West Orange High School - Ranger Yearbook (West Orange, NJ)

Page 12 text:

FOREWORD Summer is a-coming in Loud sing, cuckoo, Croweth seed and bloweth mead, And springeth the wood now, Sing cuckoo, cuckoo. Ewe bleateth after lamb, Loweth calf after cow, Bullock starteth. buck departeth, Merry sing, cuckoo, Cuckoo, cuckoo, Well singeth the cuckoo. Nor cease to sing now; Sing cuckoo, now, Sing cuckoo. Some Anglo-Saxon bard, wandering one bright morn over the budding countryside of merry England, poured forth from the fulness of his heart this simple, but eloquent, ballad about the coming of spring. First sung over one thousand years ago, this, the oldest English song, expresses the deep joy and satisfaction man has always derived from communion with Nature. And in all these years the poets have never tired of singing of the wonders of Nature and of the green and golden beauties of the land. Century after century man has continued to glorify the eternal wonder of the changing seasons, described so picturesquely by William Watson in this little verse: Spring, the low prelude of a lordlier song; Summer, a music without hint of death; Autumn, a cadence, lingeringly long; Winter, a pause;—the minstrel-year takes breath. Today, in this troubled age of overemphasized commercialism and mate- rialism. man is turning more and more to rural life and unspoiled Nature m his search for peace of mind and contentment of soul. He rejoices at the wonders of Nature and sings his praise of spring mornings, of summer days and sunsets, of lakes and rivers, of mountains and glens, of larks and squir- rels. of the sea that breaks along the coast, of bountiful harvests, of icy, wintry blasts and swirling blizzards. More and more he is learning that whatever else may fail him in this world, he can always turn to soothing Nature in his moments of despair for guidance, for comfort, and for renewed hope. It is for this reason, therefore, and for the fact that the seasons— autumn with its football games and camping trips, white winter with its skiing and its coasting, and fresh spring with its tennis and roller skating— play such an important part in our lives during the school year that we have chosen Nature as the theme of this 1936 “West-O-Ranger.” However, this annual has been compiled for a far more important reason than merely to pay homage to Mother Nature. The affectionate bonds and worthwhile associations that have been formed in our three busy, happy years at West Orange High School are about to be severed with gradua- tion: and as we strive for recognition and glory in a turbulent world of new interests, familiar faces and happy friendships may gradually become dim and fade. Therefore, in bidding a last farewell to West Orange High School, we have published this “1936 West-O-Ranger” as a permanent record of our class and its activities. In the pages which follow, we have made a conscien- tious effort not only to picture the events of our high school career but also to recapture the atmosphere of “those good old high school days” and to produce an annual that in years to come will awaken pleasant memories of a joyous, carefree youth. So, Co forth, little book! pursue thy way; Co forth, and please the gentle and the good. —Wordsworth. 8 —JERRY STAMLER

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Say not. because he did no wondrous deed. Amassed no worldly gain, Wrote no great book, revealed no hidden truth, Perchance he lived in vain. For there was grief within a thousand hearts The hour he ceased to live. - Charlotte Becker William Thomson Classmate-friend

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THE DIVISIONS OF THE BOOK ADMINISTRATION CLASSES FEATURES ACTIVITIES SPORTS HUMOR ADVERTISEMENTS