Hallowell High School - Venture Yearbook (Hallowell, ME)

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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-

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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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The VENTURE 25 ternational revivals of these ancient contests. Every country today has its indi- vidual sports. England's polo and cricket are examples. And it has always seemed that the more devoted a country was to sport, the more sportsman-like became its attitude in other matters. America, likewise, has its dis- tinctive sports 5 in particular, foot- ball and baseball. These games are everywhere to be found, from the largest university to the smallest high or grammar school in the land. We, of course, are most interested in high school athletic contests. Of what value are they to the school and to the community? Do they pay in- terest on the investment of time and money? To answer this question, we must consider just what sports high schools, in general, sponsor, and what effect these games have upon the athletes who take part in them, and upon the student body. The three major sports in second- ary school athletic life are football, basketball, and baseball. These three cover the school year. The larger, better-equipped schools often add other events, such as track work and hockey, to their schedules. But, in general, when we speak of high school sports, we mean the three ball games first mentioned. High schools of approximately the same size play a series of games according to a defi- nite schedule arranged some time in advance by the business managers of the respective teams. One of 'the first effects of these inter-school competitions is that the competing schools come to know each other better than they could do in any other way. This knowledge usu- ally brings with it esteem for other institutions and an increased pride in the player's own Alma Mater. He comes to respect fair dealing on the part of opposing schools, as well as of opposing teams. The members of the various student bodies also de- velop pride in their sportsmanship and school spirit. Another way that athletics helps a school is by putting it on the map. Small high schools might never be heard of were it not for their athletic teams. This publicity in athletics sometimes helps a school in other matters, and very often gives an individual player who has distin- guished himself an opportunity to obtain further education in some higher institution of learning. Still another important thing that athletics does for a high school is to build up the bodies of the athletes, not only of those who make the first team and represent the school in the games played with other institutions, but of all those who are out for that particular sport. With stronger bodies, they also have clearer minds. Today, the physiology of bodily ex- ercise is better understood and more highly valued than ever before. The physical training obtained by the athlete results in healthful nutrition of the body, beneficial effects upon the respiratory organs, and stimulus to the brain. Of course, this train- ing can be obtained in other ways, but the ordinary high school student whose school does not have an excel- lent compulsory course in physical training is not likely to get it other- wise than through athletics. A fine example of what athletics can do for the body is shown in the early life of Theodore Roosevelt. As a boy, he was thin, pale, delicate, and near-sighted. He determined, how- ever, to become the physical equal of the lads who were his playmates. He joined in all their boyish sports, and, in this way, became a hardy youth. When he entered Harvard College, he was physically fit to go out for any sport that he desired. He never be- came prominent in any one, but they all helped to develop his body, and