Cleveland High School - Beacon Yearbook (St Louis, MO)

Page 31 text:

DUCK HUNTING UCK-HUNTING! The very mention of this magic phrase sends tingling thrills through the true sportsman ' s being. He pic- tures the exhilarating tramp through the crackling frost- encrusted stubble and weeds down to the steaming expanse of the broad marshy lake, barely discernible in the steely gray of the early morning. In his mind ' s eye. he sees his companion and himself getting into the slim gray skiff tied in the shallows and gliding out into the damp of the marsh. The short paddle in and out among the hoary rushes and cat-tails, com- pletely surrounded by the lakes low-hanging steamy breath, is made just as streaks of silver begin to scar the heavens. Gliding into a quiet glade formed by the frost-coated cat-tails and hidden from the eyes of the game by the foggy vapors, the hunters anchor their craft, A vague throbbing silence falls over the lonely scene. Ears are straining for any betraying rustle in the growth around the borders of the marsh. Tense fingers grip the chill yet reassuring blue steel of the long gun-barrels. Silence — cold frosty silence — a silence even heightened by the monotonous slap-slap of the water lapping at the sides of the boat, A slight rearrangement of numb stiffened limbs and the chilly vigil continues. Suddenly there is a nervous rustling in the cat-tails — profound quiet — then a rapid flapping of wings and a number of wild ducks, winging low, flash past the concealed hunters, bringing a thrill indescribable in mere words. Three staccato shots crack upon the peaceful air, followed by a frantic whirr of hysterical wings. The flock is gone: but two of its members remain behind for the bag of the sportsmen, and before the reverberating echoes have melted into the distance the feathery victims are being secured. Once more the hunters retreat to their blind among the rushes to wait in chill solitude for a chance at other of the wild denizens to fatten their game bag. What is regarded as discomfort by most people is a real pleasure to the honest nature-loving sportsman. So at the mention of the phrase duck-hunting. he invariably dreams of past experiences and plans for new, Robert R.wvizz. , 5eL Page Twen ty-sei ' cn

Page 30 text:

b ■ r I Wild Ducks, Winging Low

Page 32 text:

GOLF I i HE origin of golf seems to be wrapped in mystery, the Ifonor apparently lying between Scotland and the Netherlands. The game is very ancient and has an interesting history. The name itself has had a variety of spellings. It has been known variously as gauf and goufe, as gaoff and gaulf. as gowff and gowlf. The last is probably the genuine old pronunciation, which gives our modern name. The word is thought to be derived from the Dutch kolf. meaning a club. The first actual appearance of the game seems to have been in Holland, and there are many old Dutch pictures which show the game of golf being played. By the middle of the fifteenth century, the game had become very popular in Scotland. In 1457, an act of the Scotch Parliament decreed that ••futeball and gofT be utterly cryit doune and nocht usit, so that the nation ' s military standing might not be impaired through neglect of archery. This and other laws were made, but to no avail, for golf was not abandoned. In 1503. when firearms were introduced, the actions against golf-playing ceased. James the Fifth was very partial to the Ancient and Royal Game of Gofl. and his daughter, Mary Stuart, was an ardent golfer. James the Sixth and his son. Charles the First, declared it their pleasure to have their people play golf on Sunday after divine services. During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the development of golf was marked. Many golf societies were formed at an early date in Scotland. In 1834 William the Fourth became the patron of St. Andrew ' s, which was at that time, as it is even now. the most famous seat of the game. It was not. however, until the middle of the eighties that golf became popular in the United States. The first golf club in this country was established at Yonkers, New York, in 1888. Interest in golfing has grown to such an extent that we now have inter- national competition, as well as competition between schools, clubs and states. The Walker Cup, given by George Walker, the former president of the United States Golf Association, is competed for by teams from Great Britain and the United States in alternate years. Bobby Jones. Francis Ouimet, George Voight, and Jess Sweetser. all have represented the United States in these matches. International play for women was first started in Sunning- ' - il ' rfb dale. England, in May. 1930. Miss G. Collett headed the Page Twenty-eight