Walker High School - Pepper Pot Yearbook (Simsbury, CT)

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us almosT unconsciously The lcnowledge oT our good TorTune in being Americans. By This means There would gradually be Tormed a deep, powerTul love oT our counTry wiThouT The haTred and iealousy oT oTher naTions which evolves Trom The over- emphasized brand oT paTrioTisrn demanded by dicTaTors. As To how Tar paTrioTism should go in suppressing individual opinions - in oTher words, how blindly we should Tollow our counTry - There is again an almosT egual spliT. The maioriTy oT The girls say ThaT They would supporT any war The counTry enTered inTo, buT There is a large body oT dissenTers, mosTly isolaTionisTs and paciTisTs. This diTTering opinion is a good sign, lThink. lT shows ThaT These girls have ThoughT abouT Their duTy To Their counTry, and ThaT They have Tormed Their own ideas. ln direcT conTrasT To The ToTaliTarian sTaTes, America is sTill The counTry where anyone can speak his mind, where more Than one side oT The quesTion is adrniTTed, and The preTerence is leTT enTirely To The individual. The duTy oT all paTrioTs is To help preserve These principles, noT by resToring To naTionalism, chauvinism or any spurious racial philosophies, louT by sTriving Tor and adhering To The TruTh. ThaT is whaT l, and l have Tound, my conTemporaries believe is The basis Tor paTrioTismg ThaT is whaT we Americans hope shall enable us To lead The world Torward. WiTh social vision and wiTh moral courage we shall have True paTrioTism. 98

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expressed. They dislilce pafriofic organizafions and consider fervenf pafriofs senfi- menfal boresf' They say fhaf flagewaving and ofher exhibifionism show only an exferior pafriofismq if is fruer if if is felf in fhe inner hearf and needs no expression. This lasf idea is almosf unanimous. You may abominafe and scoff af all ofher counfries in no uncerfain ferrns and yef a deep love of America and an appreciafion of ifs advanfages is almosf bad fasfe fo menfion! Thaf does nof mean if is some- fhing fo be ashamed of: l fhinlc if is merely infensely personal, and an emofion nof fo be bandied abouf or sullied by frivolous chaffer. ln our world, where hesifafion and embarrassmenf hinder mosf serious, general conversafions, pafriofism is sacred, fo be loclced sfeadfasfly in fhe innermosf confines of fhe hearf, affording a perpefual sense of securify and pride. As for fhe maffer of American hisfory, fhere seems no faulf fo be found. Eighfy percenf of fhe girls have sfudied if, and all of fhem enjoyed if. They have been faughf bofh glamorous legends and honesf facfs - fhe former in fheir early years and fhe laffer from fhe sevenfh grade up. They have received liffle real educafion from fheir firsf hisfory buf believe if fosfered an inferesf in learning fhe frufh. Perhaps our generafion preceded economic deferminism and sociological analysis in educafion, buf I doubf if. l fhinlc I am frufhful when I say fhaf fhe maiorify of preparafory school girls foday have been faughf American hisfory in an inferesfing and in an accurafe way. Thaf fhey unanimously prefer honesf facfs fo glamorous legends is evidence enough fo falsify Mr. Jones' sfafemenf fhaf The only way fo conquer an alien myfhology is fo have a beffer myfhology of your own. We do nof wanf fo be faughf myfhology. We wanf fhe frufh. We wanf fo be able fo fhinlc ouf clearly our opinions of our counfry, ifs heroes, ifs currenf problems, and we wanf fhose fhoughfs fo be founded on fhe posifive, sfeady foundafion fhaf only frufh affords. We do nof believe fhaf fhe fervor caused by fhe creafion of glamorous myfh- ological images is frue pafriofism. Pafriofism is founded on love, nof on awe and fear. A compulsory adorafion of grossly exaggerafed figures, presenfed as well-nigh deifies, does nof permif fhe liberfy of opinions or ideas necessary fo forming a deeply- enfrenched pafriofism. Such facfics force only an exferior, superficial love of one's counfry, based on doubfful fales, no freedom of fhoughf, and fear of fhe iron hand of fhe governmenf. lf is impossible fo believe fhaf infelligenf people can fall whole- hearfedly info sincere pafriofisrn under such condifions. While none of fhe girls approve of fhe pafriofism faughf in Germany and lfalyj fhey are divided on fhe guesfion of whefher if is sfressed sufficienfly in fhis counfry, Approximafely forfy percenf uphold 'rhe negafive side, believing, among ofher fhings, fhaf we should have our advanfages sfressed by direcf comparison wifh ofher counfries. The resf, however, fhinlc fhaf such a policy leads fo racial snobbery which is one of fhe dicfafor-faulfs we wish fo avoid. The happy medium, l should fhinlc, would be fo impress Americans wifh fheir privileges, individual imporfance, and power in guiding fheir governmenf, by a subfle comparison, faughf in such a way as fo give 97

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