Walton High School - Periwinkle Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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6 9'! I Q C its -9 I That a catastrophe is approaching cannot be denied. Already black menacing clouds ot vvar pierce through the twilight. Several years ago, H. C. Wells wrote, lt is a neck and neck race between the torces ot education and catastrophe. The World War seriously undermined the virile strength of Europeg the next vvar, it it comes, vvill destroy the supremacy ot the vvhite race, it not the race itselt. Whom are vve to heed? lvlilitarists preaching the inevitability ot vvar? Leaders demonstrating the avvtul spectacle ot unlimited tyranny? Those mercenary men vvho caused the last vvar? Or will you turn to Emerson vvho urges international brotherhood, who deplores vvar and destruction, and loves all mankind, Will you turn to Emerson vvho glorities Peace, Learning, Nature and Beauty? l-le is the symbol representing all humanitarians vvho desire an end to misery. Will it be chaos, ruin and misery, or beatitude? The Cod vvho gives us lite does not give us the moral right ot persecution and destruction, Will you have posterity groan in agony, or vvill you have it tenderly respect your memory? Will it be militarists or Emerson? Today, vvhen the arch-enemy ot the world is tear, what better motto can vve, as graduates ot our Well-loved Alma lvlater take, as we journey into the world ot higher education and vvork, than those vvords ot Emerson: That man has not learned the lesson of lite vvho does not conquer a daily tear, DOROTHY LEVINE

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Emerson in llwe Twenlielh Cenlurq A century ago, when our country was very new, our leading thinkers were greatly concerned about the philosophy of life and the materialistic trend which America seemed to be taking, Among those in the foremost ranks was a kindly and wise leader who was neither soldier, statesman, businessman, lawyer, nor pedagogue. l-le was far more gifted, far more skillful, far more individualistic, This philosopher and poet was Ralph Waldo Emerson, l-lis life was a beautiful, an inspiring saga of deeds well done and of words well said. Whether lending import and dignity to the anti-slavery move- ment, or condemning the corruption of post-Civil War politicians, or delivering lectures against infamous war, Emerson fought his battles with the fiery pen, not the besmirched sword. Whether exhorting the man of Cod and Nature to maintain his inherent posi- tion as lord of the earth, or lauding the doctrine of free-will and self-reliance, or disdaining the baseness of a gilded age in which the criterion was the tarnished dollar, Emerson was sincere, hopeful, and fervent. l-le was the prophet of his age, which heeded not his prophecies, but, in reckless haste, immersed itself into the turbid sea of industrialism, One century later, after he had shaken off all mortal care, we, the people, realize our error and the doom we face, Now that evil days have revealed the fallacy of materialism, the waxing shadow of the benign Emerson, democrat and individualist, has increased to majestic proportions. Now, after atoning for our unseen faith in the divinity of business and wealth, we turn to him for hope, for succor, for salvation. Remember that Waldo Emerson las he en- joyed being calledl believed human nature was inherently good, and that his theories are based upon the words, Trust to that prompting within you. All real good or evil that can befall man must be from himself, The purpose of life seems to be to acquaint a man with himself, the highest revelation is that Cod is in every man, With these sacred words, the world can lift itself out of the spiritual depression. By turning to Emerson and heeding his words, the harassed world may destroy those war-clouds that surround it, Regarding war, Emerson wrote, l do not like to see a sword at a man's side. lf it threatens man, it threatens me. A company of soldiers is an offensive spectacle. lt is only through returning to Emerson, who calls man back to Cod, who beseeches man to be a man, not a machine, that we can save ourselves from catastrophe. sat? O C 5 I 9 5 'T -O I U N l

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Doelrq c1ncl Lile Poetry is man's contribution to the happiness of mankind and his gift to posterity. Fevv are given that spark of genius, that depth of feeling, and that fluency of expression vvith vvhich the poet raises himself and others to the heights of emotion and spirituality, l'The power of poetry, says Masefield, 'llies in the ability to gladden every effort, deepen every feeling, and hallovv every spot. That is great poetry, the poetry that vvill live until the pages on which it is vvritten turn to dust, and beyond that, in the souls of men. 1 Such a piece of work is the Bible, the greatest poem of the vvorld, The joy and thanksgiving vvith vvhich the children of Israel burst into exultant song pour into our hearts a feeling of jubilance and rejoicing. We feel that our efforts, our faithfulness and cour- age vvill not go unrevvarded. Soon our voices, too, vvill ring with the joy of an accomplished task and an attained goal. The beautiful Psalms of David, his prayers and lamentations, all burst from his soul as the hidden spring gushes from the moun- tain rocks, The shepherd boy, sitting among his flocks, sings to the heavens above a song of faith and peace. Nl-le maketh me to lie dovvn in green pastures l-le leadeth me beside the still vvaters l-le restoreth my soul There is no part of the Bible vve could omit, for its beauty and povver are not to be measured. Poetry surged dovvn through the centuries like an ocean vvave. Homer and Virgil left their glorious epics of beautiful Greece and Imperial Rome, epics vvhich are destined to live as long as man retains his love for beauty and his adoration of art. Through the dark ages, the light of spiritual culture remained still burning, to burst forth anevv during the Renaissance and the age of Elizabeth Poetry continued to record human sorrovvs and joys, to inspire the souls of artists and musicians, and to create for men nevv vvorlds, nevv ideals, a nevv life, Through the rhythmical lines there come the heart of the poet himself, his suffering, and his heartaches. lt is by means of his magical art that he seeks to create a vvorld of the imagination which vvill transport him to a land vvhere music fills the air and life passes like a dream, Such a poet vvas lohn Keats, vvho, though doomed 'H O O 5 I Q I Q Kel I 9 5