Hallowell High School - Venture Yearbook (Hallowell, ME)

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The VENTURE 23 So Seniors dear, we bid you all farewell, Though many, many times we'll meet again, But where and when one can never tell, Still, friends, true friends we shall remain. When thinking over thoughts of the past And of schooldays long gone by, Wish the anchor to your ship be cast For the home shore-and Hallowell High. SARAH W. FULLER, '29. WHY STUDY FRENCH? This question arises in the minds of many people, and its answer is particularly important to those who are entering upon their high school career, and are anxious to make a wise choice of subjects. Parents, too, are vitally concerned in the mat- ter, since they wish their children to have the best possible preparation for life. The introduction of French and other modern languages into the col- lege curriculum was viewed at the outset with no little misgiving on the part of the conservative element of faculties, but now all opposition has vanished and the new studies are deemed essential parts of academic life. There are still those who speak in a pessimistic way of the results, but the most competent men, who have for a long time watched the experiment, assert that few are the departments in which there has been more striking progress. These re- sults are due to corresponding re- sults in the secondary schools, and it is in the secondary or high school that we are most interested. Let us consider French from the various points of view. French dic- tion has developed into a fine art. We know exactly how the language should be pronouncedg while in other languages, Greek, for example, we cannot perceive the full beauty be- cause we do not know how the words sounded. In French, each sound is stressed with the utmost accuracy. No vowel or consonant is slurred or blurred as in English. If students learning French were taught to pro- nounce the words carefully and cor- rectly, they would not only learn the full beauty of French sonorities, but would also learn principles of elocu- tion which would be of value to them should they become professors, bar- risters, clergymen, actors, singers, or politicians. Moreover, they would approach the pronunciation of any new language with a knowledge of the points to be observed and a trained mechanism of speech. They would also unconsciously improve their pronunciation of English. Considering the etymology of our, modern English language, it is rather strange that English-speaking peo- ple, in general, are so markedly dis- inclined to acquire the knowledge of I other languagesg since we have bor- rowed from nearly all of them with particular freedom to form our pres- ent-day vocabulary. Of particular interest to prospective students of French is the fact that to every three pure Anglo-Saxon words there are four of French derivation to be found in our current speech. The vocabu- lary of persons of average education is supposed to contain about twenty thousand words, and nearly one-fifth of this number our ancestors ab- sorbed into the English language from the French. The common source of Latin and Greek furnish two more groups of words, only slightly dif- ferent in French and English.f Alto- gether, a goodly foundation with which to start learning French. The knowledge of French is also of importance in national friendship, for French for years has been the language of diplomacy. It is still of great importance in international affairs. Running through the his- tory of the English language and marvelling at the amount of French we already knew without knowing we knew it, is all very well and t6

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i Y Y ,L 54 V Q Q X , SCHOOL Since our last issue, we have en- tered upon various school activities, which may be summed up as follows: Each of the four classes has given a social with satisfactory results, financially. There was but one assembly, ow- ing to the fact that the various classes have been too busy with the work of the last term. Just before Memorial Day, however, there was a general patriotic assembly. May 5th, the Bates Musical Clubs presented an excellent concert in City Hall under the auspices of the High School Athletic Association. The various classes have conducted a lunch counter during the last half of the school year, the proceeds of which went to the sweater fund. The Senior class, although the smallest in number, turned in the largest amount each week from this counter. ter. The honor roll for the past six- week period is as follows: All A's: Ruth Treworgy, Mary Glidden, Doyle Vautour, Victor Morgan, Dorothy Trial, Sarah Hughes. Nothing lower than B : Bernard Grant, Lyndon Mayers, Charles Noyes, Stanley Bul- lock, Frances Grover. Donald Nelson, Barbara Murphy, Elaine Radcliffe, X412 final gi :NE WS Leland Achorn, John Fuller, Leon- ard MacFarland, Louise MacQuarrie, Marjorie Noddin, Percy Tibbetts, Edwin Trial, Leona Heald, James Shaw and Ella Carter. -,l...l --- EXCHANGES The Jester, Ellsworth, Maine. Your account of your musical achievements was very interesting. You have also a very original column of Who's Who. Hebronian, Hebron Academy, He- bron, Maine. We wish you the best of luck in the building of your new infirmary. Bowdoin Orient, Brunswick, Maine. Your paper is one we enjoy read- ing. You have very interesting ac- counts of your college activities. Acturus, Caribou, Maine. The jokes in your paper are of a good variety, and are decidedly amusing. ,1.l WORDS FOR THE SENIORS Again vacation time has come And graduation exercises, oh, so nigh! The seniors' schooldays almost done, The end of happy days at Hallowell High.

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24 The VENTURE a degree, perhaps, even instructive, but nevertheless, it leaves those of us who would like to speak French and can only speak English, precisely where we were at the start. There are a few who do not agree that for our sake, our French friends' sake and for the smooth collaboration of our two nations in the present and future, we should leave nothing un- done that is in our power of doing to solidify and broaden our friend- ship. Nor can there be any doubt that an essential basis for friendship between nations, as between individ- uals, is the bond of mutually under- stood language. French is useful in business posi- tions in towns that have a good- sized French population, as do many Maine cities. It is also useful to those who occupy secretarial posi- tions. In Augusta, Waterville, Lew- iston, or Biddeford, those who have charge of city affairs have to have at least one employee who can read and speak French. The well-educated person comes constantly upon French phrases in the books that he reads. If he knows the language, he is not embarrassed or perplexed when he faces the menu card in some hotel or restaurant. He may order with the certainty that he will not be served something that he does not want. Then, knowledge of French opens a whole literature to the person who possesses it. Modern French novels are witty and amusing. French po- etry is pleasing. Many developments of modern science can be best appre- ciated by reading of them in the lan- guage of the discoverer. For one or all of these reasons, we should learn French. In all but pronunciation, it should be a bit easier for us to learn French, which is as clear and logical as French thought, than for the French to learn our complex English. How can we best go about it with due regard to economy and effort? First of all, we should not aim too high nor get discouraged when the effort seems out of proportion to the result. We should keep in mind that learning to speak in a foreign lan- guage is very much like learning to sing. There is only one Caruso, one Melba, and no amount of endeavor would get the majority of us even into the chorus of the Metropolitan Opera. Nevertheless, we may sing a melody at home and delight our friends. So it is with language. There is but one Sarah Bernhardt, but we shall be doing quite well enough if we learn to speak French like the ordinary garden variety of native. During the past few years, since the Great War, in fact, it has been the tendency I of an ever increas- ing number of schools to drop the study of German, which had spread through the United States since 1848, and replace it with French, a change which seems very practical from all points of view. If, indeed, the learning of a new language means the acquisition of a new soul, as Napoleon said, our choice should be quick enough, for have we not long agreed with the poet that, Tout homme a deux pays, le sien et puis la France? Olive Cummings. THE VALUE OF HIGH-SCHOOL ATHLETICS Indulgence in athletic games and sports is nearly as old as the human race. Among the ancient Greeks, these athletic games were well de- veloped and were held at stated times under definite rules. The victors were always highly honored. The benefits derived from them by the Greeks were great and indisputable. The modern Olympic games are in-