Abilene High School - Orange and Brown Yearbook (Abilene, KS)

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STUDY HALL Department of Latin THE FRESHMAN YEAR The High School offers four years of Latin. The first year is a study of begin- ning Latin, based on the text A Latin Reading Book, by Whittemore. In this year the foundation principles of Latin grammar are studied along with illustrative sentences, both Latin sentences to be translated into good English and English sen- tences to be translated into Latin. Sentences of the latter type are of particular value in developing the memory and reasoning faculties. There are also reading lessons- based on the early history of Rome, which appeal to the students' usual lik- ing for history and thus aptly connect the Latin language with the ancient Romans who spoke it. Another practice employed in beginning Latin classes which adds greatly to the general interest is the comparative study of Latin and English. Dif- ferent Latin roots are taken and their English derivatives searched out and discussed. In this way the students increase their English vocabulary and fix in mind more firmly the Latin roots. THE SOPHOMORE YEAR In the second year some real Roman history is read as written by Caesar. The first four books of his Gallic Wars are translated. Besides the excellent training obtained by translating the Latin into good and correct English there are some im- portant historical facts. We learn of the traits and habits of the barbarians living north and West of Rome. The fickleness and instability of the Gauls, the hardiness of the Germans and the peculiar characteristics of the maritime people on the island of Britain are all of unusual interest as depicted by Caesar, who carried on so many TWENTY v

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quite general use of having double recitation periods and requiring less prepared work. SECOND YEAR GERMAN Under our arrangement of recitation periods the pupil has much more time for speaking the language in the second year's work. And the better the understanding of grammatical principles obtained from the first year's' work, the more time there is for actual use of German later and the more correct will the use of it be. All topics mentioned under German I are carefully reviewed, more detailed work is done with pronouns-relative, demonstrative and indefiniteg the passive voice is learned, reflexive and impersonal verbs, and the uses of the subjunctive mode taken up ih detail. For all this review work lessons are outlined and kept in a note book. There are in these outlined lessons references to the state textg fuller or different statements concerning the topic under consideration, when profitable: and new sets of sentences to be written in German. Repetition of once-used exercises is un- interesting and unnecessary. The reading for this year is selected from the follow- ing list: Grimm's Maerc-hen, Gerstaecker's Germelshauser, Zschoppe's Der Zerbrochene Krugj, Storm's Immensee, Wildenbruch's Das Edle Blut, Benedix's 'Die Luegnerinf' Leander's Traeumereien, Bacon's Im Vater1and, Auerbach's Brigitta,', Mosher's Wilkommen in Deutchlandf' It is easy and profitable to have good and varied reading for the second year. THI RD YEA R GE RMAN Each added year in modern language is more satisfactory and more pleasant. There is little need now for drill on fundamentals. Such an advanced Composition as Bacon's offers exactly the kind of work needed-drills on specific words of com- mon use, typical German phrases, much-used idioms, interesting historical notes and, incidental to this brand new material, the review of every grammatical prin- ciple. The reading can be from the very best of German works. It is generally chosen from the following list: Heyse's L'Anabbiatta, Heyse's Die Blinden, Auerbach's Brigitta, Baumbach's Der Schwiegersohnf' Goethe's Herman und Dorothea, Lessing's 'Minna von Barnhelmf' Riehl's Der Fluch der Shonheitj' Riehl's Das Spielniannskindu and Schiller's Wilhelm Tell. We have always put off the study of Wilhelm Tell until the second half of the third year and it has always been the favorite classic of all pupils. At that time it is actually easy read- ing, is invariably considered so. Sixty to eighty lines is one assignment. Enough German has been previously read that each individual pupil of his own accord re- marks the beauty of the diction. The translation is so easy that the characters and action stand out clearly in the pupil's mind and he is enthusiastic from the start and throughout the reading. He has studied the construction of plays in English and intelligently criticizes the development of characters and formation of plots. This is all the natural outcome of reserving it to the last of the third year's work. We have listened to recitations on Wilhelm Tell by second-year pupils where thirty lines were laboriously untangled for one day's work, grammatical constructions had to be dwelt upon and the effort was so great that the story was lost, characters were confused and the idea of beauty of language never occurred to the pupil's mind. 0116 and a half years can make that great a difference. When it is reserved for the third year there is always a good taste left and frequently a stronger desire to continue the study of German. There is a great abundance of interesting collateral reading with Wilhelm Tell, suchlas Swiss legends, Swiss customs and stories of the Alpine avalanches mentioned in 'the play. There are scores of beautiful postcards of Swiss scenery which we show with the reflectoscope. We have also heard the Tell music by Rossini on the grafonola. Last of the work in connection with this play is the biography of Schiller, whose nobility of character throughout a life of adversity seems to enlist still greater interest in and love for his work. We have had occasional meetings of all German pupils after school, Where we have played games, speaking only Germang shown, with the reflectoscope, postcards of German cities and the Rhine, listened to legends of these places told by the DU' pils, and have heard records of German songs on the grafonola or have ours-elves sung German folk-songs. NINE TEEN

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successful wars with these peoples. The composition of the Roman army, its man- ner of marching and its camp life are all items of equal interest. There is also a composition course studied in the second year. In this course a review of the main principles of grammar as presented in the first year is taken up with illustrative sentences based on the writings of Caesar. Besides this some new rules of grammar as illustrated by Caesar are studied, particularly the use of the subjuuctive mood in dependent sentences. The objects of the second year Latin are to fix firmly in mind the fundamental principles of Latin grammar, to translate readily and correctly into good English, and to relate the subject matter which is translated to Roman history and to practical life. THE J l'Nl0R YEAR Cicero's orations as edited by D'Ooge are studied in the third year. The four oraticns against the Catilinarian conspiracy are read, also one in defense of the poet Archias and one in behalf of the Manilian Law-six in all. ln this year we get an even better view of Roman life. The city of Rome, the Roman Senate, govern- ment officers, Roman religion and the home life of the Romans are all topics of vital interest during this year's study. The composition course in the third year takes up the more difficult rules of grammar as they are found illustrated in Cicero's orations and as the students find them illustrated in fourth year Latin. A thorough study of the use of the subjuuctive mood is made. This includes its use both in in- dependent and dependent clauses. Bennett's Latin Grammar is the reference text throughout the second, third and fourth year Latin. THE FOURTH YEAR In fourth year Latin the first six books of Vergil's Aeneid are studied. This is perhaps the most interesting Latin which is read in High School. The historical set- ting of the Aeneid, its mythological allusions, its inherent literary value, make it a subject of great interest and charm to the students. Some of the descriptive pass- ages are easily on a par with any descriptions found in English literature, and the making of these comparisons adds greatly to the interest and ability in translating. Due to the poetic style of the Aeneid there is much freedom of translation given, which demands tl1e use of the best English at the student's command. Naturally too, much attention is given to scansion and poetic structure. No course in composition is offered in this year. The grammatical principles are studied only as they are illustrated by the text. Thus the second, third and fourth years embrace three distinct styles of litera- ture-history, oratory and poetry. The three great authors-Caesar, Cicero and Vergil-are worthy of study by everyone. Department of Mathematics ALGEBRA I High School Mathematics owes its place in the curriculum not to the informa- tion obtained from it, but to the difference it makes in the thinking of students. So far as mere knowledge is concerned all the facts of Algebra and Geometry needed by the average individual are taught in Arithmetic under the topics of mensuration and the use of the equation. Nor is skill in computation the aim of the High School. The boy and girl who do not come out of the eighth grade able to handle figures accurately and with reasonable speed rarely get this ability later, for the simple reason that the operations of Arithmetic to be performed efficiently must become automatic, and consequently must be mastered during the years when memory is the chief activity of the mind. This period is past by the time the average boy and TWENTY-ONE