Warren High School - Hilltop Yearbook (Warren, MA)

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THE HILLTOP 13 REFLECTIONS BY THE SEASIDE To stroll leisurely by the ocean on a clear, Windy day is .y greatest delight. My steps keep in.. ' e with the steady pounding and cras g of the waves upon the jagged rocks all around. I think, What a carefree world this is! as a pair of sea gulls glide peacefully around the bend and scatter quickly with a hurried flapping of their wings when they notice my presence. The white, flung spray of the giant waves rises high and breaks into a million drops, spraying all in its path. Far out at sea white wind-blown sails are visible as a ship plows slowly through the sea-green waters into port. Why all this hurry and rushing in the world? No mat- ter what goes on all around, the gulls will continue to soar, and this same water will go on forever crashing on decks of sea- going vessels or upon the sandy beach, peaceful, untouched by human hands. Shirley Burnham '39 OLD-FASHIONED PARENTS Are you afflicted with old-fashioned par- ents? If you are, I can sympathize with you. If not, I will tell you what they are, so that you can condole with some of your classmates. They put on the red flannels and winter overcoat November first and would rather die than remove them before Decoration Day. To them spring is a time for sulphur and molasses, housecleaning, and planting the garden. If you should go bareheaded in winter or ask to go swimming before the Fourth of July, they would call you crazy. Father covertly tells you about the days of his youth as a gay young blade, of the days when he used to spend a week in Boston, taking in all the burlesques, and then he won't give you a quarter to go to the movies to see Mae West. When you purchase a suit, it is three sizes too big. When you protest, you are told, Now John, you're a growing boy. By the time it becomes an appropriate fit, it is worn out. Now, John, your father wears a suit for ten years before it's worn out. I don't see Why in the world you can't do the same. Their suits, shoes, and hats are always black and their shirts white. Any other color is too loud and vulgar. It is all foolishness when I wear a different tie every day and want dark- colored plaid shirts. They warn you against contests of all kinds, travelling salesmen, and the install- ment plan. Over some period of time you have saved up two dollars. You invest it in a dandy air rifle. When you display it proudly to your aunt, she says condes- cendingly, That's a great deal of money to spend so foolishly. You should have put it in the bank . The rifle immediately loses all its glamour. They consider money only something to put in the bank, not a means of enjoyment. They do not be- lieve in enjoying it. In Massachusetts the age limit for auto licenses is sixteen years. There is a bill coming up in the legislature to raise it to eighteen years, but if that matter were in their jurisdiction, it would be raised to twenty-one. In their day, a boy could drive a horse 'almost as soon as he could walk. They just don't understand how much a car means to a boy now. If you go to a party, they sit up until you get home and ask so many questions that you never want to go to any more parties. Modern dancing and swing music are sinful. Old-fashioned parents are the monkey-wrenches in the wheels of prog- ress. John Giffin '38 MODERN GYPSIES Carefree and happy, but never willing to stay in one place very long are the modern gypsies who have hitched their wagons to their cars. They travel over mountains, across deserts, up hill, down dale, visiting such places as the Grand Canyon, the Pairited Desert, Niagara Falls, Yellowstone Park, Mt. Ranier Na- tional Park, the Golden Gate in San Fran- cisco, the Mormon Cathedral in Salt Lake City, the sun-drenched valleys in Cali- fornia, Boulder Dam, and the Petrified Forest. These modern gypsies differ from the roving bands of Bohemians who travel from place to place throughout the year and earn their living by telling for- tunes, singing, and dancing. They differ from the desert nomads who wander from one place to another seeking pastur- age for their flocks. Until the later years of the depression the trailer was practically unheard of ex-

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12 THE H ILLTOP pleasure to live there. The third day after we moved there stands out distinctly in my memory, for it was a very eventful one for me. The family next door, the Murphys, were one of the friendliest families in town. The members of the family consisted of Mrs. Murphy, a patient, gentle sort of woman, Mr. Murphy,'a man I never knew very well, for his business seemed to take up most of his time 3 Charles, an upright third-grader, and Bernard. Bernard was my first heart-throb, although it was not love at first sight. That memorable third day I was out in my back yard, 'and when I looked over my shoulder, I caught him staring wistfully at my sand pile. He was a red-headed, freckled, snub-nosed young- ster, with intense blue eyes, and as he stared at my sand pile and then back at me, he presented a pathetic, appealing picture. I stared right back at him, and soon he became bold enough to venture forth and smile shame-facedly. 'Tm Ber- nard, he said. I'm Irene, I ventured. There was an awkward silence, with both of us silently appraising each other. The silence was broken by a loud snicker from Bernard. My cat, a homely, crippled creature, but of whom I was extremely fond, had limped out, and to have anyone laugh at Limpy was a deliberate insult. With the im- petuousness of youth, I sprang up, and before Bernard knew what was happen- ing, my hand collided with his cheek in a resounding slap. Then I ran into the house, and left Bernard there, bewildered. Our romance had begun. I soon forgot my grudge, though, and Bernard and I became friends. In fact, our romance gradually flourished, and we became sweethearts. We were always to- gether. My recollections of ithose days are rather hazy, but a few adventures we shared stand out clearly. Most likely you cannot imagine what devotion there exist- ed between us. Through the streets we always walked, hand in hand-a rather amusing sight we must have been-a short, chubby girl of four and a sturdy lad of five. We had many interests in common. One was our love of singing, and another our love of school. We were too young to be allowed to go to school, but on visiting day we were the first ones there. We used to sing as we strolled through the streets foff pitch, most of the time, and never in harmony. .l There was one d '-LI shall never for- get. Bernard and I were taking our morn- ing stroll as usual. The day had a gloomy, threatening look, and our mothers had warned us to come back immediately. That day, however, there was to be a spe- cial singing class at the school, and we were headed there. The wind was coming up, and there were black clouds in the sky, but this did not disturb us. The singing finally began, accompanied by the patter of raindrops. Soon we were completely drenched, for the raindrops had changed to a real thunder storm, with lightning and thunder terrifying us. We started to run home, but the storm was too much for us. We finally stopped in a deserted doorway, and remained there for two hours, while our frantic parents searched all over for us. We finally got home, how- ever, and after a week's illness, we were the same again. Our escapades were many-from col- lecting flowers from neighbors and then selling them to looking for treasure in our back yards. I remember the severe chas- tising we both got on these occasions, especially when we made a deep hole in the yard while looking for the treasure. Finally our romance ended, when my family moved to another town. We had lived there a year, but during that time Bernard and I had pledged to be lifelong friends and sweethearts. The day I went away was a sorrowful one. As a token of remembrance he gave me a little fancy wooden box. I know we both felt like cry- ing, but we bravely kept back the tears. I cried myself to sleep that night, though. I have kept that little Wooden box through all these years, and it has been one of my dearest treasures. As I look at it, I smile, amused, at that red-headed, freckled, snub-nosed lad, and that short, chubby girl. I have not seen Bernard since that lazy day. Sometimes I wonder about him-wonder if he too remembers me and those romantic days. I'd like to see him, and talk over old times with him. I imagine it would be fun talking about that first romance together. Irene Baldyga '38

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4. Yi 17:2 . .3 , 3 14 'PHE VILLTOP s f cept as a sort of cart in which to carry baggage while travellingg but when the depression came and with it the loss of homes and jobs, the trailer came into its own. People found they could live more cheaply in trailers and they were not long in taking advantage of this fact. Now the trailer has become a mode of life, and people are living more easily and much more economically than they did in houses. They are having a chance to see the coun- try at their leisure and at a minimum cost. Let us follow the Scott family for a day to see how a trailer family lives. Mr. and Mrs. Scott and Betty and Jack, aged seven- teen and nineteen respectively, rise when they feel like it. While Mrs. Scott is pre- paring breakfast, Betty puts the blankets and sheets away and rearranges the berths for the day. Mrs. Scott prepares breakfast over a three-burner gasoline stove, taking utensils and foodstuffs from cabinets over and under the stove and the metal sink, which is right beside the stove. She has the convenience of both hot and cold water. Fresh milk for breakfast has been left at the door earlier and she brings this in and puts it in the ice-box until breakfast. Betty has set the table between the two lower berths and the bedroom is changed into a dinette with places for four. The trailer has a sliding partition between the little kitchenette and the bed- room which permits privacy. The kitchen- ette is in the middle of the trailerg and there is a curtain between the kitchenette and the other end, in which there is a davenport bed with storage space under- neath it. Part of the davenport slides out to make a double bed at night. There are toilet facilities with a shower and a wash- basin across from the stove and sink. Be- side the toilet near the davenport is a dresser, while on the other side is a tank of water and the water heater. This is in a special compartment and beside the compartment is another dresser. On the inside of the bathroom door is a mirror. There is a compartment for the ironing board and broom near the hot water com- partment. Between the stove and the door is a heater for warmth during the winter. Outside signs of life have gradually been growing louder, and the sound of people calling to their neighbors and the sound of doors slamming announces that the camp is awakening. Doubtless some have been up for many hours fishing in the pond two or three miles away. Jack and Betty do the breakfast dishes while Mrs. Scott busies herself with other duties. The dusting and sweeping take a very few minutes, and afterwards Jack and Betty are free to find some of their friends their own age and play shuffleboard, tennis, horseshoes, or any other entertainment the trailer camp affords. Mr. Scott has taken the car and gone fishing, and while Jack and Betty are off with their friends, Mrs. Scott takes her mending out under the shade of the tree. She sews for a while until a neighbor joins her, and then they talk until it is time to prepare lunch. Betty and Jack come back while she is pre- paring lunch, but Mr. Scott does not re- turn in time. After lunch the three don their bathing suits and go down to the nearby beach. Mr. Scott comes back in the middle of the afternoon with enough fish for dinner. After dinner there is dan- cing and bridge and other amusements with which to pass the time away, or the trailerites can spend a quiet evening in their own trailer with guests in or just themselves. There are electric lights in their trailer, so they would not have to go out because of the lack of electricity. When it is time to go to bed, the berths are made up and the davenport is pulled out and made up. The shades are drawn, and they go to bed in comparative privacy. The life of a trailerite is advantageous for many reasons. It is rather cheap when compared with the ordinary expenses of the average household. So far there are little or no taxes on trailers. There are no real estate taxes and the trailer license is from two to twenty dollars, depending on the size of the trailer and the state in which it is licensed. The original cost of buying a trailer is less than that of even a modest dwelling, and the upkeep is low. In the trailer camps a minimum charge by the week entitles one to lights and electric heat, toilet facilities, all entertain- ment, including Shuffleboard and horse- shoes, dances, card-club sessions, music, and news from the outdoor loud-speaker hooked up to the camp radio. Retired couples or those whose professions are in