Hudson High School - True Blue Yearbook (Hudson, WI)

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8 TRUE BLUE Elizabeth was a painful contrast to that of the dearly loved, tender- ly guarded Victoria Elizabeth imprisoned in the Tower, in con- stant fear of death, studied diligently her Latin and Greek, while Victoria under the protection of a fond mother was instructed in the tine arts, the continental languages, and all branches of study that would fit her for the throne of England. The beautiful happy wedded life of Victoria has ever been the admiration of the world. Elizabeth sacrificed domestic happiness to the interests of her people, realizing that her marriage would cause dissension between the Catholic and the Protestant elements of her country. Victoria was frank, open, gallant and fearless. The secret of her power lay in “thinking of her subjects first and herself afterwards.” Elizabeth was firm, resolute, bold and courageous. She wanted her own way but “always kept her finger on the pulse of the peo- ple, and when she felt that opposition was in store gracefully yield- ed her wishes to theirs. ” The reign of the one began in perplex- ities, of the other in a blaze of popularity. Elizabeth found a people poor, dispirited, rude and uneducated, an ambitious nobility and a government encumbered with debts. In spite of all these difficulties she made her reign one of the most famous in history. Victoria found a people developing their resources on an im- mense scale, improving their transportation facilities and winning new laurels in every science and art. “In Victoria the English people found a wiser, gentler, hap- pier, Elizabeth and the most constitutional monarch the English government has ever had.” Scott, the Masterspirit of Historical Romance By Leonore Crogan. Leonore Crogan showed that a study of the life and character of Scott gives a better insight and knowledge of his writings. As he was a weak, frail child his early life was spent in the country. The scenery and ballads of picturesque Scotland made a deep impression on the child’s mind. He was a great reader. This trait together with an excellent

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TRUE BLUE nearly all countries religious in its teaching and portrayed truths which moulded human character. The Greeks and Hindoos alone produced the drama originally and independently of foreign inlluences hence the modern drama is a direct progeny of the Greek stage. Two conditions arc necessary for the production of a great and national drama—a period of intense activity or excitement and a public that appreciates works of art. This is proven by a study of Grecian history and of the Elizabethan age. The earliest dramatic representations were of Bible scenes. These for a long time in the hands of the priests were performed in the churches then in the churchyards and finally in the streets. The Guilds took charge of them on scaffolds of three stages thus representing heaven, earth and hell. The next slip was the erection of theaters and the introduc- tion of scenery in this manner passing from a religious service to one of the most popular amusements of the day. The two divisions of the drama—comedy and tradgedy, deal respectively with the lighter scenes of life and with its deepest problems. The American drama has always shown a great dependence upon former times and models since even after beautiful scenic effects have been placed upon the stage, it still retains the old style of plot. A dramatist to be successful must amuse and interest his audience. Censorship of the drama would take away many of the objec- tionable features found in some of the existing dramas and render them sources of culture and education to many people. Taste is rising to meet the dramatist as more and better plays are being put upon the stage every day. Two Queens of England. By Bertha Herum. Bertha Herum in her Essay “Two Queens of England” com- pared the lives, character and reigns of Victoria and Elizabeth. The motherless, secluded and poverty stricken childhood of

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TRUE HI.UE 9 memory gave him a mind in lator years richly stored with military exploits, romances and medieval legends, so that when financial reverses caused him to write many novels in an exceedingly short time he had a well supplied store house from which to draw his materials. Scott began with poetry but was soon surpassed by Byron in this field of literary work and turned his attention to the novel. He introduced a new and distinct branch into literature called the Historical Romance. The main incidents of such a romance are historical and some of its characters are historical personages. Its object is to brighten our conceptions of the past by combining history with the imaginative and picturesque. To combine history with romance is very difficult but Scott has done so and produced a very pleasing effect. “Ivanhoe” his best novel describes English scenery and characters. '‘The Heart of Midlothian” wiiich is ranked first by some critics deals with family legends. “Old Mortality” is his best Scottish novel. His fame rests most securely on his Scottish novels in which he portrays that dry humor which is the most noticeable character- istic of the Scottish peasantry. He is excelled by no author in the ease and truth with which he describes not only the life and customs of his owrn time but also that of days long past and of countries far distant from his native land. No other author has described so well and so naturally the social life of all classes from the noble to the peasant. Greater poems and better novels than.his have been written, but when one considers the great number of his w7orks, the quality of those wTorks, and the vast range of his genius, wTho can be com- pared with Scott? Class Prophecy. By Chas. M. Lumley. Mr. Lumley called to his aid in discovering the future, Father