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

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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

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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

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14 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD with the pulse of fate, whether at home, on land, or on sea..” Our class has decided to give a flag to replace the one displayed in front of the school building. The flag .s an in¬ spiration for better citizenship. What better symbol can be placed in front of our school where future citizens of our United States are being trained. When we look at the flag composed of the colors, red, white, and blue, we behold the symbol of what God has given us, a Nation to love and to honor. We hope that you will show apprecia¬ tion of the flag in your loyalty and ser¬ vice, and as you see it flying, think of the Class of 1925. Tis not for the weight of the gift we care Nor how strong it is, nor how fair ’Tis the spirit that’s back of the giving That makes our life worth living. So let this gift, a message tell Expressed in our Motto, “Not how much, but how well.” May Duggan, ’25. -(o)- ACCEPTANCE OF CLASS GIFT. In behalf of the Windsor Locks High School, I wish to thank the Class of 1925 for their inspiring gift. It stands for principles for which our forefathers died while fighting under its colors. The red, white, and blue represent the bravery, purity, and valor, by which our country has been made the great nation that it is to-day. The flag is also a reminder of our duty to our country, and the school is the place where a training in this responsibility io received. Therefore, it is a very appro¬ priate gift. Whenever, in passing the Windsor Locks High School, we shall see the em¬ blem of our country, this starry banner of freedom floating in the breeze, we shall think of the Class of 1925 who presented us with this gift, and we shall strive to honor it, as loyal citizens of the United States. Mary McHugh, ’26. CLASS PROPHECY. While searching through my library for some reading material, I came across a diary which I had kept since my graduation from Windsor Locks High School. On glanc ng through its pages my atten¬ tion was attracted to this interesting entry concerning the worthy president of the Class of 1925. February 1, 1930— This afternoon at the Ritz Carleton Bil¬ liard Academy I saw Willie Hoppe, balk line billiard champion, lose his title to the Masked Marvel, one of the cleverest billiard players I had ever witnessed. The crowd forced me to the front in their haste to congratulate the winner and as I grasped his han he stepped beck in surprise and asked me to remain after the crowd left. I waited and he soon appeared and took me to a private room where he unmasked. I was completely astonished when I beheld the smiling countenance of August Midden, one of my former classmates. I learned from his conversation that “Speed” had purchased a pool establishment after leav¬ ing High School and by steady practice had become an expert with the cue. Gradually he defeated the best players in the country, always masked to conceal his identity and to draw crowds. I always knew that “Speed’s” ability on the green cloth would bring him success. This article was of such great interest to me that I decided to read through the book. April 10, 1930— At the winter Garden in New York, Mary Longo, one of the greatest American dancers and a former pupil of Michael Nickoloff, made her first appearance in America after a tour of Europe. New York clitics claim that this performance classed her as the world’s ofremost terpsichorean artist. We all predicted Mary’s success for she always had a fondness for dancing while in High School. May 4, 1930- To-day at Carnegie Hall in New York I heard a concert by the New York Sym¬ phony Orcehestra, conducted by Joseph Lo- dola. The concert was claimed by music critics to have been one of the best ever to have taken place in the famous Hall. We knew “Joe” would attain the heights