Yeshiva University High School For Boys - Elchanite Yearbook (New York, NY)

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They were fhe cause of fhis universal misery, fhey, fhe oppressors and exploifers of mankind. He undersfood now fhaf free men could nof resf nor lovers meef unfil fhe chains of fheir fyranny were broken. There was a low undercurrenf of disconfenf, a subdued mumbling and murmuring which rose in crescendo. The poinfer had come fo a sfandsfill. The gafe had opened: fhey shuffled ouf. He felf fainf, and fhere was a sfrange buzzing in his head. His forfured brain was playing pranks. If seemed as if she had come. A vision of efhereal loveliness came foward him, an ephemeral angel in whife. He fried fo brush away fhe specfral picfure fhaf danced before his eye, buf if persisfed. Closer and closer if came, almosf overwhelmed by each succeeding wave of humanify fhaf fhreafened fo crush if, buffefed by fhe coarse mob, buf sfill advancing, closer and closer. Perspirafion bursf forfh from every pore, and sfood in big cold beads on his forehead. She pressed forward, foughf herself free and, rushed fo him. Her hair was dishevelled, her eyes red, her face 'rear-sfained and swollen. His brain had cleared, her form was clearly ouflined now, nof hazy. lf was a frying sifuafion buf he rose fo fake confrol. If was she, undeniably real, her bosom heaving convulsively beneafh her lighf summer frock, as she fried fo sfifle a sob. She pressed her warm body againsf fhe cold machine of sfeel fhaf sfood befween fhem. All his penf up feelings surged wifhin him. His lip guivered fremulously, as he sfruggled fo masfer his emofions. Hasfily, he whispered, Darling, you shouldn'f have come here. - If will only be harder now. He grasped her frembling hand fhrough fhe iron grafing. Go now. Try fo believe fhaf l'll be home soon. There was a click of heels, heralding fhe approach of a superior. He snapped fo affenfion, rigid wifh frighf. Under fhe baleful glare of his over-lord, he relucfanfly furned fo his dufy, faking his place af fhe helm. There was a lasf lingering look, a muffled sob, and fhe iron door clanged shuf. There was a low hum, as he sef 'rhe massive machinery info mofion. He spoke: Going up, fhird floor, ladies wear, shoes, dresses, lingerie, going up! ELCHANITE Twenfy-Three

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GRIM DUTY CALLS! By David Greenberg They sTood massed abouT The iron gaTe, hushed, expecTanT, Their aTTenTion riveTed on The relenTlessly advancing poinTer, clicking on and oTT, Tlashing signiTicanT numbers, measuring The inTerminable momenTs OT awTul, nerve-wracking waiTing. Onward, irrevocably, inexorably, crepT The mechanical Tinger oT TaTe. lnch by inch - line by line - wiTh a descenT appreciable only aT inTervals ThaT seemed ages - down and sTill down iT came. Each insTanT broughT Them nearer Their desTinaTiong each Tlickering digiT porTended iTs approach. The seconds slipped by, each an inTiniTesimal grain oT sand in The hourglass oT eTerniTy, each an eTerniTy in iTselT. Time sTaggered on. The aTmosphere was Tense: The heaT was sTiTling. l-le TelT a curious sinking sensaTion aT The piT OT his sTomachg his hearT Tell wiThin him. He was oblivious To all, his senses lulled inTo a sTaTe oT passiviTy by The monoTonous drone oT The massive machinery as iT bore iTs cargo oT human misery down To subTerranean depThs, ThreaTening aT any momenT To TerminaTe iTs TearTul iourney. There was a pause in which all was blank, Then again sound and moTion, a mere consciousness oT exisTence, exisTence wiThouT ThoughT, Then very suddenly ThoughT, a sTabbing realizaTion oT his unTorTunaTe loT. PercepTion, like a blasT oT air on an exposed TooTh nerve, seT him Trembling in every Tibre. There was a sTrong desire To lapse again inTo blissTul insensibiliTy. l-le chided himselT and Tried in vain To Tind consolaTion buT could inoT reconcile himselT To his wreTched sTaTe. No TaTe could be crueler Than his. For iT was hard, especially when one was young, iusT married, and desperaTely in love, To be separaTed Trom one's soul maTe. lT was bruTally inhuman To be Torn Trom The arms oT one's beloved and pressed inTo The service oT some bloody capiTalisT. BuT, iT was his duTy, They had Told him. Only in so doing could he saTeguard his home and loved one. l-le recalled Thar lasT embrace, how proud she had been as he marched down The sTreeT resplendenT in his new uniform, his gold braid and buTTons gliTTering in The morning sun. IT had seemed so manly and noble, buT ThaT illusion had vanished, dispelled by The sTark realiTy oT duTy. l'le had been duped, moved so blindly, so uTTerly beTrayed, merely a puppeT in The dark hands oT greed, which proTiTed Trom his suTTering and privaTion. ThaT There was young warm blood coursing Through his veins, ThaT he wanTed To live, was unimporTanT To Them. They coldly reckoned his TaTe in Terms oT dollars and cenTs. l-le knew now ThaT They were The True enemy, The enemy oT all his kind. TwenTy-Two ELCHAN ITE

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LOVES By Allen Mendelbaum l Myriad discordanl voices ln unharmonious waves did rise Towards The supernal Power above Them Towards The Fashioner of rheir Fares. ln rhe celesfial pavilions A pensive muleness did pervade Unlrammeled by earlhly Turbulence, Unshallered by mundane loudness. Unlil-+ha'r blalancy l+'s source in lvlan's sublunary abode Driffed, Then reached il's deslinalion And aHained God's ear. The quarreling raucous voices Of The producl of l'lis craflsmanship Proved Thai while Peace reigned in l-leaven Disunily was rampanl on Earlh. And God was dislurbed. ll From Heaven showered manna On The lumulluous men ol Earlh And il was as balm of Gilead For The manna's name was Love. And some of Eden's lranquillily Was 'rransplanled now 'ro The World. l-lumanily's seefhing embroilmenls Were oershadowed by lhe olive branch The bickering was sliltled The allercafions rendered mule The blessings ol Love had fallen And had borne Tralernal Truil. Myriad mellifluous voices ln euphonious waves did rise Towards 'rhe supernal power above lhem Towards The lzashioner ol lheir Fales. And God smiled. Twenfy Tour ELCl'lfAlNllTlf