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

Page 7 text:

One can go fishing and hunting and indulge in any such hobbies as hiking and flower gardening or even raise a few beets, corn and beans. This new back-to-the-farm movement appears to be a perm- anent institution now as it is gaining force and speed every year. AUTUMN Oh, golden days of autumn, My heart within me thrills As I look about in wonder At the color of the hills. Thank God for all the splendor, And the beauty of the sight Of trees with arms uplifted In the glorious morning light. With canvas, paint and brush Long man has vainly striven, To catch the beauty of the hills, God’s gift to us from heaven. Oh, how I love to enter The woods on autumn days, When the noon tide sun shines brightly On the leaves that deck our ways. The birds seem loath to take their flight From flu1 brilliant colored hill And to the sunny southland go, For I can hear them still. When twilight comes, and over all Peace and quiet reign, I lay me down to sleep and dream O autumn days again. 5 —Catherine Morse ’44

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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

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The only thing that is comfortable in a dentist office is the chair. When you arrive the dentist dashes out with every appearance of great joy, just as if committing murder were the funniest thing imaginable. He escorts you to the torture room and while you watch in fear and trembling he gets out several pickers and punchers and pokers, and you are immediately reminded of the red gentleman from below with the long tail and pitchfork. He then takes a picker and starts picking around in your mouth. He says, “Ahem,” and sticks his pickers into your mouth. Of course you yell. He looks at a drawer full of torturous instruments in all sorts of twists and curves. He shakes his head and looks over some needles that look all the same to you and chooses one with great care. He then sticks it into the end of the drill which hangs over your head. The dentist leans over you with the drill in his hand and gently tells you to open your mouth. He drills and you yell for about a half hour. Though it seems to you like a million years. After this he mixes some white powder and a liquid which looks like quicksilver together in a glass jar. This concoction he makes into the form of a loaf of bread and cuts it into slices. He then takes it up into a vacuum cleaner-like thing and sticks it into your tooth. At this point you generally yell whether you are hurt or not, and start calling the dentist all sorts of names under your breath which go all the way from biology to physics.