Claymont High School - Clay Tablet Yearbook (Claymont, DE)

Page 16 text:

Ukrainian soup of beets, sour cabbage pea soup, and fish soup. There were dough wrapped potatoes and also sour cabbage and plum jam courses prepared in a similar manner to that of dough wrapped potatoes. There were cabbage leaves stuffed with buckwheat and leaves stuffed with rice. The supper would not have been complete without mushroom dishes and cooked dried fruits with griddle cakes fried in hemp oil. When the supper was at an end, sisters, brothers, and cousins received nuts and apples. Mother, Father, aunts, and uncles sang carols and told stories. The carolers from the village arrived, singing carols from door to door. The elders made contributions of money which were turned over to the support of the church, Thus the great Christian holiday brought to realization the dearest dream and left the most cherished memory of every Ukrainian-the period of temporary freedom of the hard- working Ukrainian farmer on the fertile Ukrainian soil. MEMORIES Dorothy May, 1 9 3 8 e all woke up early May izth. The Coronation was to be broadcast, and none of us wanted to miss it. My father lived in London during the Coronation of Edward VII. To the rest of us, it was all new. None of us had ever seen or heard a Coronation. During the whole procedure father did not say a word. It was evident that he was reminiscing. He did not see the radio. Instead he saw the Hussars with their brilliant uniforms, the Royal Lancers, the King and Queen in their gilt carriage drawn by eight prancing horses. He could see the procession marching down the Pall Mall past the Admirality Buildings to the House of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. When the ceremony was over, and the King and Queen came out of the Abbey, he was there, in the crowd, just as he had been at another time. Big Ben was booming. The procession began again. It wended its way to Trafalgar Square where the Four Lions guarded Nelson, the hero of Trafalgar, thence to Oxford Circus and Marble Arch. Finally after many weary miles, the parade entered Hyde Park and went up to Buckingham Palace. After it was over he spokea It was just the same. The ceremony, the music, the joy, the shouting, pushing crowds! Everything. Were you ever in the Abbey? I asked. Yes, he said. I've been there several times. It's a wonderful place. There is in it a musty odor, peculiar to that place. Everywhere are ancient relics-tattered flags, swords, rapiers, Bibles, and statues. The tombs of many famous Englishmen are in the Abbey. Everything you see reminds you of other centuriesf, When he Hnished talking, I sat there thinking. Years from now I might be reminiscing. A GALLANT SOLDIER Alice Massey, 1937 Greater love hath no man than this, That he lay down his iife for his friend. utside a blinding snow storm raged. Snow flakes chased each other merrily, leaving the surrounding trees and bushes looking like a winter fairyland. Inside a blazing hre roared. making the house warm and cheery. I paced the floor restlessly wondering just what to do next. Seized with the desire to rummage, I made my way to the attic, and there, in a secluded corner, I came upon a small box. In it were some old diaries and papers which I found were quite amusing. I also found an old Bible, and when I opened its pages l discovered some newspaper clippings, yellow with age. One of them read as follows: KILLED IN CT.-XLLIPULI IQI4-fivirs. Dalton of io Flower St., Higginshaw, Lancashire, England has received official notification that her son, Private john Nliiilliam Dalton, ofthe Royal

Page 15 text:

FROM CASOLI TO CLAYMONT Carmile Gentile, 1938 1920 my father came to Claymont from Casoli, Italy to seek work with the idea of making America his home. He arrived at a time when there was a great demand for labor, but since he could speak no English, he found it difficult to make his way. Soon he learned about night classes in English which were conducted by the Adult Education Bureau of the State of Delaware. He attended these classes three nights every week, learned very quickly, and was soon reading, writing, and speaking English. He worked very hard to earn enough money to bring his family to America, which he succeeded in doing in November, 1929. On November 27, my mother and I landed in New York where my father met us. Later we came to Claymont and joined my brother who had come over in 1928. He had learned his trade in Italy and is now a successful tailor in one of the largest cities of our country. My father has risen to the class of skilled laborers and is giving his best to his employer and to his community. He has become a naturalized citizen. Since my mother does not speak English, we use the Italian language at home. My only American companion there is the radio. Although I am an American citizen, I should like to visit my native land and see the beautiful things that I have been reading about in our American books. EDITOR'S Nora:- There is in our school no better example of the significance of the term The Melting Pot than the boy who wrote this article. Carmile had reached the fifth grade in school in Italy, but as he knew no English, it was necessary for him to enter grade one when he came to our school in September, IQ3O. He also attended night school, and because of his rapid pro- gress, he was soon transferred to grade four. Each year thereafter brought promo- motion, until, at the end of grade seven, he received a double promotion. After attending summer school, he entered the ninth grade the following September. Next year he will be graduated from our school with scholastic records above the average. But even more important than his scholastic standing is the type of citizen he has become. In cooperation, loyalty, and courtesy he is outstanding. Italy gave to America this boy of good mind and character. America has given to him oppor- tunities to develop them. Italy and America have produced a fine citizen. CHRISTMAS SPIRIT IN UKRAINE fAs Told Me by My Motherj Myrtle Morrison, 1937 O sooner had the fast of Christmas commenced, than the people began preparations for the most important and the most joyous holiday of the year. Father selected a large, stout sheaf of wheat which he placed in the honorary corner behind the table and spread hay beneath the table. In the center of the table Mother placed two loaves of white bread, one on top of the other, and a candle in the top loaf. The candle was the only means of illumination and was burned in honor of the deceased. The Christmas Eve supper was a family festivity, and all members of the family joined in the common holy supper. A dish and a place at the table were reserved for each member who had died since the last Christmas so that their souls might come to be with the family. The holy supper commenced when the first star appeared in the sky. Mother had prepared a twelve course supper-a course in memory of each of the apostles-and all of them were fast dishes, prepared without meat and dairy products. The entire family prayed, and the meal began with kutya. This exclusive Christmas Eve delicacy had been prepared from whole wheat grains cooked for many hours and seasoned with honey and poppy seeds. Father took a spoonful of it and threw it against the ceiling. The greater the number of grains that adhered to the ceiling, the more prosperous would be the new year. Dish followed dish. There were soups: borshch, the typical

Page 17 text:

Marine Light Infantry, was killed in action in the Dardanelles on ltme 17. This clipping proved interesting so I decided to investigate. Mother told me that her brother, john William Dalton, joined the English Navy in September, IQI4 at the age of seventeen. He was attached to the Royal Marines, and after a strenuous training with older men was sent over seas on that fateful expedition to the Dardanelles. This engagement proved to be a great blunder on the part of the British Government, but the slogan of the British soldier and sailor is, Not to reason whyg theirs to do and die. For this reason he fought against terrible odds. Shells from Turkish guns were bursting all around, killing and mairning the brave troops as they attempted to force a landing on the peninsula of Gallipoli. We find Dalton among the landing party. During the thick of the fight the young marine was wounded, but despite his own suffering, he insisted on helping to carry his more unfortunate comrades to safety. Wliile performing this heroic task my uncle was struck by a shell and killed instantly. The comrades of john W'illiam Dalton laid him to rest by his buddies and marked his last resting place with a wooden cross. The fearlessness with which the European youth went to war was in one way a wonderful thing. VC'ith heart and soul they fought for the honor of their beloved country. The great loss of lives and the horrors connected with war have taught the American youth to glorify peace rather than war. AROUND THE WORLD WITH GRANDFATHER Robert Roberts, 1937 NE of the most interesting people I know is my grandfather. He was born in Silesia in 1357. His father made organs and pianos for the nobility. Their home in a border town was the scene of frequent scrimmage during the Austro-German War. Once, when he was ten years old an officer ordered the family to vacate before the advancing enemy. Xlllhen they had gone about a quarter of a mile, their house was destroyed by dynamite. The ravages of warfare are still imprinted on the mind of my grandfather. Although his father wanted him to be an organ maker, he was determined to study art. He traveled on foot to Vienna, at the time of the Wtmrld's Fair of 1973, and studied in one of the large ateliers for live years as apprentice under several famous artists of the time. For a number of years he traveled through Switzerland and France and lived in Paris. Later he continued his studies at Rome. Because he was anxious to see the inside of the Sistine Chapel, he made friends with one of the Vatican guards. One day he learned of the Spanish Pilgrimage to the Ghapelg so he grew a beard and purchased clothing like that of pilgrims. VVhen they arrived for the audience with the Pope, he mixed with them and was allowed to enter. This gave him the opportunity to view the paintings and sculptures he desired to see. During his stay in Italy the restoration of Pompeii and Herculaneuni was undertaken. The most intricate work of the restoration was intrusted to him. Before his eyes the old city came to life. He looks back on this as one of the most interesting experiences of his life. Another thrilling memory is that of the time he climbed Mount Vesuvius. Vi'hile investigating some formation inside the crater there was an erruption which nearly cost his life. In Spain he viewed and studied the Alhambra, in Egypt, the pyramids, and in Greece, the Parthenon. For a while he made his home in Palestine. In each case he lived with the people of the country and usually traveled on foot. He went to Germany surreptitiously in order to escape military training and lived there for a while. Dr. Abert Dulk, the philosopher, was his close friend. He returned to Paris for a short time and then went back to Germany where he married. Vfhen he was thirty-five years old, he came to America. He knew no English, though he could speak German and French and some Italian. For several dreary years he attempted to accustom himself to his new surroundings. Life here was different from the free and easy artist's life in the countries he had left where his art was an open sesame to homes of culture. St. Gaudin was among his intimates, and they had often worked together.