East Liverpool High School - Keramos Yearbook (East Liverpool, OH)

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Z0 Keramnn school, but we made it a good one, and being loathe to leave the water, stayed in till a late supper would fall to our behalf. It was a hard row up the river a half mile from our swimming hole and across to our usual tie up. Peaks and Ribbon sat in the bow, and Jarve and I in the stern while Bass rowed. He was pulling a strong oar now, stronger even than we feared the pair would stand, for they had been worn down during the summer, pretty thin, but the current was strong, and a towboat with sixteen empty barges, their front like a huge floating wall, had just rounded the bend and stronger pulling was necessary, for the towboat would hug the shore to which we were going, and we must pass in front of it. So the oars were strained harder and harder, Bass bending each time more and more to them till at last the race seemed certain to be ours, but another pull was fatal, for the right oar snapped, broke and went down to meet the tow, while Bass fell backward into the boat, loosing in his effort to retain his balance, the other oar, and the Johntub turned slowly about to a position in which her length was at right angles to that of the barges. Death now seemed to stare us in the face, because with barely more than sixty feet between us and the first barges we could not hope to swim beyond their range, in that swift river, and to meet the barges with the side of the Johntub would mean certain death, as our boat must surely turn turtle in and case it did none of us could travel under the tow and live, while to jump for the front of the barges and to pull ourselves up was little better, for the boat in its present position would go immediately under. Jarve, ever there with all his brains in emergencies, saved the lives of perhaps all of us. Grabbing our stone anchor with its 20' of chain he threw it overboard almost before the rest of us realized to its full extent the peril of our plight. What he was about dawned upon us in an instant, and we waited breathlessly to see if the rock would an- chor. It did, the 20' chain letting it to the bottom, and though it did not entirely stop the Johntub, it served the purpose intended, by bringing the bow of it around to meet the barges first instead of the side. This position was reached not a second too soon for in that time the barges and John- tub met, and the latter heldi, held just long enough to allow Peaks and Ribbons to draw themselves to the top of the barges, Bass to follow and the three to as- sist me up, and then began to turn slowly to the right. All of us were now reaching to Jarve and he was reaching for us, for the turning had caused him to loose his balance and he was gone as we thought, but while we were yet reaching out to him almost hopeless, he slightly recovered his balance and sprang. We all caught him, Bass by the hair, Peaks by one arm, I by the other and Ribbons by the coat collar. As we dragged him into the barge I glanced again at the old boat, which had filled with water and was going under. In another moment, and even as I looked, she sank, and we were rid of our Johntub. -C. S. KENNEDY, '11 J' J' J' Some FAcrs RECENTLY LEARNED The first thing in taking a vote on a bill in the House of Representatives is to take the eyes and nose of the members. The past participle of swim is swim- ming. All members of Congress are priviledged from arrest, except for breach of promise.

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ilbrunwa 19 The johntub Adventure and how to enJoy them nothing OR THOSE who know its pleasures can surpass a clear easy going river forfgrecreation during the long hot days of summer. To find a huge, flat rock 10'x30', with from 15' to 20' of cool water on the upstream side is indeed discovering a swimmer's paradise. There in the hot afternoons of mid-summer, with alternately a swim and a bask in the sun, one can almost dream the dreams of the ancient Lotus Eaters or see the vis- ions of the opium fiend. The pleasure of the afternoon swim though is short lived. If you would get the real beneiicial pleas- ure of a swim, you must take it after the sun goes down, and let it be only a few good dives, with quick action while in the water. Come out promptly, dress quickly, and then you are ready for anythingg Jack Johnson, a six-foot running high, or to throw the hammer from the Stadium of Athensinto the creek beyond it. To him who does not swim there is always offered the pleasure of a quiet row in the cool evening, watching the shadows of the hills as they lengthen out, constantly be- coming denser and darker, and listening to the lonely chorus of the frogs along the shore while the evening gradually deepens into the night. Then suddenly the golden moon faintly lights the East and slowly mounts to her solitary station ever grow- ing smaller and exchanging her gold for silver till the dome of the heavens is reached, and the night resembles a blush- ing rose in all its beauty, fragrance and splendor. It was no wonder then that with all these allurements, and a boy's narural fondness for the water, we decided to buy our own boat and have the pleasure of 3. ,,. Y using it at any time, or at all times if we chose, on that best of streams, the Ohio. Ribbons and Jarve discovered it, and Peeks, Bass and myself agreeing to the bargain came around with the cash and the deal was closed. That was early last Spring. The boat, which we christened the Johntub for. want of a better name, was a sixteen footer with a flat bottom and straight sides. She was made of white pine, was very light and drew only M when empty, though she looked awkward, heavy and slow-going. We kept her the whole summer and always had a large stone, with a chain around it attached to the stern, so that when the water was not too swift we could anchor in a 10' or 15' depth of water for divers reasons. As Autumn drew near, however, it became more and more of a puzzle to us as to how we were going to get rid of our boat profitably, for we did not want to keep it over winter and neither did anyone else. This matter, however, was finally settled for us, to our loss, and the manner in which it was settled is my story. We had about decided to turn the boat loose, but we also decided that we must have a farewell swim in her. The river, swollen with the fall rains, was at a good boating stage, and boats, both packets and tows were going both ways, as many of the empty tows had been checked by the last rapid fall of the river, and were now rushing steam in order to reach Pittsburg and return to Cincinnati with a full load of coal before another fall of the river. The barges being empty lifted themselves a good six feet out of the water, which, with the force of a strong current, ran swiftly to meet them. - 1 It was necessary to take our swim after v

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Y six j, Ilteramna 21 Conservation of Childhood Oration that won tirst place in Oratorical Contest between East Liverpool and Steubenville, Ohio, High Schools T WAS only after the Pied Piper had mysteriously enticed their children away, that the people of Hamlin fully realized their selfishness ii 'and neglect. Our American people are only beginning to appreciate their short- comings, in not protecting and guarding the defenseless little ones from the vices and evils which surround them in their struggle for existence. Instead of attempt- ing to uplift and elevate the surroundings of our children, they have been permitted to grow up uneducated, stunted in mind and soul, It seems absurd to punish men for crimes which are but the outgrowth of their early environment, for which they can by no means be held responsible. Handicapped though they were, the child- ren were expected to become citizens, as worthy of citizenship as those reared in happy homes. But now the American people are awakening to the fact that they are a wasteful people, more profiigate of their children than any other posses- sion. A Child's Welfare Exhibit, held in New York, tells a story, not chiefly of wrong and wretchedness, but of a struggle to se- cure for all children a fair beginning in life's race. Before the entrance to the exhibit, a beautiful piece of statuary ably illustrates the condition of children in the larger cities. A group of four figures rep- resents a family. On the left is the aged grandfather, bent and exhausted beneath the incessant burden of life, which even yet he is struggling to bear upon his shoulders. On the right are the father and mother, supporting the heavier part of the same burden that is weighing down the grandfather: the husband endeavoring to make his wife's part lighter by raising his portion with his straining right arm. Underneath the tent formed by the huge burden is a frail little child, and, although he carries no weight, as yet, upon his tiny shoulders, he, too, is stooped and bent in an expectant attitude, waiting to receive the responsibility, the weight of which he is already beginning to feel. For him a part of this burden will be due to heredi- tary influences, part to natural weak- nesses, but a much larger portion will arise from his evil environment. Who would presume to say that the slum chil- dren of our great cities are not almost hopelessly handicapped, in comparison with children reared under healthy, happy surroundings ? No single remedy will suffice to relieve the suffering of the children: but none is more directly practical than the public playground. The plea for the public play- ground is a plea for justice to our boys and girls. Carlyle says that there is a grega- rious tendency in mankind, an innate desire to associate with his fellow beings. This tendency in childhood means play. The undeniable right of a child ir to child- hood and play. It is while still young and at the playtime that the child learns some of the greatest lessons of life. In the daily games, his mind is alert to grasp the pass- ing opportunity, his eye sharpened, his hand steadied, and strength is stored up for the cares of later life. Not only mental and physical but moral obligations are enforced, for there is always a code of honor established among playmatesg and here, too, the child first learns the great