Tottenville High School - Purple Parrot Yearbook (Staten Island, NY)

Page 40 text:

om' of L zfe ln this great world, there are many roads which may he taken that lead to a successful life. At graduation time, there is always a certain thrill, and much excitement. lVlayhe you're happy heeause you're getting out of high school, or mayhe you wish that your high school years hadn't gone as fast as they did. Vlfhichever it is. although you may not realize it, you are aliout to start oil on a new road, this time, your own. The road may seem clear to you as you hegin, hut as you travel along, the road will hecome rocky, and traveling, more and more dillicult. Your path will seem dark, hut there is a verse in the Bihle, found in the hook of Psalms, chapter one hundred nine- teen, verse one hundred five. It reads: 'Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my Path. If you read His word and take it with you as you travel along your road, God will remove all darkness, and plow clear your Road of Life. GLADYS CARLSEN The Brine of Uizrerfazzhzjf It is the year two thousand as the sun hreaks over the hill heralding the awakening of another in the never-ending procession of days. ,lon Tal, the last man on earth, sits alone in his room. Suddenly there is a knock at the door. ,lon rises instinctively and faces the door. He takes one step for- ward and then stops, frozen immohile where he stands, unable to moye as the significance of that innocent knock strikes home carrying with it a Hood of fear and uncertainty. The last man on earth was sitting alone when suddenly there was a knock at the door. It has heen five years now since ,lon Tal has heard the sound of another living voice or has seen another living face. Five years since all life, excluding himself. had disappeared from the earth. He alone had heen alite to foresee the coming of that day when earth suddenly lost all of its oxygen. He alone had huilt and stocked a refuge with proyision for necessities, even oxygen, which would last him at least another twenty years. He alone was the last representative ol life on the planet earth. hut then. who or what had knocked on his door? At last he took another step forward, Then another as he slowly made his way forward. Scores ol' wiht thoughts streaked madly across his mind as he tried to picture what awaited him outside. Now he was at the door. Soon his wondering and anticipation would he ended. Soon he would know. Hesitatingly he reached down and gripped the door knoh. He faltered H10- mentarily as a flood of uncertainty swept over him. hut then giving the knoh a turn he flew open the door and there staring him in the face was+. lxfell. what do you think it was that had come to call on the last man on earth? EDWARD I-IARHisoN 36

Page 39 text:

remarkable that so much had been done in four short years. Medicine came closer to cures for cancer, polio and other dread diseases. Science progressed at a remarkable rate with new discoveries being made almost every day. Those years were filled with hope and promise for the future. Many years from now, as historians try to evaluate the years l95O through 1954, they may be troubled by the apparent contradictions of those years, for during them tension and uncertainty existed side by side with hope and a feeling of accomplishment. Whatever their decision, we know that never before was there such an exciting time to live-for never before was manis future so firmly in his own hands. ARTHUR POWELL T126 Lab Squad Very few students during their stay at Tottenville have ever been in the laboratory. For this group l, as an unbiased outsider, will try to make an accurate Hreportf' about the lab and its inhabitants. The little demons that work there are known as the lab boys. There are various types of these people. First there is A--. He is a tall, Mdumbl' boy who thinks that a flask is a type of ray gun, and firmly believes that bunsen burners make handy objects to throw at fellow Mlab boys. The second type of lah squader is more dangerous than Ai. Bi, that shall be his name, doesn't shout or scream but quietly mixes hydrochloric, and sulfuric acid, and when the opportunity presents itself, will slip the potent mixture into an enemy's lunch bag. Naturally, there is just the right amount to vaporize the entire contents of the bag. ln this manner our shrewd little operator slowly starves his adversary to surrender. C-, the third type of Mlab boyf, is the most dangerous of all. He doesnlt throw bunsen burners or vaporize people's lunches. His weapon is much more powerful, it's a camera! If you have ever done anything which was not altogether legal, this boy has recorded it on film. Be careful, for one day you might find your picture, in great enlargement, showing you committing the unpardonable sin of combing your hair in the cafeteria, pasted up on some wall. The question which naturally arises is, MHOW do these volatile students get on the lab squad in the first place?', lVlr. X-, supervisor of the lab squad, chooses his helpers with the greatest of care, but to no avail. Even the meekest of students becomes a dangerous fellow once he has touched a Hoffman apparatus or smelled fresh chlorine. Yet! What would happen to school life and the science department if we didn't have that little band of scientific radicals, our LAB SQUAD? CARL ORGELL 35

Page 41 text:

Bfzffzhg zz Pze Men have long regarded the skills essential to pie-making as basic quali- fications when in pursuit of a mate. To them, pie-baking is a feminine art because of its simplicity. I would like to dispute the theory that the manu- facture of a pie is a simple procedure. In order to even attempt to bake a pie, one must possess the following qualifications: stamina, endurance, language abilities, and some chemical skill. The stamina and endurance are necessary because thinking of twelve things at once is hard on even the strongest human being. and running around the kitchen on a mad hunt for baking powder, salt, etc., is not exactly relaxing. No one can deny that a recipe is not easy to follow, for one can never take it quite literally. For example, when told to separate two eggs, the average human being would move them to different ends of the kitchen table. One can see where a deci- phering is necessary. The chemical skill is required, because in the mixing of various acids, bases, and salts, a disaster might occur if one is not careful when combining these ingredients. If one is lucky enough, then, to possess these qualifications, the next step is to utilize them, along with the ingredients of the pie. To find the ingredients, a reliable cook book is necessary, and if one is a beginner, one should find a fairly simple one. Some things to watch for in a recipe are such phrases as Hseparate two eggs, 'fblend thoroughly, and turn overfl Spell- ing is another pitfall, as even in such dependable cookbooks as Good House- keeping, l have found thoroughly spelled Mthorolyf' Usually, in cookbooks there is a code which should be memorized before attempting a recipe. Despite all these obstructions, however, if one possesses the aforementioned qualities, one can mix up a fairly accurate compound. Unce it is in the oven, the worst of the ordeal is over. After the pie has been baking for about twenty minutes, a delicious aroma steals about the house and one knows that the pie is almost done. When one removes the pie, a lovely golden brown with liquid oozing from top and sides, one should observe it closely. This pie is the result of about thirty minutes of concentrated work. It looks good, and it probably tastes good, but so do millions of pies produced daily by assembly line experts. But there is a difference. These other pies are the products of much less individual work. But, you argue, a homemade pie is so much better. The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and the members of your family will consume just as much bought pie as homemade pie in one meal. Maybe even more, because part of the homemade pie will stick to the dish when being cut. Therefore, which is better in the long run? ln conclusion, I would recom- mend that all future homemakers reserve their pie making skills until they are husband searching. The idealistic men are about the only men who'll appreciate them. GENEVIEVE PETERSEN 37