University of Massachusetts Amherst - Index Yearbook (Amherst, MA)

Page 10 text:

jforetDOtb HROUGH every chronicle of events, every tale of romance or adventure there runs a theme — the gossamer fugue of love, the heavy counterpoint of stirring effort, or the tri- umphant aria of achievement. Here is, primarily, a theme of Youth, buoyant and exuberant; a bit indifferent, perhaps to a world of materialism and cynicism, but keenly conscious of the tang and color of autumn, the beauty of winter, and the glory of spring. Youth is not, above all, a time of life — it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of ripe cheeks, red lips, and supple knees; it is a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotions, a fresh- ness of the deep springs of life. This account of the most spontaneous chapter of the greatest adventure is not a remarkable contri- bution to the world of letters, — it is, in its roughness, an epitome of the unspoiled wonder and delight and sincerity of Youth. Let it be regarded as such!