East Hartford High School - Janus Yearbook (East Hartford, CT)

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To do this we attended all the games which the teams of the Court of Knowledge played with those of other Courts, were staunch supporters of all the plays which our superiors staged, and worked hard at our lessons. In January we had succeeded. Having gained the privilege to wear the colors, we started on our second year. Then we were known as Sophomores. We had lost all our former modesty and bashfulness and were as happy-go-lucky creatures as Sophomores should be. This year we were working hard for honors in our studies, which no person aspiring to be a knight can be without. Because we felt very much superior to the freshies who had just entered the Court of Knowledge, we lost no chances to make fun of them. Several of our class belonged to the athletic teams, and the rest of us loyally supported them. The excellent work done by our classmates brought great honors to our class. In our third year we also had a set goal to reach. Our aim was to belong to as many societies as possible and, in the meantime, to keep up our studies. Some joined the Court Glee Club, and greatly improved it by tunefully blending their rich, mellow voices with the rest. The girls also belonged to the Alpha Gamma Epsilon and the boys to the Hi-Y. Those of us who did not play on the teams were always at hand to cheer our players on to victory. Our class gradually was growing smaller. We missed those who left our ranks, but were saddened especially by the death of one classmate. It was during our summer vacation that William Condon died after an operation for appendicitis. We felt deeply the loss of our companion. After three years of pleasure and profit were finished, we were called Dignified Seniors, and all were working hard for graduation, or the titles of Knights and Ladies. Again, many of our class belonged to the football and the basketball teams. One of our companions was sent out into the world to visit the abode of Merlin and to bring back news of our future fortunes when we would go out into the world. Our class staged a play and had a cake sale. The returns were to help defray the ex- penses of the knighting. Thus the year moved smoothly and eventfully around, and we are gathered for the last time at the Long Table in our Court of Knowledge. We are very near our goal, and I am sure we are all worthy of being Knights and Ladies. In the future as we ride forth into the wide, wise world we shall always remember this last happy gathering of the January Class of 1927. H. HANCOCK. 27

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INTRODUCTION In the present day and age we hear a great deal about court and court proceedings. We have courts of justice, courts of appeals, Supreme Courts, and last of all courting, which, of course, we know nothing about. A good many years ago, King Arthur instituted among his knighted a brave man by tapping him on the shoulder with a the chief duty of the members was to right wrongs and do good throughout the world. Our class has taken delight in considering this school as the Court of Knowledge and ourselves as Knights and Ladies of it. The ceremony of knighting has always been an impressive 0116 since the time of chivalry. In days of old, the King knighted a brave man by tapping him on the shoulder with a sword. Tonight is the time for the knighting of the members of our Court. In this democratic country, we must use a cere- mony entirely our own. The Court of Knowledge assembled around its Long Table, therefore, decided that each one should rise and read his or her title, to the high dignitaries of our court, who have already passed on the fitness of each to under- take the new duties. Thus shall we assume our names of Knights and Ladies. CLASS HISTORY ' Four years have the members of our class passed in the East Hartford High School, our Court of Knowledge, prepar- ing to go out into the wider world of college or business. Here we have grown up to be worthy Knights and Ladies winning many struggles which will help us in our future lives. Of course we do admit that we have committed many errors, but, as each year has erased a few of our faults, we are now ready to start out with a good record. For this we owe a great deal to our teachers, who have so willingly helped us over the diffi- cult places. To-night we are gathered for the last time around this Long Table. We are looking forward to the future, but we are leaving this Court of Knowledge very reluctantly. Often in the days to come our thoughts will fly back, even though we are not here in person, to the happy hours of work and play which we spent here. The first year we were called, very appropriately, the Freshmen, because of our greenness. In our ignorance We even braved the wrath of our superiors by asking the location of the various court rooms. Soon, however, we knew where they were so well that we could have found them in our sleep. The Green Flag was continually waving over our barracks in spite of our struggles to substitute an emblem of Blue and White, the reward which would be given to us if we conquered our greenness. 26 K1

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CLASS PROPHECY Twenty leagues under the surface of the sea, far under the heaving waters off the Cornish coast lies Merlin's Magic City, the home of King Arthur's Round Table in by-gone days. Also, near the city, as the fable goes, lies a huge cave of trans- parent rose-marble, guarded by the spirits of Light and Dark- ness. In this marvelous cave lies Merlin the Wise, Arthur's magician, natural and lifelike, entombed in a block of pure crystal. Once in an eon he speaks, foretelling great happenings. About a year ago the rumor came to our Court of Knowl- edge that the graduation of the January Class of 1927 would be an event of sufficient importance to induce the Fates to arouse Merlin, who would prophecy the futures of the mem- bers of this illustrious group. Early last fall, a meeting of those in whom Merlin was supposed to be interested was calle.d. By these I was chosen to travel to his cave and was instructed to report faithfully to all here to-night Merlin's words of wisdom. The next Saturday after that meeting, I was transported by airplane to the Cornish coast of Wales. There, after con- sulting the map obtained for me by my classmates, and finding as nearly as possible the location of the cave, I stepped into the motor launch and we cast off, making far to the southwest end of the cape. When I arrived there, I donned my heavy diver's suit, had my men fasten the huge helmet to my shoulders, took my place, and was let down into the depths. As I was de- scending, I looked up for a last glimpse of the sun. It shone with a reddish light just over my head. High noon! The water closed over me, and down I went. Down, down. At six fathoms, it was pitch dark. The huge searchlight attached to my helmet was switched on at my signal, and care- fully letting go my hold on the lead-weighted rope ladder, I slid down into the murky green depths. Strange fish glided past meg darting shadows played about. Once a fish, googly-eyed and fiat bodied, flashed to the windows of my helmet, and I caught a glimpse of a startled little school of tiny fishes, scattering around me, attracted by the strange yellowish gleam of the light. At last my leaded boots struck bottom. I hesitated. Then hauling into me as much rope as I thought I needed for slack in allowing me to prowl around, I started straight ahead. Progress was slow at that depth and occasionally stone formation had to be crawled over, but, finally, I found myself in a lighter area of water. I looked around and lo, I, the scof- fer, who had undertaken the task merely to satisfy my own mind and to come up and scoff at others, was looking at a cave, faintly illumined with rose light and scintillating white flakes. I could see through the rock when I approached, but to my sur- prise found no entrance to the sarcophagus. Suddenly I stum- bled against some loose shale and fell through the wall. Hasti- ly getting up, I looked around. Nothing could I see save the rose.-colored walls about me. Soon, however, a soft white light began to grow in the center of the tomb. It grew larger, took on tangible outlines and soon, lo! a huge block of crystal ap- 28