak. The fields of fiction and drama also com- THE CHELSEA REVIEW . BY JOSEPH ORLANDO, '54 mand consideration when the value of acquiring foreign language skill is concerned. True it is, that one can easily obtain the translation of the works of Goethe, Jacques Maritain, and others: nevertheless, some types of literature are acces- sible only to those who have a knowledge of languages in which they are written. A large volume of scientific publications, which record new discoveries in physics, medicine, chemistry, agriculture, and-engineering, appear in many diierent languages. These works may eventu- ally be translatedg on the other hand, they may not. Thus a genuine handicap is presented to the academic student and the scientist, who do not have, at least, a reading knowledge of one or two foreign languages. To be able to speak a foreign language is a great asset in many professions. The scientific field calls for a reasonable knowledge of Germang and, since many texts and reports must be read in the original, German, students who hope to be future scientists should study the language of the Teutons. German is also a language which can be put to use in the medical profession. Spanish is the language which will greatly assist commercially minded students. Thus, the young man who graduates from high school with a basic knowledge of one or two languages is definitely that many more steps ahead of him who is not equipped to such a scholastic degree. Another important consideration in favor of the value of knowing foreign languages is that it affords the opportunity of getting in- formation regarding foreign aifairs. Foreign newspapers and periodicals can be read and studied. In this way, a man or woman becomes more than just a citizen. He becomes an important individual factor in national affairs of our country. We must not overlook the importance of linguistics in the armed forces. The armed forces offer many opportunities for advance- ment to those who know a foreign tongue. Perhaps, if more members of our armed forces fContinued on page 831 .81

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side as far as I was concerned. Three more fish were caught in the next hour. I had no luck at all. I was disgusted, and Pat-the stinker- he was delighted. The wind was getting noticeably stronger now. My father suggested to the captain that we start back for shore. The captain, his weather-eye getting a trifie blood-shot, agreed. I objected loudly. I wanted to catch just one fish, no matter how small. Pat laughed taunt- ingly. I was amazed when the captain and my father agreed to delay our return half an hour- just to keep me happy. I think Pat's laugh had something to do with my father's change of mind. IIe's that kind of Pop. Just fifteen minutes later it came. A heavy gale moved in with lightning swiftness from the ocean. Then it began to rain, it poured down on us in torrents. Immediately, the captain headed his small craft back to shore. He had a rough time holding the boat to its course. All the passengers made a mad dash for shelter from the slashing rain. Just then a gust of wind blew my brotber's hat oif. Foolishly, he grabbed for it as it went over the side of the boat. At that very moment, a huge wave crashed against the boat, and, horror-stricken, I saw Pat being swept overboard. I was at the railing when his body hit the water. His disappeared instantly. Yelling frantically for help, I leaped in after him. It was only with Godis help, I felt, that I somehow caught him. Pat was wild with panic, but on seeing me he relaxed, fortunately for us both. Maybe, it was because a similar incident had happened just the summer before. We were about a hundred yards away from the boat. We could hear the men on board calling out to us to keep our heads. Directed by the sound of their voices, we swam toward the boat. Almost miraculously, thank God, the ocean got calmer. We reached the boat, breathless and exhaustedg someone threw us a rope. How I managed to tie it around my brother's waist, I'll never know, but I did. Pat was hoisted up, then I felt myself being pulled in. That's all! Everything went black. I thought that I was drifting back into the sea, deep down-down-down, and I didn't care. The next thing I heard was my mother's voice, calling me. I awoke with a start and jumped up, somewhat amazed at my agility. Sputtering and stuttering, I asked how Pat was. Fine, I supposef, she said, looking at me oddly. I was surprised, and a little hurt, that she wasn't, or hadn't been, crying. Dry eyed as a piece of undunked zweibach, she was. Stout-hearted lady, I thought dubiously. Is something wrong with him? she asked. Didn't dad tell you, Mom?', I countered cautiously. Mom was a trickster in getting information she wasn't supposed to have. Tell me what? she demanded. I haven't seen hide nor hair of your father since he left the beach an hour ago. He went home-and no wonder. You were no company for him, sleep- ing away there. Get up out of here, now. We're going out for dinner tonight. When she told me this, I sighed in deepest relief. I knew then that my adventure in the briny deep was all a terrible dream. I was glad it tumed out that way because, even though my moment of heroic glory was gone, I don't think that I'd ever want to go through an experience like that, however successfully heroic the outcome. Besides, I doubt very much whether the real-life hero would have been as successful as my dream-hero was. A hundred feet away from the boat? In a gale-churned sea? Oh brother . . . lucky you! fC0ntinued from page 811 had spoken the language of the locality where they were situated in the last war, we would have a better understanding between ourselves and our foreign friends. This understanding between peoples is basic for a true peace. There are many other practical reasons for learning another tongueg for example, to broaden our own personal knowledge, and to THE CHELSEA REVIEW . be able to obtain a better position than the other fellow in these days of intensive scholastic competition. We always gain something from studying a language, even if it concerns only the self-satisfaction of accomplishment. There- fore, only the inept and the imprudent could possibly think that the study of a foreign tongue is a total waste of timeg quite the contrary--no? .83