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

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I I T I I r r j j j j j THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD 29 Do not think that there is nothing more to be done to better ourselves in every way. I believe that we have hardly started, unless a total war smashes our whole system, as it has in many other countries. Science is still in its youth; a single new discovery like that of atomic power, if used for peaceable means, could later help to make 1951 seem as primitive as 1900 seems to some today. If we can keep our wits about us, our communities can be far cleaner, more convenient, and comfortable for every man, woman, and child who lives in them. Thus the graduates of 1951, in schools all over this nation, need to be serious, thoughtful individuals, for they face grave responsibilities and tremendous tasks to make the last half of this century as progressive as has been the first half. Dorothy Manning ’51 OUR JOB AS CITIZENS One of the most important duties of the graduate of this year is to make sure that he prepares himself to accept the responsibilities of a good citizen of this country. Our land needs true, loyal citizens today, more than ever before, and she may rightfully expect them from the young people she has educated in her free public schools. As Thomas Paine once wrote: ' These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it noiv, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” Citizenship, unlike many other goals, is a goal which requires planning, not only in the future but also in the present. Now that we are leaving high school, we shall have a far greater task ahead of us as citizens in a system of government which offers us more freedom, more rights, more advantages, more opportunity and more happiness than any other country in the whole world. To be sure, these privileges require more work on our part than any other type of citizenship in the world, yet we feel they are worth it. Here in America, the individual citizen is the big wheel ' ' in the machinery of our government. The law is whatever the majority o. the citizens decide. We can turn on our radios knowing that what we hear does not necessarily agree with the opinion in high government circles. We can tele¬ phone a friend and express ourselves as we desire, for we know that no secret police are listening. This is American democracy. If there are any imperfections in our way of life, it is because of the lack of full responsibility on our part as citizens. What can be more harmful to a democ¬ racy than the evasion of our responsibilities? For example, half of the qualified voters in our country fail to go to the polls and vote in important elections. About three million American children of school age are not even getting an elementary education, let alone a secondary education. Are these any reasons why we as citizens should sit back and allow our way of life to be challenged? The flaws in our democratic system are the result of our own negligence and lack of interest—not the fault of the system itself. The government merely exists to serve the people. Our chief task, therefore, is to live successfully with other people and to work together in our common life. Whether we shall be a success or a failure depends on how well we plan and how well we use the means we have for carrying out that job. cn Page

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28 THE HIGH SCHOOL HEKALI) FIFTY YEARS OF CHANGE Graduates of 1951 are today reaping the benefits of the progress made in the first half of this twentieth century. Only a few will be fortunate enough to live to see the next century, but many of these graduates will have a share in the building and shaping of the progress in the next fifty years. Thus we hope that we of this generation will assume our responsibilities and do as well if not better than those of past generations in advancing the arts, the sciences, the humanities, and the policies of our government. Let us consider the great changes made in the relatively short course of fifty years. Today we may safely say that 1900 was the turning point to a modern era. We are all familiar with the inventions which have made life easier and more greatly enjoyed by the masses—radio, movies, television, plastics and synthetics, electronics and more advanced methods of transportation. The entire structure of labor and capital which once made the rich man richer and the poor man poorer has changed. Today, through legislation, many laws pro¬ vide for the protection, health, and safety of a worker. Some of the greatest changes in labor laws have been in those which concern minor children and their employ¬ ment. For centuries, it had been customary for a child to be hired out for a term of years for little more than his keep in order that he might learn a trade. This period was called an apprenticeship and the system afforded some protection to the young worker because seldom were they apprenticed until sixteen years of age and then they were kept in close contact with the employer who was expected to look after their welfare. With the introduction of the factory system, working conditions became most unfavorable to the young employees, some of whom were only five years old and who worked from sunrise to dark. Early in the nineteen hundreds, legislation was passed which generally prohibited child labor. Now most stores reejuire that chil¬ dren attend full time school until sixteen years of age. Another great improvement since the early part of the century has been made in transportation. Our elders will no doubt remember when a trip to a neighboring city was an all-day outing. The roads were not well paved and the early automobiles were hardly more satisfactory than Old Dobbin and the carriage. Now in a matter of a few hours, we may be carried from one city to another in the luxurious splendor of a streamlined plane. Also, the farmer’s life was once a weary round of duty, day after day. Now, because of the great strides in the manufacture of modern farm machinery and equip¬ ment, his life, too, has become less dreary and full of toil. Furthermore, improved manufacturing and merchandising methods have en¬ abled the common worker to secure a higher standard of living. Mass production has proved that the more goods you produce, the less it costs to produce them. The more wages people earn, the greater becomes their buying power. Thus th : s eco¬ nomic law has proved that it pays better to produce the same sort of food, clothing, and equipment for everyone than to produce luxury items for the few and third-rate goods for the masses. i r [ I I r r r r o co Page

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SO THE HIGH SCHOOL HERALD Thus we need today earnest, loyal men and women who cherish their rights and duties as citizens of this democracy and would sacrifice everything else before they would give up these privileges granted us by our Constitution. I think this can be summed up best by the words of Josiah Gilbert Holland, who said: God, give us Men! A time like this demands Strong minds, great hearts, true faith and ready hands; Men whom the lust of office does not kill; Men whom the spoils of office cannot buy Men who possess opinions and a will; Men who have honor; men who will not lie; Men who can stand before a demagogue And damn his treacherous flatteries without winking! Tall men, sun-crowned, who live above the fog In public duty and in private thinking; For while the rabble, with their thumb-worn creeds. Their large professions and their little deeds. Mingle in selfish strife, lo! Freedom weeps, Wrong rules the land and waiting Justice sleeps.” Dolores Vaitukaitis ’51 VALEDICTORY PROSPECTS POR THE FUTURE The past forever gone, the future still our own.” This is indeed a motto which we should remember all our lives. We are leaving high school; what we have accomplished there and what we have failed to accomplish will forever remain unchanged. We must not dwell upon past mistakes, thinking how much better off we would have been if we had worked a little harder, or had made different decisions. Rather it is the present we must strive to perfect in order to insure a better future. We are on the threshold of the future; some of us will continue our formal education, many will not, but we have all enrolled in the school of life, where we shall continue to acquire knowledge everyday of our lives. Until now, we have had to attend school. We have been prodded by parents and teachers to study. From now on, we must seek knowledge as our own respon¬ sibility; we must open every door that will lead us to new and unexplored worlds. To insure a bright and happy future, we must have a firm foundation which we build gradually from bits of learning here and bits of knowledge there. We are the future leaders of America and the guardians of our democracy. To do our job well, we must be strong, we must educate ourselves to know what is best for our country, to be able to distinguish between good and evil ways of life, no matter how cleverly they are disguised. By refusing to accept superficial appearances and by insisting on delving into the truth of matters we shall not find ourselves led blindly into the undesirable situations. [ f [ r r. r r r r r r. CM CO Page