Vergennes Union High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Vergennes, VT)

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10 VERGENNES HIGH SCHOOT THE CONSTITUTION—TEMPLE OF LIBERTY Carolyn Chapman, 45 A temple of liberty—the greatest temple ever built by man, insuring some of the greatest rights and privileges in the world, built up by some of the greatest leaders in all history—that is our Constitution, the Constitution of the United States, beginning with the famous words every American knows— “We, the people”—yes, it is we, the people—everywhere, all the time. Perhaps we can call the Bill of Rights our ten pillars, for surely they hold up our temple. They stand for the things we can’t see, the things we accept without questioning, besides the freedom they definitely state. Supported by our pillars is the preamble, the arch of our temple, the backbone ot everything the American people want for themselves and the rest of the world “to establish justice, to insure domestic tranquillity”—or, the right to a decent home in a decent world. Every temple must have an emblem or a standard to signify to whom it belongs or what it means; therefore our Constitution must have a standard. We have it—the flag of the United States, the red and white stripes, the forty-eight stars against a blue field—the flag standing for so much. We know it by many names—Old Glory, the Star Spangled Banner, the Red. White and Blue, but it all means the same thing— the standard of freedom floating o’er a free land. Perhaps Henry Holcomb Bennett best expressed the meaning of our flag, in his poem “The Flag Goes By” when he wrote: Hats off! The colors before us fly, But more than the flag is passing by: Sea-fights and land-fights, grim and great, Fought to make and to save the State; Weary marches and sinking ships; Cheers of victory on dying lips; Days of plenty and years of peace; March of a strong land’s swift increase. Equal justice, right and law. Stately honor and reverend awe. Sign of a nation, great and strong Toward her people from foreign wrong Pride and glory and honor,—all Live in the colors to stand or fall.” Yes, that's what our flag stands for. What makes a man cheer when he’s dying? What makes him fight on when there seems to he nothing left? We ask why, but we know. He's cheering because he knows he’s

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BLUE AND WHITE 9 Norma Georgianna Muzzy “Muzz” Music 1-2-3-4 Rotary Supper 4 Mixed Chorus 2-3 Minstrel Show 4 Stunt Night 1-2-3 Dorothy Ann Bowers “Dot” Music 2-3-4 Music Festival 2-3-4 Class Day 4 Stunt Night 3 Rotary Supper 4 Ambition—Teaching “Dotty came from Boston to begin her Sophomore year. She is a dark ambitious girl. We wish her success in every undertaking.’’

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BLUE AND WHITE 11 fighting for the only thing left in the world worth fighting for—liberty. The next thing a temple needs is a guard—someone to protect it, someone who keeps out foreign intruders who wish to smash down the temple, destroy its pillars, and kill its subjects. We have that guard—standing majestically in New York Harbor— the Statue of Liberty, holding the lighted torch of freedoms high in her hand. That graceful lady stands for everything I can’t put into words—the power she has to bring tears to the eyes of refugees from war-torn Europe when they arrive in the United States—the power she has to bring a lump into the throat of every loyal American—we the people also have certain Americanisms— little things we say and do every day— little things that stand for America—a baseball game, a coke, the movies, public gatherings, the Church bells on Sunday, the “last” bell ringing at school, the magazines we buy, the newspapers that are printed, the friends we meet—all these things go with a democracy—we need all these things to help keep our democracy democratic— the pillars have to be firmly planted or they will crumple at the slightest touch —our pillars are firmly planted. We do have a whole-hearted democracy. We have the four freedoms guaranteed to us—freedom of speech, freedom of reigion, freedom from fear, freedom from want. They aren’t all definitely stated in our constitution, but they are there—something we can’t grasp, yet we know it’s there if we need it—since the beginning of our history, we have had religious freedom—In “Landing of the Pilgrim Fathers” by Felicia Dorothea Hemans she says— “What sought they thus far? Bright jewels of the mine? The wealth of the seas? The spoils of war? They sought a faith’s pure shrine! Ay, call it holy ground. The soil where first they trod! They left unstained what there they found Freedom to worship God!” We have freedom from want anc! from fear—we know we will be taken care of, fed if we’re hungry and protected from wrong doers—we know we can say what we want to when we wane to say it—as long as it is within reason. Yes, our temple stands for everything we fight for, everything we live for, everything we are willing to die for— I'm sure all of us agree with Patrick Henry when he said—“Almighty God, I know not what course others may take, but as for me, Give me liberty or give me death.” We’re fighting for that liberty now, some of us are dying for it, but we’re confident, as our once great leader. Abraham Lincoln said—“That this government of the people, by the people and for the people shall not perish from the earth.” POST GRADUATION LeRoy Hard So here you are at last, this is what you’ve been waiting for, graduation. Have you thought about it very much, in between the rush of extra curricular and finals? Have you wondered how you can apply all, or a good part of what you have been taught, to your everyday life after you get out into the world? Of course you have, so, though I’m no philosopher, I’ll give a few of my ideas. Some of you may remember the theory in Psychology that there is no such thing as a perfect fit into society. To prove their point, they said that a round peg must be adjusted to fit into a square hole. Personalities are like this peg, they can be adjusted but, to do so means a lot o hard work, the possibilities of failure and at the least a last amount of energy and a transformation of character. Now there will be some adjustments, that is true, but why not hunt