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

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THE HTGH SCHOOL HERALD 31 which hopes for better luck next time. We obtain friendships from sports which encourage us and often set us on the path which leads to success. The interest we take in athletics makes us valuable citizens to a community because we realize what they can do for everybody in the com¬ munity. We see their importance and w r e encourage both the young and the old to take active part in them thereby increasing their exercise which really becomes more of a pleasure than a duty. Then, too, the knowledge which we have gained from athletics makes us willing to lend a hand wherever it is needed, for the good of all our friends and associates. In conclusion, the fact that convinces us most of all is that if ath¬ letics were not important and a benefit to usthe world’s greatest countries would not favorably look upon the (Treat sports’ program which is he’d every four years. This program is known as the Olympic games, those games which bring with them, not only glory but even joy and delight to people all over the world. Mary Dowd, ’33. VALEDICTORY. WORK. A man’s privilege to work, to support himself and his dependents by honest labor, has been the greatest gift that America has ever offered her citizens. From its earliest beginnings, our country, instead of wor¬ shiping ancient titles or inherited wealth, has been most eager to praise those who by steady, unceasing effort have raised themselves from the common level and have joined the ranks of our nation’s truly great. If you doubt this, consider two of our greatest Americans, Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, whose lives and deeds are honored more as every year passes. These men were not even fairly well equipped as to family, education, or money for the high places which they won, but since they gained them through sheer persistence and toil, we are proud to point to them as examples of our finest types of manhood. Thus, through succeeding generations, and through every medium of expression, the peculiarly American tradition of relentless, driving energy applied to every kind of work to gain material results, has been established. For a long time now, success, too often, has been measured by the amount of money or prestige a man could gain from his work. It is useless to argue the right or wrong of th ; s viewpoint, since it has been inbred in Americans so long that it is a national trait, and cannot be changed merely by declaring it wrong. Nevertheless, we must admit that most of us thoroughly enjoy all the competition, the eternal “keeping up with the Jones,” the striving for something better which modern living demands of us, and we would be terribly bored without it. And that brings us to the man who within the last few years, through no fault of his own, but because of the “depression” has been unable to find any job at all. or at best, only part time employment. What

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30 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD We despise them, we trample upon them, we hold them back, these immigrants who have come to our country because they w T ish to be a part of it. We do not allow them to join our activities. It is only in time of war or necessity that we call upon them. And then, are they given credit for what they have done? In most cases the answer is “No.” We say it was merely their duty to protect a people who do not recognize them as brothers. Can we Americans, living in a free country, reasonably say that this is fair? If we do, we have a warped sense of fairness. So why not, in the future, try to treat our foreign people as a part of us and not make them feel that they are not wanted here? “Newcomers all from the Eastern seas, Help us incarnate dreams like these. Forget, and forgive, that we did you wrong. Help us to father a nation, strong In the comradeship of an equal birth, In the wealth of the richest bloods of earth.” Mary Gandolfi, ’33. THE IMPORTANCE OF ATHLETICS. Various forms of athletics throughout the Universe have from the beginning of time, played a major part in developing the body, as well as the mind. The wholesale exercise which is derived from athletics has equipped men and women with increased vitality and a keener mentality. Sports are not new to the world. If we go back through history we shall find that, the Greeks, as well as the Romans, held games of sport during which time a legal holiday was proclaimed to insure the privilege of everyone’s participating or looking on during the games. The word “athletics” to the average person means: baseball, basketball, football, tennis, golf, hockey, and swimming. The question is sometimes asked, “Of what importanceare athletics? Does one derive a benefit from them ?” The first thing most people say is, they are of no importance because they tire a person mentally and physi¬ cally. This is not whoMy so. It is true, however, that over indulgence in athletics will tire and fatigue a person, but no more so, than overeating will make a person sick. On the other hand athletics teaches us sportsmanship, that quality which is a valuable asset to each and everyone of us. They teach us to treat our neighbor fairly and to give him an equal chance in every contest no matter what the prize may be. When we engage in athletic exercise in school we are doing so for the glory and success of a team or a squad, not for self-praise. We soon realize that we must give help to the other fellow while training ourselves to meet the trials and ordeals which everyone at some time in his life, confronts. Athletics should create a friendly attitude in us because we learn to take victory as well as defeat, with a smile and a persevering spirit

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32 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD is this man to do, whose only aim in life is to work hard, to get ahead, to give his children a better start in life than he ever had, when he finds him¬ self able to do none of these things? Bewildered by his sudden change of living, he usually turns to his pet amusement, which used to divert him occasionally before so much leisure was thrust upon him. But before long this amateur carpentering or gardening or reading which afforded him so much pleasure when combined with his real business of life, becomes pettily insufficient when extended over who ' e days and weeks at a time, with nothing really important to do. Soon he begins to be discontented and rest¬ less, and just for lack of worthwhile labor, he is dejected and unhappy. This same spirit has recently spread into the high schools. Former¬ ly a high school graduate of any ability whatsoever was practically sure of being able to enter any line of w’ork for which he was fitted, and find a good position awaiting him. Summer jobs were plentiful, and anyone who earnestly desired to enter college could manage it somehow by means of part time work, even if the aid which his parents could give was little. Now, w ' e know r that those recent graduates who have secured permanent positions are very few’ and fortunate indeed, while those who had intended to help defray their college expenses by extra work are almost entirely deprived of this opportunity. Knowing these dreary truths, it is only by a great effort that many students are prodded to make any more than passing grades, although under normal conditions they would have been eager to earn the highest rank possible and thus insure for themselves a better chance after graduation. This disillusioned, broken spirit is dangerous for youth and man¬ hood alike, especially in this land of opportunities where we have been suc¬ cessful so long that even temporary reverses are heart-breaking, and through inexperience, w’e find ourselves at a loss as to how to cope with them. America is an aristocracy of working people—to-day, an unfortu¬ nate one, but which, because of its inherent qualities of strength and in¬ dependence will inevitably rise from its present state, and press onw’ard to ever higher goals of achievement. For “Surely there still is labor for men’s hands; Surely the heart shall r.ot be thus bereaved Of its fine dignity. The untilled lands Await him, there are forests yet uncleaved, And the dark caverns hold within their dim Vast aisles there stores for ' him,” Classmates: Before w’e leave our high school days behind us let us unite in expressing our deepest and most heartfelt appreciation to the members of the School Board, our parents, the members of the faculty, undergraduates, and to all those who have helped make our four years of high school iife profitable and enjoyable. E. Shirley Jackson, ' 33.