Belmont High School - Blueprint Yearbook (Belmont, MA)

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1923 THE CHAMELEON 1923 (DUl-iFaaljiuncb (Bariietis Don’t you think old-fashioned gardens are charming? The unassum- ing little flower friends are so much more lovable than their aristocratic companions, the hot-house flowers. The little people in the old-fashioned garden have such charming personalities that you wish to become ac- (luainted with them at once. If you have never seen an old-fashioned gar- den you are unfortunate. The best time to visit the garden is very early in the morning when the bright sun shines through the little drops of dew, making one wonder if some good fairy has not visited there in the wee small hours scattering diamonds among all the flowers. The little Morning Glory girls are always up almost as early as Old Sol himself, ready to begin their duties, one of which is to climb the rustic fence on which they make their home. Next we meet the Sweet Pea sis- ters, who live at the top of a trellis, nodding a sweet good morning to all who pass. Then we see the Pansy family always drssed in soft velvet gowns, looking so dainty one wonders if they ever do any work. Betty Marigold and Jane Poppy are found with their heads close together carry- ing on a whispered conversation. A tiny girl, always dressed in white, is Carrie Candytuft. Molly Mignonette in a gown of soft green; Nancy Nasturtium in her usual frock of orange trimmed with pale yellow, and Flora Four O’Clock are found in a sociable group. Flora is a sleepy little girl, who gets up at four o’clock, and is usually asleep by the time her neighbors are awake. Not so v.’ith Sweet-William who is a veritable Beau Brummel. He arises early and stays up late so that everyone may see his various colored costumes. In a bed of moss in one corner of the garden under a huge pine tree may be found Alice Arbutus and Jack-in-the-Pulpit, who have stolen in that they may admire their cousins. Jack looks like a bandit with his hood pulled over his face so that no one may recognize him. Then there is Polly Primrose who always brightens the atmosphere with her golden hues and although the sunflower looks down on her, little Polly quite outshines him with her daintiness. She is a friend of all the garden folk and I am sure she would be glad to introduce you to her play- mates. It is getting late so we must leave the old-fashioned garden. What does it mean to you? To me it is a secluded nook in which to think, a meeting place of whispering lovers, a mother to whom all our joys and sorrows may be intrusted. What is an old-fashioned garden? The sweet- est place of all. Edythe Lufkin. ICatin — A iCuxurii ur a ??rcc5siti|? Three classes of students endeavor to answer the question, “Why should Latin be studied by a high school student?” Of these the first have never studied the language; the second have pursued it the full four years; the third have taken a part-time course, having dropped it, perhaps, at the end of the second year. The first and second classes are prejudiced : the latter is ever pitying the unfortunate person who has not realized the value of four years’ hard study; the former does not realize its benefits. Indeed, he believes that high school is a place for intensive training along vocational lines, not a I)lace for developing mental power and individuality. However, the student who has had some Latin and who has also tried his hand at specializing is able to present the matter in the most unbiased fashion. I will endeavor to make allowance for my own prejudice and pre- sent the matter, at least in part, as a person of this class would. [28]

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1923 THE CHAMELEON 1923 iCitetarg Suating Sooka Spring had arrived and I made up my mind to accomplish the task I had deferred so religiously in the past few weeks — that of dusting and ar- ranging my embryo library. It is a job I have attacked in the past with the greatest enthusiasm ; indeed, my cup of satisfaction is filled copiously if I am abandoned to the companionship of my books. They appeal to me as friends, almost, indeed, in the manner of human beings. This reaction is not traceable to any feelings ordinarily associated with that species of literary grubber known as the book-worm; but because they are simple friends, as ready as any human being to cheer and comfort and yet, if necessary, to preach and act in an advisory capacity. However, this is digressing from my topic. Have you ever commenced with the most praiseworthy zeal and en- thusiasm to clear out some di’awers or a desk, which you know should have been done at some leisure moment? A writing desk, a chest of drawers or a shelf of books are crowded with intimate personalities that attract and hold a person. The numberless old letters, photographs, cards, pictures and clippings brought to light in cleaning the desk, are fascinating. They encourage musing and reveries of bygone incidents. A single picture will conjure up elusive remembrances, starting a train of thought which soon drifts to channels of pleasant reminiscences. In launching my attack on the bookshelves, I find myself confronted by the same difficulty. The volumes refuse to respond and participate in the mad desire for sanitation that pervades the mortal breast when it is the season for bursting buds and scarlet robins. Fate has something in store for the foolish person who vainly imagines he can clean up a shelf of books. If he picks up a Scott, he is bound to open it at the page where Torquilstone is being stormed or Isaac is about to be roasted alive by the insatiable Front-de-Boeuf. Do you mean to tell me it is chance when upon casually opening a volume you discover the irascible Nicholas administering a sound thrashing to Squeers ; or, still further, you find Huck Finn all alone in a cabin with his father demented with drink? No, sir, there is a spe- cial Providence ordained to watch over poor defenceless books and protect them from the inane attacks of sanitation experts. Laurence Wray. tElic Balue uf IJuetrg Poetry is the expression of the soul; the manifestation of a higher plane of human sympathy and understanding. Without poetry the love- liest and most beautiful form of expression of the emotions and thoughts of men would have ceased to exist. Poetry consists of more than facts and fancies ; it leads one to understand the beautiful more clearly and to ap- preciate it more fully. Its infiuence on human character is to soften and leaven it, and make us more susceptible to the beauty all around us. Therefore, the value of poetry should not be underestimated. A love for poetry is a manifestation of our love for the God-given beauty of our life and this world, which we should nourish, cultivate, and cherish, — it is but our just duty to the Giver. Anna Strong. [27j

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1923 THE CHAMELEON 1923 In the first place, Latin forms the background for modern European languages. A person who knows the language of Caesar can make rapid progress in the study of Roumanian, French, Spanish and Italian. This is true because these languages are derived from Latin. But these inflections are considerably easier than those of Latin. Therefore, a Latin student may master the grammar of any of these languages readily. In the cases of French, Spanish and Italian, especially in the latter, the vocabulary is astoundingly easy to one who has used the words of the Romans. Conse- quently, the student of Latin is invaluably reinforced when he turns his elforts to the study of the simpler and more comprehensible languages of today. Latin aids one in any study. Particularly valuable is it in the study of science. There have been occasions in mathematics and history where my knowledge of Latin has proved a distinct benefit. The terms : “vinculum,” “bisect” and “intercept,” familiar to a student of geometry and algebra, are Latin in origin. Equally familiar are these terms which are met in history, civics or law: “referenda,” “data,” “expost facto,” “aborigines” and others. In all higher branches of learning, Latin proves its immense worth. The college student, the musician, the clergyman, the doctor, the lawyer and all those who are accustomed to much mental activity, profit immeas- urably by it. Indeed, the regularity and precision of the language accus- toms one’s mind to arrange difficult facts in logical order. More than this, however, presence of mind is another blessing bestowed upon the Latin student. In studying this language, he must be prepared at all times to meet any one of a great variety of constructions. As a re- sult of this, he acquires a knack of meeting unflinchingly unprecedented situations. What many people consider most beneficial in Latin is the aid it gives us in speaking our own tongue. The Latin student who sees, for the first time, such varying words as introduce, postpone, access, surge, delude, equestrian, timid, suspect, insane, or sacred does not require a dictionary to discover their meaning or, in many cases, their spelling. In the litera- ture of our language (as well as of other languages), we are constantly encountering phrases and classical allusions which a knowledge of Latin renders less obscure. This is particularly true in regard to Shakespeare. Thus, is not Latin invaluable even if one looks at it only from the stand- point of better English? But now, lest the reader accuse me of writing wholly in behalf of the merits of Latin, I must stop and seek for arguments against this language. The majority are too thin to require answer. However, there are three which are repeated constantly : the first persists that Latin is a “dead” language ; the second states that the Latin language along with other classical knowledge has no practical value, being merely “stuff” ; the third is that it is too difficult. To the first I reply that Latin is not a dead language. It lives on in the English of today. If all the Latin words in English should be taken away, one would be unable to carry on a two-minute conversation. He would have to stop for lack of words. Latin and classical knowledge are more than “stuff” for they prepare one’s brain for the coveted “practical” knowledge. Neither is its difficulty of any consequence, for who was ever harmed by an arduous task? Men do their best when it is necessary for them to use their utmost effort. Latin, therefore, far from being a luxury, is a priceless necessity. It assists one in speaking English; it makes all other subjects not only seem [29]