Capitol Page School - Congressional Yearbook (Washington, DC)

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THE DAILY LIFE OF A PAGE -By Don Braedon A page's life is a tough one in so many ways and very easy in so many other ways that we must consider all of these things with an open mind. Let us consider the educational point of view. We are fortunate in that we have an op- portunity to see our government in action and see how the people react toward the men in Congress who are representing the masses. Debate, heated arguments, bills of national and international importance, all are dis- cussed before us and we can see what the dif- ferent parties stand for and how they differ from each other. The page, as I see it, is lucky in many ways, but he does not always have the opportunity to see the real debates and the workings of a bill because they are usually taken up in committees before intro- duction on the floors of either House. The usual routine life of a page who lives in the city begins at five-thirty A. M. The boys are at breakfast at about six and at school by six-thirty. At nine-thirty-nine school ends for most of us and we proceed to work. We file Congressional Records and run to the document Room during the earlier hours of Work. Then comes the real job. At noon the Senate and House normally convene, and from that time until they adjourn the page is kept busy. We run House Office Building slips to the Congressmen's offices and also Senate Of- fice Building slips for the Senators. The ave- rage day for a page consists of about four bell calls on the floor, six trips to the House or Senate Office Building, and six to eight trips to the Document Room. lt varies, of course, according to the position the page may hold. Positions on the phones or on the doors require other types of work.. When the Congress adjourns for the day the page usually goes home, changes clothes, goes out for dinner, and then returns to do his homework. A frequent pastime of most pages is writing home. Letters to parents and that best girl are, of course, considered first. The average salary of a page is about one hundred and ninety dollars a month, after taxes, of which approximately one hundred and ten dollars goes out for food, rent, and other necessities and pleasures. Many pages are able to save as much as eighty dollars a month for future use, such as college. Life at Capitol Page School is very interest- ing, which is largely due to the many activities which keep us on the go. Clubs, sports, and lively debates are all a part of the daily school life. Teams for these activities have been or- ganized through the wonderful cooperation of the Faculty and the Principal, and they're to be commended for the liberal donation of their time which made possible the further- ance of these activities. Sports, many of which were taken up with an incredible amount of enthusiasm, are supervised by Mr. Fowler, Chairman of the English Department. He has devoted many an hour to the basketball team. Miss Hammond, Chairman of Mathematics and Sciences, has given a great deal of time to The Congressional and the Dramatics Club. Mr. Kramer, Chairman of Social Sciences, has done a fine job in trying to bring about the making of a superb Debate Club. Miss Ethier, Chairman of Languages, has pro- cured information from various colleges deal- ing with admission, and has also advised the Honor Society. ln conclusion, let us say there exists a great spirit among the pages. It is a spirit of co- operation, self-reliance, ambition, and grati- tude-all moulded into one. lt is an indomnit- able spirit eminating from all over the Re- public and meeting here on The Hill . lt is the American Spirit.

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PAGES CN THE AIR During the course of the year various pages have been fortunate in having the opportunity of appearing on several ,programs broadcast on nationwide radio hookups. The chief radio event of the year was un- questionably the Vox Pop program, broadcast from' the Statler Hotel's ultra-modern Presi- dential Room, on Wednesday, December IO, 1947. lt was conducted by Messrs. Parks John- ston and Warren Hull, with assistance from Principal Orson W. Trueworthy and several pages. Six pages were chosen to participate in the program. Robert Hansel and Steve Knight rep- resented the Senate boys, Oliver Furlong, Louis Sanchez, and Royal Squires came from the House side, and Lou Granger held the fort for the High Court. Generosity typified the program. .All the participants went away a good deal wealthier than when they arrived. Following dinner, which was on the house , came an audience participation show just previous to the regular program. Several pages, including Mr. True- worthy, had the opportunity of winning five dollars or a similiar sum as a reward for cer- tain little fetes they performed, all of which were in a decidedly humorous vein. As far as program presents are concerned, Louis Sanchez was given a round-trip home, which, considering the fact that his home is in New Mexico, is quite a commendable gift. Royal Squires was the recipient of one hun- dred dollars and a portable radio. Bob Hansel also got a radio, and with it a new suit of clothes. Steve Knight received a beautiful watch and a complete ping-pong set. An elec- tric train, a book, and fifty dollars went to Oliver Furlong, while a rifle and fifty dollars, say nothing of a dinner date at any Washing- ton hotel, went to Lou Granger. In short, everyone fared extremely well. To top the gifts to the individual partici- pants, one hundred dollars was given to them for the purpose of benefiting the School in -sy M. E. H. some way. While on the air the pages were asked various questions concerning their work, their life on The Hill , and about their home- towns. Everything was, conducted an a com- paratively informal basis. Nevertheless, some of the fellows were scared stiff. Although the Vox Pop program was the highlight of the year so far as,radio was con- cerned, another page had the opportunity of appearing on radio programs on several oc- casions. He is Judge Harrison, of the Republican Party, that is, and it was his good fortune to participate in political discussions on the pro- gram, Youth Asks the Government . This program is a fifteen minute forum in which sundry students from local high schools and colleges ask questions of a leading Govern- ment figure, frequently somebody on The Hill . lt is under the moderation of John Ed- wards, an ABC Washington correspondent. Congressman Pete Jarman, of Alabama, was the guest on the first program on which Judge appeared. The subject was concern- ing the Marshall Plan and foreign relief. On the second program Senator John Sherman Cooper, of Kentucky, was the guest, the sub- ject being inflation, its cause and cure. However, the third program was something different. lt was a half hour television broad- cast, with Congressman Abe McGregor Goff, of Idaho, as the guest. The subject was again inflation. All of these programs are broadcast with someone of prominence and importance in the Government as the guest. lnnumerable Members of Congress have participated as the guest for the evening, Congressman A. S. Mike Monroney, of Oklahoma, being the guest on the original program, January, I947. lt is anticipated that before the close of the school year many more pages will enjoy the opportunity ofjbeing on the air,