Windsor Locks High School - Herald Yearbook (Windsor Locks, CT)

Page 14 text:

12 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD Why should this right be questioned, when it seeks to protect its citizens and their lives and property against unjust aggres¬ sion? With the growth of civilization the citizens have given many of their privi¬ leges and powers to the care of the Jstate. We say the State and the Republic will protect our rights and it is unto the hands of the State tnat we leave the murderer. Judge Alfred J. Talley, a member of the Court of General Sessions ot New York said, “lhose who wouid seek to take away from the State the power to impose Capital Punishment seek to despoil the symbol of Justice. They would leave in her hand the scales that typify tnat in this country at least all are equal before the law and that scales must never tip from one side to the other, loaded on either side with the power or influence of the litigant that comes to the temple of Justice. They would leave oveer her eyes the bandage that typifies that she must be no respecter of persons, but they would take from her hand the sword, without which the other symbols would be meaningless things. For if Justice has not the right to enforce her edicts and her mandates, then her laws may be lost upon a senseless people.” Is life imprisonment a good substitute for Capital Punishment? The average per¬ son would say, “Yes,” but after it is re¬ moved the very advocates of doing away with it would be the first to argue that it is more cruel than Capital Punishment. In the statements above I have given some arguments in favor of Capital Pun¬ ishment but let us consider reasons for its abolition. After the war authorities have claimed that the death rate from crime, has in¬ creased because people have learned to kill. Is not our government in part responsible? If an individual is to respect human life, then the State should set an example by discontinuing Capital Punishment. It has been stated that because of the higher degree of equality in our own country homicide is more frequent than in Europe. If we want to get rid of the murderer by Capital Punishment because he is so terri¬ ble, why not have a punishment which is terrible? There is no physical torture in electrocuting or hanging because it lasts only a short time. As a preventative of crime Capital Punishment is nothing more than a stimulant. Do we not consider savage the punish¬ ments of a few hundred years ago? If we could live at that time would we not abolish those cruel, savage punishments? Do we not think those means of revenge are barbaric? But what about two or three centuries from now. Will not the future generations term our method of punish¬ ment barbaric? ” Are we barbarians, we ouu i into to be called such. We talk of murder in the first degree. What is murder in the lirst degree? It is cruel, calculated, cold-blooded killing of a fel¬ low man. It is tne most wicked of crimes. Is the State guilty of it every time it executes a human being? With the growtn of civilization the criminal mw should become civilized. It is true that the victims of the death penalty are sometimes innocent and that their execu¬ tion has prevented justice from ever being done. Cruel. calculated, cold-blooded killing has no place in the practices of a civilized community. Does not murder by the State belong to the savage past? Prevention of crime never can be ac¬ complished by the severity of the punish- meent. There is no logic in the argument that murder must be punished by murder. Such punishment is nothing but legalizeu revenge and revenge does not suppress crime. It stimulates crime. Furthermore an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth and a lite for a life is not the teaching of Christ, and should not be in the law in a Christian community. There is little rea¬ soning in the argument that frightful pun¬ ishment prevents crime through fear of consequences. Crime is suppressed by civ¬ ilization not by savagery. Education, enlightenment and social con¬ ditions eliminate crime which is generally born in ignorance, poverty, evil circum¬ stances and vicious surroundings. Clarence Harrow, the famous criminal lawyer, says that the solution to the crime problem is to educate the children to fit life and its problems. One who likes to see suffering, out of what he thinks is righteous indignation will hold fast to Capital Punishment, but one who has sympathy, kindness and under¬ standing will hate it and detest it as he hates and detests death. Here are two illustrations to show that the people of the United States are not yet prepared to take a definite stand on this question. The first example is the Leopold and Loeb case. It was the general cry of the public that they should die. The fact that they were wealthy increased the preju¬ dice of the people and that was all the more

Page 13 text:

THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD 11 During our entire year we kept the hundred per cent, saving’s banner. At graduation time we did our best to aid the Senior Class by decorating the hall and by doing whatever we could. Our school year closed June 19, for the summer vacation. Our Senior year opened with a mem¬ bership of fifteen. We felt proud to think we were the leading class of the school, and gladly occupied Room 10, now known as Room 3. On September 25 we called a class meeting and the following officers were elected: August Midden, President; Ar¬ lene Hancock, vice-president; Josephine Frey, Secretary; and Clara Mather, Treas¬ urer. We chose Old Rose and Silver for our class colors and Sweet Peas, for our class flower. In the latter part of October we se¬ lected our class ring from O’Neil Cas- sella. We received our rings during the Christmas vacation and we are very much pleased with them. On October 27, we presented a rhetori¬ cal program in honor of the birthday anni¬ versary of Theodore Roosevelt. We were sorry to lose one of our class¬ mates, Sylvia Burbank, but later we wel¬ comed Mary Longo to our class, so that cur number remained the same. Our Class had a sleighride party to Thompsonville January 22. On our way home we stopped at Mrs. Leary’s for re¬ freshments. In the latter part of January, our President, August Midden, called a meet¬ ing for the purpose of making plans for our whist and dance. We held the Whist February 3rd and had a large attendance. The girls sold home-made candy. On February 13, we gave our Valen¬ tine Dance in Memorial Hall. The class, with the assistance of the teachers, dec¬ orated the hall. On May 22, we presented our Senior j lay, “Miss Buzby’s Boarders.’’ It was largely attended and financially success¬ ful. parties were given durin; Two class the year. On June 6, five of the Senior Class pat ticipated in the final debate. All through the month of June we hav been very busy sitting for our picture and preparing for graduation. Josephine Frey, ’25. CAPITAL PUNISHMENT. One of the greatest problems in the country to-day is that of Capital Punish¬ ment. This subject is one which has occu¬ pied the minds of people for centuries. Ideas, in regard to law, have changed, but Capital Punishment has not been abolished. This problem is of very great import¬ ance of nation-wide importance because it is felt very keenly by all. Is Capital Punishment a wise public pol¬ icy ? The answer is not an easy one. If we were to follow the dictates of our sym¬ pathetic hearts and act according to the natural impulses of a human being we should be likely to say Capital Punishment should be abolished. ci very one is laminar with that law of God and that law of State which is, “Thou slialt not kill. If the murderer intends to kill, we would say that the murder is pre¬ meditated and was deliberately committed and it that state of mind is found to have been present in the murderer he shall be dealt with according to the law. Is there anything unnatural about a sovereign State making its citizens obey the law . We must not merely make a law but we must enforce that law. If some pen¬ alty for non-obedience is absent, the law «s a senseless and meaningless thing Those who would abolish Capital Punish- direr yt T h |. as say ° thc mur- derer, ou have taken away the life of one who had the right to live. You shall arp l J ie f a i nd i V he State wH1 see that you • lefended by an able lawyer, if you have no means to employ one for your¬ self. You shall not forfeit your life in return for the one you have taken. You day a d 7n n th Kht lab ° r ’ a feW hours each vfrfci d iu the evemn S s you will be pro¬ vided with entertainment.” And who pays for all this? The people who obey the laws must pay for the upkeep and en¬ tertainment of the State’s wards and hp ,ndividua J ,T re to be Murdered, and he were told that his life as m imminent danger, would he not fday, in self-defense, the one who was going to kill him? Now if that man as an individual, has the right to slay in s’elf- defense, why has not the State, which is nothing more than an aggregation of indi¬ viduals, the same right to defend itself against unjust aggression and unjust attack. Should we question the right of a State to kill in protection of its citizens?

Page 15 text:

THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD 13 reason why it was thought they should die. Such cases as this will help to keep Capital Punishment in force. The second example is the Cavalier case down in Pennsylvania. William Cavalier, aged fifteen years, lived in the most squalid poverty since infancy. He was hungry and undernourished most of the time and was not taught the things children should be taught. He was sen¬ tenced to die and thousands of letters poured in from all over the country, beg¬ ging and pleading for his release. It was proved that insanity runs in the family and he was found to be mentally deficient. Therefore, he was an object of heredity and environment. Instead of being killed he should be put into a hospital for the feeble minded Mercy and common sense should go hand in hand with any law. Surely such cases as this will help to abolish Capital Punishment more quickly than anythiner else in the world. President Coolidge, in his memorial ad¬ dress. at Arlington, said, “There is no use disguising the fact, as a nation, that our attitude towards the prevention and punish¬ ment of crime needs more serious atten¬ tion.” This great question is a two-sided one, and when one thinks it over it is verv difficult to come to any definite conclusion. If there is a solution to this great national problem, it can onlv be found bv hard and diligent study of the subject and by w-eighing the facts carefully. Francis J. Draghi, ’25. -(o)- EFFICIENCY VERSUS SUFFICIENCY. A person has attained to the point of sufficiency when he accomplishes the work assigned to him daily and is able to hold his position But the one who shows efficiency is he who brings all his power to bear nromntly on the thing to be done and therefore does his work in the best manner of which he is capable. H : s work is so sat¬ isfactory to his employer th-»t it becomes essential to the business. He, who knows all he can about his work and puts his whole soul into it is sure to succeed. Some one has said a person should have his eve on three jobs, or in other words, he should make the most of his present position, look forward to his advance, and assist the per¬ son in the position below him. Let us suppose a business man wishes to secure an office assistant. He tries out a number of girls in the position but retains the one who does her work in the most satisfactory way. She is successful be¬ cause she is interested in her work and takes the responsibility as though she were man¬ ager. In many cases one person does as much as another but advancement is fo the one who has done not only the required amount of work but has performed it efficiently. The first quality a young person needs is industry. Industry is the quali ty or habit of attention or devotion to any useful or productive pursuit, work or task. To be able to do a thing well is a great asset. Upon leaving high school young people should apply themselves to their particular line of work and strive to become efficient in it The man who reaches the top is he who proves lrmself efficient in every task he is given and has earned his advance¬ ment. Changing from one position to an¬ other without be omino- efficient in any, and working jus for the day’s nay. have caused manv to become “jacks of all trades and good at none.” The path to efficiency and success has manv ups and downs. Our progress de¬ pends unon bow we overcome these obsta¬ cles and strive to improve our work by profiting by o» r mistake . Beniamin Frank¬ lin gained power and success by diligent and patient, attention to his work. Lin¬ coln’s success can be attributed to his do¬ ing every task in a most efficient manner. Efficiency is the result of the applica¬ tion of our knowledge and ability to the tasks to be done. Classmates, we must be concerned chieflv with the way in which we do our work and not in the amount we do Some on® has said, “We try to gain the summit at a bound When wo should reach it step by step And climb the ladder round by round..” Efficiency mav be acquired if we keen the words of our motto jn mind: “Not how much, but bow well.” Anna Sweeney, ’25. -(o)- PRESENTATION OF GIFT TO SCHOOL. Dear old school, soon we are to depart from you. but before we go, we are going to present a g : ft of remembrance of our happy days spent here. What shall it be? Some one has said. “Give a person something he loves and his heart will beat