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

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28 THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD some officer speak to careless pedestrians or drivers through a loud speaker. Then in the Pennsylvania State College, Professor Neyhart has introduced a driving course into the college •‘‘which will teach the students the correct way to drive. This method will serve to eliminate a number of accidents caused by ignorance of traffic and driving rules. In our own state, Connecticut, the State Board of Education is com¬ piling a course of study in automobile safety instruction for the high school student. Such a course, which will instruct the student in the art of intelligent driving, is to be introduced in our own High School, in con¬ nection with the American History Course. This shows that the school officials are eager for the youth of Windsor Locks to become Safe Drivers, and therefore, help in the fight for Highway Safety. We know that the officials of our government have done a remark¬ able job in their campaign against highway accidents. Now it behooves every driver to do his share by adopting as his motto, the word “THINK.” DRIVERS: Lose one second to “THINK” and save one life—It may be your own. Margaret Moore, ’36. YOUTH STRIVES FOR PEACE Peace is the one ideal upon which all races of young people, whether white, red, black or yellow agree, for Peace is the most popular single idea in the world today. It i the only theory that no one openly dares to mock. The personification of peace, usually depicted as a beautiful lady in flowing white rpbes carrying an olive branch has been kept sacred in the memories of all youth throughout the Western Hemisphere through cele¬ brated works of sculpture and art, poetry and music, and praiseworthy teachings of church, school, and state. The influence of peace is so powerful that no man running for an office of any kind would dream of saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, vote for me, for I recommend myself to you on the ground that I shall take you into war.” On the contrary. Hitler says, “I would be happy if my only memorial monument were of the histor cal recognition of my labor for peace, not at the sacrifice of German honor.” Similar words are in the mouths of states¬ men of every country in the world. Anthony Eden, regarded by the British as their spokesman and in¬ spiration, wants peace with security—not just for the present, but for all time, and by international agreement.. Vladimir Potemkin, of Russia, made the statement that the uncer¬ tainty of whether or not all the League members would act together puni- tively against an aggressor was the chief cause of war. President Roosevelt addressed a message to the ladies of the D. A. R., stating that America would never engage in a war of aggression; but on the other hand, the size of the army and navy would be determined by the size of other armies and navies.

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THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD 27 GRADUATION NIGHT PROGRAM -★- SALUTATORY Members of the Board of Education, Teachers, Parents and Friends:— I certainly deem it an honor to welcome you here tonight in behalf of the Class of 1936. We wish to express our appreciation for the interest and cooperation you have shown in all our activities, and we sincerely hope that you will enjoy our commencement exercises which deal with the problems confronting youth. HIGHWAY SAFETY One of the foremost problems confronting youth is “How to main¬ tain Highway Safety.” Statistics show that more people are killed on the highways of America in one year than were killed on the battle front dur¬ ing the World War. Thus it depends upon the graduates of to-day, the future drivers and citizens, to solve this problem for the common benefit of mankind. There are a great many causes to w r hich accidents may be attributed. Therefore, when the question looms up, (“Are you a safe driver?”), you may invariably answer “Yes,” but could you pass a test? Are you on your toes for road defects, for defects in your own car, your brakes, headlights, or various types of engine trouble ? Do you know all the traffic rules ? Do you observe them? Are you alw’ays mentally alert? Are you always capable of making a decision in a split second? If you can answ r er these questions truthfully and without hesitation, in the affirmative, then and only then may you call yourself a “Safe Driver.” Some o,f these accident causes have been remedied since the State has members of road gangs continually repairing the highways, and com¬ pulsory automobile inspection has become law. Furthermore, literature has been widely distributed to acquaint the driver with traffic rules and regulations. Nevertheless, the responsibility of every driver himself is to maintain, at all times, perfect mental and phys : cal efficiency. One w’ay to do this is to remember that gasoline and alccihol do not mix. Consider seriously the fact that the intoxicated driver w r as the cause of 1.2 per cent, of all accidents in Connecticut during 1934. This is an inexcusable cause and one which must be eliminated. Again consider that d uring 1934 there were about forty-five acci¬ dents daily, or an accident every thirty-two minutes. Just think a human life lost every eighteen and one-half hours. These are ghastly figures which must be reduced drastically if our country is to shew that it values human life. Many states have made Highway Safety a strong spoke in the wheel of government. In Boston, and in Detroit, Safety Education Cars, operat¬ ed by the police, make the pedestrian alert to traffic conditions by having

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THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD 29 At a meeting of the Foreign Policy Association in New York, Eus¬ tace Seligman said that wars are caused by barriers to international trade. Moreover, many people believe that the international effort to obtain new war machines is the chief cause of war. In almost every country in Europe, there are millions of men ready to fight, such as in Italy where chil¬ dren of six years are trained for war. At times of real crisis the youth of any nation would respond to the call of arms, as they have always done in the past, but youth is beginning to realize the hopelessness of war. Youth wants nations to decide their difficulties in other ways less costly to human life and sacrifice. It is «aid about five hundred thousand students in schools are now conducting strikes for peace. To some of these rumors.Mrs. Frank- iin Delano Roosevelt’s name has been linked. The Brooklyn College strike is an example of one of these movements. Many of the students after a meeting on the college steps paraded through streets displaying banners announcing that Brooklyn mothers d ; d not raise their sons for cannon fod¬ der. Though we may not commend this method of spreading the peace propaganda, it shows hat youth is serious and in earnest upon this question. It has been predicted that we will not solve the problem of war until we have converted the whole human race and returned to individualism. However, now that we know ' what youth wants and the World needs, (not War—but Peace, peace with security, peace with national honor, peace w ' ith Christians, peace w r ith non-Christians), let us strive for Peace, and see if Youth cannot point the way to Peace and greater security in the future than have the past generations: for as our motto indicates “Res non Verba” or the time has come for “deeds not words.” Helen Jenkins, ’36. YOUTH FACES THE CRIME QUESTION Youth starts out in life with a soul l ' ke a sword, keen, bright, and uncompromising. Then comes w r hat Shelley calls “the contagion of the world ' s slow stain. Crime.” That comes to many young people because they begin with a banner inscribed “Excelsior.” but graduallv the dust of battle obliterates everything but the second syllable, “cel.” They feel that truth, honor, and steadfastness do not mean as much as they had thought; for discouragement, unemployment, and disappointment tend to low’er ideals and standards until the youth falls a victim o,f crime. Therefore age is a most important factor, for practically all crime falls in the active period of life. The average age of criminals is twenty-three years, while the age of arrests is nineteen years. To be sure much of this is due today to the fact that 3,000,000 American youth between the ages of sixteen and tw ' enty-five are unemployed. Thus idleness breeds crime. The tendency to crime comes from many sources. Conditions con¬ nected with family life have a great influence on crime; indeed, inasmuch as the family is the chief agency in society for socializing the young, per¬ haps domestic conditions are more important in the production of crime