Clifton Springs High School - Cliftonian Yearbook (Clifton Springs, NY)

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4 THE CLIFTONIAN HISTORY OF CLASS History repeats itself, so says a well known and oft-quoted adage, so do not be surprised if our history happens to be in some respects much like a great many other class chronicles you have heard. There is still enough difference to give us a personality. On September 4th, 1917, 23 small children wended their way toward school for the first time. Albert Boss-hart, Doris Case, Lillian Smith, Elva Lannon, Victor Anderson, Solomon Be-helfer, Francis Burke, Elman Cowell, Stanley Glacier, Maurice Joyce, Alfred Morphy, Joseph Nairy, Elwyn Richardson, Lawrence Walters, Joseph VanDen Busche, Edward Walters, Lawrence Ostrander, Eleanor Williams, Mary Smith, Bessie Schantz, Elizabeth Raines, Ruth Peisher and Jennie Frank made up the first grade which later was to become known as Class of ’29. Of these students, Albert Bosshart, Doris Case, Lillian Smith and Elva Lannon are the only ones who are being graduated. Elva Lannon dropped out in the second grade, but returned to us in the third. In the fourth grade Olive Griffiths was added to the ranks of '29 and so the class remained through the rest of the grades. Four years ago, on the morning of September 7th, the Class of 1929 assembled, namely, Doris Case, Celia Fish, Marian Fox, Olive Griffiths, Elva Lannon, Mary Robyn, Violet Lannon. Ruth Schantz, Lillian Smith, Lois Tolner, Eleanor Wright, Elizabeth Sanders, Albert Bosshart, Nevill Cowell, Robert Goodman, Howard Hickok, William Lake, Maurice Joyce, Joseph Nairy, Elwyn Richardson, Joseph Peisher, Edward Walters and Lawrence Ostrander. It was at this time that Mary Robyn officially joined our class. Some were so enthusiastic they nearly beat the janitor and were obliged to wait many a long minute on the High School steps. That their enthusiasm did not cool under this preliminary trial is shown by the fact that some of these early ones are with us tonight. We entered the building with the proper amount of Freshman humility; our hearts quaked with pleasure at speaking to a Senior, while the mere mention of Cicero and Geometry sent our respect soaring to the loftiest heights. Of course, the spell has long since been broken; the trials and tribulations of these subjects combined with problems of Physics and other subjects enumerated in the Course of Study, have had their disillusioning effects. At the beginning of our Sophomore year, our class numbered twenty, which included two new members, Dorothy Walters and Herman Mark. In our Junior year, on April 23rd, we organized our class. The following officers were elected: Albert Bosshart, president; Elva Lannon, vice-president; Lillian Smith, secretary; Doris Case, treasurer, and Miss Greeney was unanimously chosen class advisor. The first thing our class did was to have a benefit movie, which proved to be a successful start toward our Washington trip. How well we remember working on the “Junior Float” for many days in Kemp’s garage. It certainly was a gala day when “The Little-Old-Red-School-House” appeared in the “Big Parade” favoring a new school for Clifton Springs. Then for several days no one could see a Junior in sight without hearing. “Oh, have you seen our new Junior rings?” Of course we all thought that no preceding class had ever had rings quite as nice as ours, and I am afraid some of us still think just that. Our first social undertaking was the trip to Owasco, the latter part of June, with the Seniors as our guests. This proved a huge success and a good time was enjoyed by everyone. Then we left school, delightfully anticipating the vacation, and most of us looking forward to becoming dignified Seniors in the fall. When we returned to our duties in September of last year we ' ere a very

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THE CLIFTONIAN 3 have. In one sense every nation has a rise, a golden age, and a decline, but Lincoln states that if our political institutions and standards fall, it will not be from any outside power, but will spring up amongst us—that as a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide. And there was at that time, Lincoln said, an ill-omen amongst them which was the increasing disregard for law. Not only was this evil prevalent in any one part of the country but was common all over the nation. The mobs were practically ruling certain districts at that time. They would murder, hang and torture people as they saw fit. In Mississippi they hung gamblers, not content with this they brutally hung poor innocent negroes, then from negroes to white men and strangers. In St. Louis they took a mulatto, innocent and minding his own business, hung him to a tree and burned his body. These lynchings were almost as commonplace as Spanish moss on a tree. Were these acts important in the light of the perpetuation of our political institutions? Lincoln’s idea was that if men take it into their heads to hang gamblers and torture murderers they will in turn murder people that are neither gamblers nor murderers. Such would be the result of the rule of mobocracy, and in time our standards would be trodden to the earth. The strict observance of all laws is the best way to guard against the evil event of national suicide. Lincoln admits that there may be some bad laws, but, he nevertheless urges us to religiously observe thfcm while working for their repeal. Lincoln states that in nearly every generation some genius will rise up seeking glory. He cannot find this in the field of establishing a permanent government, because this field of glory has been harvested. He would therefore seek to find it in tearing down the American political institutions and substituting something new. Again the passion, that came as a result of the American Revolution and bound us to the nation must die in the future as the vividness of those days grows dim. He concludes by saying that reason—cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason— must furnish all the materials for our future support and defense. “Upon these let the proud fabric of freedom rest, as the rock of its basis, and as truly as has been said of the only greater institution” the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. I have reviewed this speech to show how the circumstances of almost a hundred years ago parallel those of today. Lincoln, no doubt, little realized that what he said in 1837 would apply to 1929. Conditions are so much the same today, disregard for law so prevalent, that President Hoover has spoken on the crime wave and has made a plea for respect of law, which in this day amounts to the same thing as Lincoln's impressive speech of 1837. Instead of condemning mob rule Hoover spoke of our national crime wave, robbery, embezzlement, forgery, murder, and blackmail, which is lowering our morale as a republic. Let me conclude with the words of Lincoln himself, and those quoted by Mr. Hoover in his plea for law obedience: “Let Reverence for the laws be breathed by every American mother to the lisping babe that prattles on her lap. Let it be preached from the pulpit, proclaimed in the legislative halls, and enforced in the courts of justice. And, in short, let it become the political religion of the nation, and let the young and old, the rich and poor, the grave and the gay of all sexes and tongues and conditions sacrifice increasingly upon its altar.” So, we, the Class of Nineteen Hundred and Twenty-Nine, start out in life to do our duty, better citizens for the educational opportunities we have enjoyed. ELVA G. LANNON ’29. St. Peter—Who’s there? Voice Without—It is I. St. Peter—Get out of here. We don’t want any more school teachers!

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THE CLIFTONIAN o serious-minded group of students with big ambitions. The only blot on our Senior horizon was the loss of three more of our classmates, leaving our number only nine. Our first achievement, this year, was the production of a one-act play, “Two Crooks and a Lady.” This was in preparation for the “Senior Play.” A few days later we again started out earnestly and with determination to earn the money for our Washington trip at the first possible moment. This determination resulted in a successful movie followed closely by several bake sales and a Hallowe’en Party, which proved to be one of the outstanding social features of our Senior year. Then the Senior play soon followed and did credit to the ability of the participants, though how could it be otherwise under the kind and able directions of Miss LeGrand? The play was closely followed by a campaign to sell holly wreaths, so that by the time the Christmas holidays were announced every Senior was more than glad to have some time to get a fresh start. We had nicely gotten started in our school work again when mid-year ZE exams overtook us, but, never daunted, we attacked our studies with a zeal which was overwhelming and surprising. The annual debate was put on for the Parent-Teacher Association amid much fear and knee-shaking, but it wasn’t as bad as we had anticipated it would be, and so with one more achievement left to our credit we were left to our studies with no more interruptions until the Easter holidays. At this point we had the biggest treat of our school career and one which had been looked forward to with much anticipation, “The Washington Trip.” It it beyond the power of description, but each one of us had a marvelous time. And now in the latter part of June come final exams, Class Night exercises, and finally comes the breaking up and separation of the Class of 1929. But as we have come to the portal leading out into life, the lessons which we have learned in our intercourse with each other will never be forgotten, and may we all endeavor to follow through life, as we have through our school course, our motto, “Quand meme.” OLIVE GRIFFITHS. DOROTHY WALTERS SENIOR CLASS PROPHECY Clifton Springs, N. Y., April 1, 1954. Dear Mrs. Morris:— So sorry I hadn’t been able to write sooner. The world has changed a lot since last we met, but I haven’t changed a bit when it comes to writing letters. Well, dear, I’m simply knocked into space by the way Clifton has grown, since I saw it last. You know I’ve been in Australia, studying “Applied Art” with the Bushwackers and I decided to come back for a visit to America, for a change of environment. I bought a special new Bat-Winged individual plane; you know I was lucky in getting it so cheap, only $1200. It’s all funny brown stipple to make it look fuzzy like a bat, and it is an equipped with radio and television. I think that there is something a little wrong with the raising lever or else I’m getting a little heavier. I do hope it’s the lever. Well, dear, it makes good speed anyway. I started from Australia on Tuesday and arrived home in time for breakfast, Friday. I met a storm on the way over, too. Well, to begin with, you should see Clifton’s airport. It’s marvelous. Clifton has grown so big that Clifton and Phelps have had to combine, and the airport is out beyond the place where the old reservoir used to be. And who do you suppose I found running the classiest plane agency in town? Why,