Hartford Public High School - Classbook Yearbook (Hartford, CT)

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274 THE CHRONICLE with gems and silver enhanced the grandeur of the hallg before me, on a lofty stand of wrought gold, sat a stern-countenanced personageg to my left, in a gleaming jury-box, sat twelve silent men. I looked down -I was on the witness stand. Before me was a court-the judge, the jury, the clerk, the sheriff-all were present and viewed me coldly. Oh! But the jury! Shrinking, trembling, I passed my glance from one to the other. My knees began to quake-Beethoven was there. He eyed me in disgustg Chopin sat next to him, Michel Angelo regarded me listlessly, while Rubens was sleeping. Virgil and Homer gazed at me sneeringlyg Shakespeare stroked his whiskersg Garrick eyed me with contempt. Hercules towered above all and the stand creaked beneath his weight. Homely Socrates seemed, as always, ready to be convinced, and graceful Phidippides beamed upon me, and I was grateful. But Demosthenes was waving his arms, although no word issued from his lips. Fear seized me anew! XVhat was I doing here? The suspense had become almost unbearable when the clerk of court rose and faced me: At the honorable supreme court of the entire universe, heavens and seas, hidden aloft, it is charged that one Elinor Corbin and one Vahe Garabedian did wilfully and feloniously, and of their own deliberate, premeditated, malice aforethought make a statement re- garding one certain H. P. H. S. Class of Nineteen Sixteen, claiming said Class of Nineteen Sixteen to be the most renowned and illustrious to have been graduated from any institution. And that then and there, said Elinor Corbin and Vahe Garabedian did feloniously and wilfully and with premeditated malice aforethought cast into disgrace and oblivion every other class that had been graduated from any institution by proclaiming said Class of Nineteen Sixteen supreme. And so said members of said Class of Nineteen Sixteen did in man- ner and form aforesaid speak the most monstrous fabrication capable in the lips of mortal, contrary to statute in such case made and pro- vided. My eyes Hashed. ' Guilty or not guilty !', shouted the sour-faced official before me. Guilty, I cried defiantly, guilty to the authorship of the words. Not guilty to the charge that it is a monstrous fabrication! Evidently it is for this I am tried, and I am glad. Nineteen Sixteen supreme? Yea! A thousand times, yea! Listen, oh learned men, and judge my plea:

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THE CHRONICLE 273 slightest tinge of disloyalty. VVhen we shall have graduated and passed on into the vicissitudes of life, it will be loyal friends that we meet who will bring back the pleasantest memories of High School days. History, language, science-yes, we have studied all these during the past four years, yet you will agree with me that we have learned many a lesson not directly associated with the courses displayed in the catalogue. Are we proficient in all these extra branches? If not, whose is the fault? Not the teachers' by any means! Deference, in- dustry, self-reliance, loyalty-these are qualities, or habits of mind, gained only through personal effort-effort which is not confined to classroom, nor to school, nor to school years. This is Class Day. Soon it will be Graduation Day. VVe are laying aside text-books, yet let us bear in mind that our education is but barely begun. H. LOUISE BLAIR. HISTORY OF THE CLASS OF 1916 s. ESTERDAY morning, as I was sitting beside my window with a copy of Dante in my hands, a most miraculous scene and occurrence was revealed to me: The day was calm and clearg liquid fragrance floated and eddied around me. Suddenly the type on the page began to grow dimg my eyes closed languidlyg in my ears I heard the soft, dreamy twanging of Orpheus' lyreg to my nostrils came an odor of divine aetherial fragrance-my memory left me and I seemed to Hoat lightly upward. The air grew cool and the light winds played gently with the folds of my long robe-Zephyr whipped about my temples and with light lingers moulded my hair into wavy sculptures. I passed lightly through the silken fleece of the great clouds and continued my heaven- ly journey-ever upward, higher and higher. There came a sudden dazzling glare of light, I felt around me the bustle of a royal multitude: I opened my eyes and-behold! I was standing in an enormous hall-great marble pillars rose majestically and supported the gracefully curved canopy oyerheadg great arched windows sparkled and gleamed with the blinding. bril- liance of a thousand colors, rich hangings of royal purple studded

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THE CHRONICLE 275 On a brilliant afternoon in September, 1912, the Class of Nine- teen Sixteen entered the Hartford Public High School, brightened its halls, obscured its walls, and breathed into that now familiar at- mosphere, the energy and force for which the school has been noted since that memorable day. From that moment, O most learned jury. the chronology of events in this historic and renowned institution has been scintillating with the pyrotechnics and achievements of this most remarkable class until today at the perihelion of its meteoric career I stand before you, honorable sirs, ready to receive the recogni- tion to which it is entitled. Among the many events of Freshman year, a few only is it neces- sary to mention. Our remarkable abilities were immediately recog- nized. for without pull, drag, or any other inlluence but sheer skill, one each of our members was selected for the tennis and hockey teams and two for the Boys' Mandolin Club. XYe very naturally and expec- tedly defeated the Sophomores in the indoor class meet and ran away with second place in the rope climb and shot-put. Here the school had its first introduction to our beautiful voices, which later were to win such fame, for we yelled ourselves hoarse all during the meet and all the way out of the building. And then for a change in the evening we yelled ourselves hoarser. Our literary and artistic talents were on a par with our brawn and muscle, for we had four contributions in The Chronicle--one, mirabilc' didn, a poem, in the very first issue. Also many drawings in the Owl Annual bore our names. We honored the Glee Clubs by allowing eighteen of our sweet singers to melodiate their music 3 in fact, an office in the Boys' Club was immediately thrust upon us. Thus the supposedly infantile, kindergarten, 'wait-until- you-are-spoken-to' Freshman class shattered traditions, prematurely burst forth from its chrysalis and modestly yet convincingly mani- fested its precocity. XYe had already heard and greeted with delight the news that we were the largest class that ever entered H. P. H. S. g the faculty found with wonder that we were the highest standing class that they ever had anything to do with. Infact, they were obliged to raise their standard of marking in order to reduce our numbers to a reasonable-sized Sophomore class. Thus we started and thus we have progressed, excelling and outdoing all who came before us. Ever onward. ever upward -- As I paused for breath, I saw the jury had taken a keen interest in my story. Rubens was sitting up and taking notice, Socrates