East High School - Cardinal Yearbook (Minneapolis, MN)

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child to take one of those pieces of “German Honey Board. called erroneously “German Honey Bread ; to sec him gnaw at it awhile; and then to see him throw it in wild despair over the banisters. Each new thing was worse than the last. I hey all looked so tempting too, but somehow or other, they always seemed to be filled with sawdust or glue. Finally, in desperation, we turned our thoughts and bodies homeward after seeing another brazen ido! display his clayish feet in the person of our worthy, and up to this time, revered Principal who actually sat upon a table and spun his top with only too evident enjoyment. At the close of the fifth term a more complete understanding of the survival of the fittest ' was brought home to our steadily decreasing numbers. After this, class meetings again came into the foreground and oratorial voices grew insistent in claiming attention. Considering our opportunities we behaved very well. At our first meeting in the new 'emester, many fine speeches were made. It was really very encouraging to see the great strides our class had made in practical politics. This is but another illustration of our continued preparations for the great positions we are to occupy in the future. One fine speech was delivered which related the great desire of one of our officers to lead Hie Simple Life in quiet retirement. How very unkind we were to elect him again when his friends were so anxious to relieve him of the burden of office-holding. The meeting continued, officer after officer being reelected, notwithstanding many long speeches made by the opposition. Their friends were probably anxious also to save them from the cares of public life. You can always count upon our class to do the right thing at the proper time, however. But the crowning of this our most brilliant year will be the Junior-Senior ball. Our class of forty-se cn, under the leadership of its small social committee of seventeen, forsook all other pursuits while the plans for it were brewing. Then it was that harassed youths might be seen, studying with troubled looks, long lists of the names of the fair sex. To take or not to take, —that was the question. And then, at once to fill out our programs so that we might dance with every loved one present and yet so arrange it that our “loved one might tread a measure with every cavalier she knew. An old sage has said that Nothing is impossible ; but after that wearing experience, one is inclined to say with Solomon, “Wisdom, how foolish a thing it is! There was another distressing feature connected with that Ball—a sordid, moneyed one. We started out last fall with one fixed purpose which was to make money for the Junior Ball. Tis passing strange”! That seems to be the one thing our class does not 22

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circumstance, We, the class of Nineteen hundred eight. in the Junior room assembled, did ratify that weighty document. (Please forget for the moment, if possible, that it is copied verbatim from the one the Seniors have.) We next elected officers. The English Dictionary does not contain words half expressive enough to place their charms before you in a fitting manner. They are the superfine representatives of a superfine class. It was at this time that the talk of class pins first came to our lips. When children, our class must have been enthusiastic patrons of the neighborhood teeter-totter, for this now seemed to be our favorite sport. The class divided, and ranged itself on either end of the apparatus and then the sport commenced. First up, then down, then up, then down, ad infinitum. After two months of this exciting play the children on one end grew tired and jumped off. So those for class pins gained their hearts’ desire! After this wearing exercise coupled with a dance which netted the class the enormous sum of four dollars and sixty cents, our class appeared to lose all interest in life and showed no signs of returning vigor until the coming of the new term with its same old story of flunk, flunk, flunk. joggled it into a state of animation. Before the last word is spoken concerning our fifth term, two things a little outside the history, but well within the interest of our classmen, deserve notice here among the deeds of heroes and brave men. The first was a frolic for the class by one of its members on ghostly Hallowe’en. It is not exaggerating the facts, to say that an exciting time “was had. The second affair was a wonderful German Christmas Celebration given by two of our much admired teachers. Upon the festal evening, we arrived at the school at about five o’clock, our infant minds filled with roseate visions of rattles, rag babies, and other Christmas joys. After some unimportant preliminaries, during which we acted like children of about six who have never been away from their mothers before, we marched up the stairs announcing to the world, that Allc Jahre wieder kommt der Weihnachtsman.” Then we joined hands around the tree and bellowed forth, O Tannenbaum. Next we announced the enlightening fact that Morgen kommt der Wienachtsman. and later on we cased the minds of the waiting world by revealing the fact that even “Der Grosspapa was satisfied with what he received. After the awful suspense caused by this last, we settled down to the serious business of eating, at least we commenced to, with the best of intentions. But woe! what messes we received! It may easily be said that the like of them was never seen before on land or sea. If it hadn’t been so tragic, it would have been laughable to notice an unsuspecting 21 i

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know how to do. When we started in to count up our funds for that wondrous ball, we found—Oh. let's change the subject! Of the actual doings of our class. I have left the most important until the last, this is the undertaking, achievement, rather, for which our Junior year will go down as a red-letter one in the annals of the school,—the publication of “ The Cardinal, the fust Annual ever published at East High School. We ha e tried to make it worthy and representative of the class which publishes it. If we have done this our highest hopes are realized. As one looks back over these passing years time naturally separates itself into two great divisions, “before and “after'' taking—Physics! How simple would be this Universe and how easy a thing to live in it. if only one might go back to those comfortable days of ignorance. Once, in the beautiful Long Ago it was such a pleasant thing to walk in the warm Sunshine and to consider how lovely a thing it was; until one fateful day. without warning, we were cruelly informed that it was this erstwhile pleasant Sunshine that caused all the horrible railroad wreeb. “For.” said our teacher, does not the Sun shine and make the ferns and trees grow? Does not the Sun in turn cause them to wither away and die. Does not the Sun, year after year, bury them deeper and yet deeper) And thus, by a multi-replication of this same process in due time form a great coal held? Who will deny me when I say that it is the Sun’s glancing rays that causes the discovery of this bed? Who will dare to assert that it is not this very coal which propels huge locomotives with their precious loads of human life? Nay. more, look and be convinced—see yon weary telegraph operator, sleeping at his post, probably in this selfsame deadly Sunshine while those doomed trains dash onward to destruction!” At this point, we. carried aloft on this train of eloquence and overcome at this nefarious deed, rose up. and stamped our little feet, shook our puny fists and cried. Begone, thou hated Sunshine!” Laughing aside, however. Physics is a very epitome of the Junior Class,—Physics, that all embracing, all inclusive branch of mortal learning; Physics, the fascinating and elusive; Physics, the always new and ever interesting, the climax of the learning won by Juniors! Thru three long years now. we have worked and played together. Thru three long years, we have striven together in friendly rivalry, and just as the constant rubbing of the water makes the smooth symmetric pebbles, so constant fellowship has made us what we are today, the greatest Junior organization in the History of the School, the brilliant, myriad- sided. multi-talented CLASS OF NINETEEN HUNDRED EIGHT. — Earle C. Bailie 23