Three Rivers High School - Reflector Yearbook (Three Rivers, MI)

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salutatory I PAN-AMERICANlSM Remember Latin-America! The cry goes out and resounds throughout the land. What do you know about the social and economic problems of your neighbors? l-low important are they to you? The future of the Americas may be determined by these decisions. The Latin-American nations have not been grateful to us for assuming the obligation of defending the Western l-lemisphere. But this resentment is rapidly being overcome. The Buenos Aires Conference in l936, attended by our president, did much to remove the sting of the Monroe Doctrine. Our intentions were further clarified at the i938 Lima Con- ference and the Havana Conference of l94O. Since 1935 no American marine has been stationed in any Latin American Country. The Platt Amendment has been abrogated. Panama, Columbia, and Venezuela have been raised to the ambassadorial status. Our Pres- ident and Secretary of State have won many friends by their sincerity and good will. Mex- ico's oil rights have been recognized and serious thought has been given to establish- ing naval bases in South America. Pan-Americanism is the policy of all Amer- ican governments to cooperate for their com- mon welfare and common interests. lts de- velopment is due to the development of these common interests. Trade is of prime importance. Due to the present world crisis it is of grave importance that the Americas increase their trade rela- tions, Agricultural experts are working with the people of five American Republics in an effort for such expansion. Plans are being laid to improve methods of cultivation of cacao, abaca, kapok, coconut char, and hardwoods. We have been buying copper and nitrates from Chile. Bolivia tin is being pushed and Brazilian rubber is now under investigation. The United States now imports only a certain amount of coffee from any given country, thus raising the price of it for the Brazilians. ge sixteen Loans are being granted to tide over the various Latin-American countries in connec- tion with deficiencies from the war and do make up for the present loss of markets which has created surpluses in many of the Repub- lics. The steel industry in Brazil is being built up by this program, Thus far thirty million dollars has been expended for loans. The people of the Americas are learning more about each other every day. Teachers and students are being exchanged. Travel in the Americas is replacing travel in Europe. Groups of club women are touring the South- ern Republics and two symphony orchestras are playing in the more sophisticated capi- tals. l-lollywood is playing an active part. Some pictures already undertaken are The Life of Simon Bolivar, Blood and Sand, They Met in Argentina, Rurales. Several pic- tures in the near future are scheduled to be photographed either in whole or in part in Central and South America. The three-thousand mile Pan-American l-lighway from the American border, through Mexico and Central America to Panama is an excellent project for materially cementing continental solidarity. ln addition to this Wil- liam S. Poley, Columbia's Broadcasting Presi- dent, took a seven weeks' trip through the southern continent and came back with a sixty-four station network that will soon start functioning. Done on individual initiative, backed with enterprise capital, Mr. Poley's achievement is the most effective private move made thus far to implement national policy against anti-democratic penetration south of the Rio Grande. The ideals of Pan-Americanism are not wholly realized, but we are definitely on the way. Latin-America cannot be forgotten. lt must be remembered! -ULAFERN LARRANCE. reflector

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valedictory AMERICANIZATION Through the years America has been known as a refuge for the oppressed, the melting pot of the world. The youth of America must keep bright the light of democracy which makes America the Promised Land to pilgrims from across the seas. Foreigners who come to our country to live may become citizens of the United States after they have lived here the required num- ber of years and filed the necessary papers. But this, called naturalization, is not true Americanization. The task of youth today is to help these aliens to become true Americans with a full understanding of what that term means. Co- operation and friendship are necessary. to help the foreign born become American citi- zens. These people expect a great deal of us who are born American, Also, they have much to teach us. Some of them have known what it is to have no liberty, to be ruled by a des- pot, to have none of the rights which we Americans take so for granted. They can teach us, even as we teach them, to appre- ciate and appropriate the privileges and re- sponsibilities of our citizenship. We, the youth of today, must fulfill their expectations. We need you, whose minds and hearts are tem- pered by experience, to lead us, We must ask Divine help in this task. Even as our colonial forefathers prayed for aid and wisdom from God in forming and guiding the destinies of a new-born nation, so we, the youth of today, must implore Divine wisdom and guidance in piloting the Ship of State through the perilous times of present history. lf we are faithful in this Stewardship, then may we truly say, together with our new citizens: l pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. -MARY ALICE DELONG I page fifteen

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EDUCATION IN AMERICA We in America have a right to be proud of our system of education M proud of the fact that here educational opportunities are provided for all. It is a fine feeling to know that we are taught honestly and by compe- tent instructors the many things which will help us to successfully take our places in the world. We owe a debt of gratitude to our ances- tors, who, because they realized the impor- tance of education, made possible the com- pleteness of our present American public school system. The foundation of this system was laid by the Massachusetts School Act of l647, This act provided for an elementary school to be established for every fifty fam- ilies, a grammar school for every hundred families, and the public schools to be support- ed by public taxation. Two famous colleges founded early during the settlement of our country were l-larvard, in l636, and Wlllam and Mary College, in l693. Truly the East set a fine example in educational standards, and the example was followed by the rest of the country. School expenses, though always a problem, have not stood in our way to a great extent, School funds were established when money from the sale of public lands was set aside for school purposes, and in i836 Congress estab- lished a permanent fund by distributing a treasury surplus among certain states. t r h s. I94I pa salutatory II We cannot really appreciate our educa- tional opportunities until we see what other countries have provided in this line. ln England education for the common peo- ple has not made much headway because of the conservatism of the people and the dom- ination of the aristocracy. l-lowever, the im- portance of popular education is now being realized. Technical training in England is provided by teacher's training schools, tech- ical schools, and universities, The most famous universities are located at Oxford, Cambridge, l.ondon, Manchester, and Bir- mingharp. France saw the necessity of popular edu- cation after the French Revolution and a fair educational system was set up. Should France now be forced to accept complete rule by Germany, her education would not suffer, for the German system is one of the finest. The strict compulsory school attendance law, rigidly enforced in Germany, causes there to be fewer illiterates in that country than in any other country in the wofld. l-lowever, there is one big defect in the German system. Thinking is allowed only as long as it is in accord with the policies of the government. We may envy the high degree to which education in Germany has been developed, But I think we all appreciate the fact that we have what is lacking there-freedom to use our education as we please, to proceed as we please in our chosen work. -ELEANOR DELONG ge sevente