Wells River High School - Chatterbox Yearbook (Wells River, VT)

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In many other cases we find similar situations where we fail to see where any peace or good will is intended but, of course we may not see matters in the right light. At any rate, from all outward appearances it seems to me a quotation some- thing like, “War on earth, ill will toward men,” would be more fitting for the present state of affairs. If every person, not only the dictators and political lead- ers, would say to himself “Peace on earth, good will toward men” just once and then try to carry out this thought, I am sure that much more friendly and congenial relations would be established among us all. SKI JUMPING “Good morning, Mrs. Jones, I thought 1 would drop over and see how things are in your family this morning. My, what a time 1 have had; my son Jimmy wants to go over that terrible ski jump and I don’t know how to stop him.” “Well, Mrs. Ricker, 1 certainly wouldn’t let my little Johnny go over that jump. It means no less than a broken leg or neck.” 1 hat is just what has killed ski jumping in Vermont. Some mother is afraid that her dear little son will scratch his face or hands. If they could only see a downhill race 1 am afraid they would die of heart failure. People who have looked into the situation enjoy watching jumping. It is about the only ski race that spectators can watch and understand. Landing slopes have to be steep for it makes jumping safer. If the slopes were not steep many jumpers would be hurt seriously. Science of today has made jumping safe. One can take a bad fall and nine times out of ten will not think a thing about it after he has picked himself up. It does not hurt any- one to slide the length of a hill on his back as long as the slope is smooth. What any skiing community needs is a small ski jump. There are many young people who would like to jump if they 3

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“PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN” “Peace on earth, good will toward men.” We all have heard these words many times but few of us ever gave them much thought. Nearly every one of us, especially certain European leaders, would benefit if we were to apply these words to our actions. On every land we see this quotation being broken. Mus- solini, not long ago, ventured into Ethiopia, conquered it and at the present time has control over it. Did he think to him- self any thought connected with peace or good will? No, probably he did not. In Germany now we see the Jewish race being persecuted, robbed, imprisoned or killed. Herr Hitler sits back and eggs on the Nazi troops and people, telling them that the German race is supreme and all other races are to be hated and shunned. The people have 'been won over by him and now will turn on one of their own number if they find he is of Jewish descent. Did Adolph ever say to himself, “Peace on earth, good will toward men?” If he did he is not applying it very well. Did he ever say this when he was taking over Austria or Czecho- slovakia? He intended no peace until he had taken what he wanted. Across the great Pacific we see Japan entering China, kill- ing people, wrecking homes and leaving in her wake a reign of terror. Does she intend there will be any peace or good will as she rains bombs on the helpless civilian population of China? 2

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had a jump to use. A small structure could be erected for not more than fifty dollars. It would bring that much business to the community. We should have our community up to date and able to thoroughly enjoy winter sports. A NEW KIND OF BACK-TO-THE-LAND MOVEMENT Ever since America became a manufacturing nation, its inhabitants have steadily moved from the farm to the city. During the past sixty years, people have moved even more rapidly than before because of greatly increased production, new industries and labor saving devices introduced on farms. Whereas twenty or thirty years ago it took fifteen or twenty men to mow a large field, now, with the aid of a mow- ing machine and tractor, two men can cut the same amount in less than quarter of the time. The prosperity of the United States from the Civil War to 1929 was broken by only two major depressions. Young farmers’ sons were drawn to the city like Hies be- cause of higher wages, and more educational and recreational facilities. However, during each depression and to a certain extent all the time, a back-to-the-land movement developed; but most people immediately moved back to the city as soon as the de- pression was over. Since the World War a new back-to-the-land movement developed. Modern transportation facilities enable the lower classes of working people to own a small but comfortable house in the suburbs of the city in which they work. The better paid middle class is able to buy an old farm in the back country that has “gone to seed” and use it as a week- end home to “putter around in.” What could be a better place to own than an old decrepit house (no matter how drafty and cold it is in winter, you can use it in the spring, summer and fall), and two or three hun- dred acres of fallow fields, orchards, and woods, on which is a small sandy pond and a brook? 4