Lee Young, Mary Helen Catlett Write
Winning English Compositions
The following compositions were written by students in Miss M. Crosby’s sophomore English class. They were selected as the best in their group. The editorial on Thanksgiving was written by Lee Young; Mary Helen Catlett is the author of the theme on democracy. They are printed here for your enjoyment.
THANKSGIVING
by: Lee Young
On November 28th the people of the United States and Canada will celebrate Thanksgiving Day. But for what reason are they celebrating?
Ask any typical first grader what Thanksgiving is to him and almost always the answer has something to do with a big meal where all the relatives get together. But a first grader isn’t expected to know much more. The sad part is that most adults are little more enlightened. Most have no idea that the day of thanks which the Pilgrims observed in Massachusetts in 1621 had actually been observed for years in England. The holiday originated as a period of thankfulness to God for the previous harvest. The Pilgrims had been down-hearted in the early months of 1621 because of the death of nearly one-half of their group. But their spirits had risen considerably by the time the harvest had been completed. In a spirit of thankfulness Governor Bradford declared a holiday. Feasting, songs, prayer, and sermons combined the spiritual with the material as the pilgrims thanked God.
But they were not content to celebrate just among themselves. They shared their bountiful supply with over eighty Indians who had been invited to the celebration.
This Thanksgiving Day let us remember to follow the example of the pilgrims. Let us give thanks to the Lord for the harvest of blessings which He had bestowed upon us and let us not forget to share our harvest with others, also.
Lee Young
WHAT DEMOCRACY MEANS TO ME
by: Mary Helen Carlett
Democracy means rule by the people. History tells us that anyone who has ever experienced democracy would surely fight for it if need be.
Democracy first began to develop in the city states of Athens, Greece around 500 B. C. This democracy was threatened by the Persian Empire in 490 B. C. while under the rule of Xerxes, the son of Darious. Both efforts to destroy democracy failed.
The latest war America has fought was World War II. This war was fought with Japan. During this war we used our democracy in the form of voting. We elected our President, Vice President, and all other leaders we needed for our democratic government. Our boys on the battlefront, also, voiced their opinion by voting through an absentee ballot.
American is now faced with the problem of Communism. Russia’s government is under the power of despotism. Despotism means rule by a master. This is the very opposite of our democracy.
Religion, to me, is one of the most precious rights given to us in our democracy. I may worship in any way I wish. No one tells me which denomination it shall be. Not even my parents. It’s my decision.
Everyone likes to talk. This is one of our rights as an American citizen. We may assemble anytime and anywhere to discuss things which are bothering us or maybe just to compare ideas. Schools teach and give us the opportunity, always, to voice our opinions. Meets are held and schools compete. There are even television programs which show us how well informed our youth of today are. “Youth Wants to Know” is a good example of this.
I have always attended a free public school at which I have been given superior training and guidance. I will continue getting this training until I graduate from high school. Not all countries have this right. They must pay for all of their education and training. This, of course, makes things much more difficult for some people. I might add a personal thought here and say that in my opinion some people, and quite a large percentage, take this right too much for granted. They don't appreciate what has been given to them and maybe don’t even take full advantage of it. These same people, for it is these who cause trouble, may be at the same time denying other students the right to enter the schools because of color or creed. This is what I would call lowering our democracy.
I have just used one of our golden rights. It is the right to publish, print, or write anything as long as it’s true and contains no libel statements. Newspapers, magazines, books, and other reading matter keep us a well informed nation.
There is a little bad in all good. This is true of anything. No nation can be perfect and this holds true of our democracy. We have troubles but we can always profit by our mistakes.
Mary Helen (Catlett) Allen