Hallowell High School - Venture Yearbook (Hallowell, ME)

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16 The VENTURE CLASS HISTORY The perfect historian is he in whose work the character and spirit of an age is exhibited in miniature. I realize how imperfect will be my history of this wonderful class of 1927, but I shall do my best to tell you of its splendid achievements. Fifty-two we were, who trudged up Central Hill on that September day in 1923 to become freshmen at Hallowell High. The hill was steep and our hearts were heavy with dread of the unknown, but we knew, even then, that Labor conquers all , so on we climbed, to meet our fate. The faculty that first year con- sisted of Principal Joseph E. Blais- dell, Miss Jessica J. Haskell, teacher of French and English, Miss Dorothy Judkins, instructor in Latin, Miss Irene Robinson, instructor in his- tory, and Miss Ethel Rice, in charge of the commercial department. When the fall term ended, Miss Robinson left us to become Mrs. Marino Gali- zia, and Miss Evelyn Waugh of Win- throp took her place. Verdant freshmen that we were, we saw the annual reception draw nearer and nearer, our hearts full of anxiety. We had become quite used to finding ourselves in awkward places in our first few weeks of high school life, but to go into society, high society, with our schoolmates of the upper classes looking down upon us, scorning us in public, that was too much! We felt like going home to bed instead of attending that reception and dance. Nevertheless, when refreshments began to appear, we felt more at ease, and, all in all, we really had rather a good time. Soon after entering, we lost ten of our classmates. Riella Currier, May- nard Clement, Harold Emery, Cath- erine Lee, Myrtle Robinson, Henri- etta Sprague, and Thelma Swift left to seek employment, Kennedy Cum- mings went with his parents to live in East Pepperell, Massachusetts, Catherine Leach moved to Castine, and Perthena Miller went to Farm- ington, to make her home with Rev. and Mrs. C. O. Perry. This year, a high school orchestra was organized, which included sever- al members of our class. Anna Em- ery has been pianist of this organi- zation from the beginning till now. The biggest event of our freshman year was the Hokey Pokey Fair, held in the City Hall. We had the ice cream booth, which attracted much attention because of its icy decora- tions. Miss Judkins was class ad- viser on this occasion. We began our sophomore year somewhat wiser, and, certainly, with less dread of what might be before us. The two-session plan was intro- duced this year and has proved a success. There were several changes in the faculty. Miss Dorothy Jud- kins resigned to accept a position in one of the Augusta schools. Miss Ethel Rice left to marry Basil Rob- bins of Ellsworth, and her place was taken by Miss Aubrey M. Plaisted, who came here from Yarmouth High. Mr. Wesley D. Gilpatric, a graduate of Bates, came as sub-master, to coach athletics and teach mathe- matics. Prin. J. E. Blaisdell took over the Latin classes. Our number had lessened still more, for nine of our class were obliged to repeat their freshman year. We regretted their loss, but we were glad to gain Errol Ridgewell, from the class of 1926, George Gree- ley, who came back to school as a sophomore, after spending more than a year in the army, John Scott, who entered from Rockland High, Stanley Horne from Kent's Hill, Iona Haney, from Winthrop High, and Clyde Leighton from Cony. The latter three we lost after a few months. At Hokey Pokey Fair this year, we had the doll table and the punch booth. The booths were artistically

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The VENTURE 15 Medicines, such as a prince could not have procured, though his physi- cians searched the earth from China to Peru, are now at hand to cure the pauper. The new chemical motive powers have given man a very fair substi- tute for the seven-league boots of the fairy tale, they enable him to go down under the sea in search of hid- den treasures, and they have en- dowed him with the wings that he has always longed for, but hardly hoped to have. Books are no longer sold at exorbi- tant prices, but because of the magic of ink, are within the reach of every- one. The famous works of art from the large exclusive galleries are mul- tiplied in much the same Way and scattered throughout the land. No one need lack copies of the iinest pic- tures. Even Woolworth supplies them. i g H2 We do not have to pay ten dollars to ,hear a song by Galli-Gurci, since we can hear her at home many times for the price of a single record. Caruso's voice still lives to thrill us with its wonderful harmonies. Events that few could witness other- wise are brought to all of us on the celluloid film. The reception of music thousands of miles away has become so commonplace that we cease to marvel at the radio. So, whether it be the satisfaction of our material wants, or the grati- fication of our aspirations for art, literature or science, the chemist acts as the agent of applied democracy. Nor has the chemist exhausted the possibilities of his science, he has touched the outer edge only, there are greater marvels even now in sight. In the radio-active elements. such as radium, we have come upon sources of energy that were never dreamed of before by man. The most striking peculiarity of radium is that it is always a little warmer than its surroundings, no matter how warm these may be. It decomposes and we know no way of hastening or check- ing this decomposition. An ounce of radium salt will give out enough heat in one hour to melt an ounce of ice, and, in the next hour, will raise this water to the boiling point, and so on, again and again for years, it is a fire without fuel. From the heavy white salt there is continually oozing a faint fire-mist. This gas' is known as niton. A pound of niton would give off energy at the rate of 23,000 horse power. Fine stuff to run an engine, one would think, but it does not last. When the sixth day came, the power would have fallen off by half. Besides, no one would dare act as engineer, for the radiation will rot away the flesh of a living man. It will not only break down the complex and delicate molecules of organic matter, but will also attack the atom itself, changing, it is believed, one atom into another, the dream of the ancient alchemists. ' The chemists have thus given us a glimpse of the incalculable wealth that is in some of the simplest sub- stances. True wealth is measured by the usefulness of any substance. So when a chemist develops a new product, he enriches the world that much. Our hope of continuing as the richest nation of the world re- mains in the hands of our chemists, who must, of necessity. develop our resources. If they fail, we will be surpassed by other nations whose scientists are awake to the needs of the times. As things appear at pres- ent, we Americans have little to fear. but let us not weary in the good work and let us continue to send to the chemical schools the thousands who are eager to go. Thus we may train new workers for the nation and for humanity. Francis Wingate.

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The VENTURE 17 decorated and were financially suc- cessful under the supervision of our class adviser, Miss Waugh. On April 7th was held the Annual Bigelow Prize Speaking Contest, an event for which we all had to pre- pare. The winners of the contest were Ruth Johnson and Harold Choate. In March, came the operetta, Springtime, in which the sopho- mores were well represented. Debat- ing was made one of the school ac- tivities. It has grown to be so suc- cessful that this year Hallowell High won both preliminary debates in the Bates League, and qualified for the semi-finals. An affair of great importance to us came up sophomore year, the ordering of the class rings. After much discussion, they were finally decided upon and were delivered the next fall. As juniors, we lost only two mem- bers: Helen Pearce, who went to Kent's Hill, and Clara Simonson, who became Mrs. Kenneth Johnson. Two changes were made in the faculty. Miss Evelyn Waugh, in- structor in history, and Miss Aubrey M. Plaisted, of the commercial de- partment, resigned to spend a year in study at the University of Cali- fornia. Miss Waugh's position was filled by Miss Ellen E. Small, a gradu- ate of Bates. and Miss Plaisted's by Miss Melva Pettingill, a graduate of the Maine School of Commerce. Both have proved excellent teachers, and are well-liked by the student body. The first event of our junior year was the annual reception to the freshmen. We tried to make that night mean to them what it had meant to us: for the recollection of that occasion three years before was still fresh in our minds. Next came the Hokey Pokey Fair. Our booths were the punch table and the fish pond. Our class adviser was Miss Pettingill. The last social event of the year was the junior reception to the sen- iors on the evening of graduation. We worked hard, I assure you, deco- rating for graduation and for the baccalaureate service, and we closed our junior year with a feeling of work well done. After an all-too-brief vacation, we entered upon our duties and respon- sibilities as seniors. We were a bit sad, as we thought of how short this year would be and how soon we must separate and go out into the world, each on his own way. But senior year has held more of joy than of sadness, after all. We were sorry to lose Carleton Hallett, who was obliged to leave be- cause of eye trouble. Arthur Car- bino left us in April to enter Cony High. We were glad, however, to gain Walter Hamilton of 1924, who had returned to complete his course and enter college. After this addi- tion and subtraction, we numbered thirty-three, and thirty-three we are to-day. An event which we shall never for- get is the senior party, given by Miss Haskell at the High School Building. I can speak for one and all, when I tell you that we had the best time of our four years of high school life. At the Hokey Pokey Fair, we had the cooked food and fancy work tables. We worked hard, and, under Miss Haskell's supervision, succeeded in making, the largest amount of money of any class. Our holder campaign should be long remem- bered. Few Hallowell people escaped without buying at least one of these useful articles. Our class was very prominent in athletics. In football, John Murphy was captain, and Charles Gatchell, manager. In basketball, the captain of the girls' team was Dorothy Daw-