WISDOM OF PRIDWEN 1967
“A STATEMENT FOR PEACE”
To The Classmates of
Bishop McDevitt High School
Class of 1967
In
preparing for our 50th Class Reunion, we should go to
our senior yearbook, Pridwen 1967, to look at what it said about our class; to
see if there is something there that spoke to us then in 1967, and still speaks to us and others today in 2017. It's been 50 years, a half century since our graduaiton from hign school.
In Pridwen 1967, we discover some thoughts that are quite
interesting and profound.
The
purpose of a high school yearbook is to highlight all the students, all the faculty, all the
special activities during the year, and the special accomplishments of students,
classes, and organizations. Pridwen 1967
does that. As we page through Pridwen
1967, we can discover other things that can be understood to be quite unique
and quite profound.
In
our search to discover something spoken by the Class of 1967, we find 18
statements distributed throughout the book.
In a review of those statements, we discover that the 18 statements seem
to converge around the one main theme of Pridwen 1967 – PEACE – PEACE on Earth
and Peace in Individual Hearts. Here is how we can arrive at that
conclusion.
When we open the yearbook to the inside cover, we find this statement about PEACE on Earth:
- PEACE ON EARTH, which men of every era have eagerly yearned for, can be firmly established only if the order laid down by God be dutifully observed.
When we close the yearbook, on the inside of the back cover, we find this statement about a prayer for PEACE in the hearts of men and women:
- May He banish from the hearts of men whatever might endanger PEACE, May He transform them into witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love.
Thus, we have
Pridwen 1967 opening with PEACE and closing with PEACE.
On an opening page of our yearbook, we find that Pridwen 1967 was dedicated to PEACE with this statement:
- Dedicated to Peace – among nations, among races, in the heart.
With our dedication to PEACE on both inside covers and on the opening page, we see the beginnings of a framework for what was being said by the Class of
1967.
CENTRAL
STATEMENTS ABOUT EVERY HUMAN BEING AND GOD
As we proceed through the initial pages of our yearbook, we find 4 statemnts that can be considered to be central to the
theme of PEACE.
- Human beings have the right and duty to live in communion with one another. (found on Page 4)
- Every man has the right to life, to bodily integrity (found on Page 6)
- Peace I leave with you; My Peace I give to you. (the New Testament words of Jesus found on Page 7)
- Social Life in the modern world is varied, complex, and dynamic. (found on Page 11)
We will delve
into the meaning of these 4 statements later in this writing. What we should see now is “the
order of the statements”. We
open Pridwen 1967 with a statement about PEACE on Earth that is followed
by our dedication to PEACE for Pridwen 1967, which is then followed by 4
central statements about PEACE. Thus, we
are being setup for what comes next – Curricullum.
CURRICULUM – FOUNDATION FOR THE BISHOP McDEVITT STUDENTS
After the opening statement, our dedication, and the central
statements, the order of Pridwen 1967 now brings us to 10 statements about the
curriculums of study that was available to us and what those statements could mean to us, the students.
After assessing the 10
statements, one for each area of study, we can conclude that the areas of study
are the foundation for the Bishop McDevitt Student upon which to learn, and
thus, create a platform from which to launch their endeavors to pursue PEACE
on Earth and Peace in Individual Hearts.
Though the studies in Secretarial Sciences and Home Economics may seem
out moded by today’s standards, what their statements say is still relevant to
today and the future.
Thus, in the Curriculum
section of Pridwen 1967, we have 10 topics of study, each with it’s own
statement of wisdom that can contribute to the pursuit of PEACE on Earth
and Peace in Individual Hearts:
- Art - Further development of God-given talent. ..... Page 68
- Secretarial Sciences - The key to understanding the commercial world. ..... Page 70
- Home Economics - Valuable training for the woman of tomorrow. ..... Page 73
- Languages - The gateway to communication in words and ideas. ..... Page 74
- Mathematics - Insight into the realm of logic and the abstract. ..... Page 76
- Music - Supplementing McDevitt's curriculum for a well-rounded individual. ..... Page 79
- Physical Education - Aiding in the full development of the McDevitt student. ..... Page 80
- Science - Understanding the physical world through challenging experimentation. ..... Page 82
- English - Fulfillment through self-expression and appreciation of our language. ..... Page 84
- Religion of Christ - Strives for the total realization in self and others. ..... Page 86
- Social Studies - Providing interest in the past and concern for the future. ..... Page 88
WHAT’S OUR PURPOSE
IN THIS ENDEAVOR?
At this time, 2017, the year of our 50th Class Reunion, we can explore the significance of what was stated in our yearbook. The 18 statements hold the wisdom we want to extract.
So, let’s explore further what we, the Class of 1967, said in Pridwen 1967. We will start by viewing all 18 statements.
We will also provide a tabulation of the scanned pages of Pridwen as they appear in the yearbook. We provide a scanned pic of each statement's page with the statement provided next to the scanned page. (TO BE ADDED AT A LATER DATE)
You are invited to parouse all 18 statements and ponder them.
You are invited to consider what was being said by us in those statements and what were our concerns, wishes, goals, and desires.
_________________________________________
THE WISDOM OF PRIDWEN 1967
“A STATEMENT FOR PEACE”
The 18 Statements
Bishop McDevitt High School
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
Class of 1967
OPENING STATEMENT FOR PEACE ON EARTH – INSIDE OF FRONT COVER
1. PEACE ON EARTH, which men of every era have eagerly yearned for, can be firmly established only if the order laid down by God be dutifully observed.
DEDICATION TO PEACE ON FIRST PAGE
2. Dedicated to Peace – among nations, among races, in the heart.
CENTRAL STATEMENTS ABOUT EVERY HUMAN BEING AND GOD
3. Human beings have the right and duty to live in communion with one another.
4. Every man has the right to life, to bodily integrity.
5. Peace I leave with you; My Peace I give to you.
6. Social Life in the modern world is varied, complex, and dynamic.
CURRICULUM – FOUNDATION FOR BISHOP McDEVITT STUDENTS
7. Art Further development of God-given talent.
8. Secretarial Sciences The key to understanding the commercial world.
9. Home Economics Valuable training for the woman of tomorrow.
10. Languages The gateway to communication in words and ideas.
11. Mathematics Insight into the realm of logic and the abstract.
12. Music Supplementing McDevitt's curriculum for a well-rounded individual.
13. Physical Education Aiding in the full development of the McDevitt student.
14. Science Understanding the physical world through challenging experimentation.
15. English Fulfillment through self-expression and appreciation of our language.
16. Religion of Christ Strives for the total realization in self and others.
17. Social Studies Providing interest in the past and concern for the future.
CLOSING STATEMENT – A PRAYER FOR THE HEARTS OF MEN AND WOMEN ON THE INSIDE OF THE BACK COVER
18. May He banish from the hearts of men whatever might endanger PEACE,
May He transform them into witnesses of truth, justice, and brotherly love.
________________________________________________
"PEACE ON EARTH,
which men of every era have eagerly yearned for,
can be firmly established only if
the order laid down by God be dutifully observed."
________________________________________________
can be firmly established only if
the order laid down by God be dutifully observed."
Prepared by
James Barbush
2021 Blue Mountain Parkway
Linglestown, PA 17112
JamesEBarbush@GMail.com
(717) 514-5549
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