Madera Union High School - Blue and White Yearbook (Madera, CA)

Page 32 text:

PURPLE AND WHITE. students, however, are not yet thoroughly discouraged, i uh ov.e of the debaters in the last cont st and are threatening to rene eat any time. Our continued success in these contests is probably due to several causes, but first and most important is the fact that the whole school has become interested, even enthusiastic, and take great pride in the prestige of the M. H.S. Pupils consider it the highest of honors to be elected to debate and think the struggle worthy of their strongest efforts. The faculty take just as much interest and, in fact, everyone in any way connected with the school is proud of our debating records. We would like to advise all high schools so, to try our system of inter-high school debates. We can promise that they will build up the school if conducted properly, encourage the students in stronger school spirit and promote a better feeling between neighboring schools. 4s a gir the struy who have not already done their literary work, create cys Taking a Message to Garcia. BIRDIE APPLING, ’o8. {OR many years the White Rock dy Granite Company supplied wT orders for half a nation but never ' before had the been so great. The superintendent had found it necessary to add more men to his hundreds and supply them with the implements of work. The old cutting shed stood among the It had stood there for many generations, a long, low building, had demand California mountains. constructed in forgotten times after an odd and antique fashion. It contained one single room where the entire work Here the shaped and smoothed; here it was packed and loaded into cars which stood at the was executed. granite was cut, great entrance awaiting their stern iron propellor to take them away tothe busy, bustling cities. Here hundreds of men fr +»d means to supply the needs of a frac- tion of a nation. Here the incessant thump, thump, thump of the great chisels prepared the material for building great cities. The shed was surrounded by mountains, all steep and high. In these the quarries were situated, the nearest being three miles from the shed. the quarry and loaded into the cars by It was the duty of one man to stand beside the cars to be loaded and give the signal for the boom to be tripped. This man was Rob Farnham, the brave The rock was taken from derricks. and loyal hearted, the man who dared to do. One car stood on the spur, awaiting the last few stones that would end its stay at the quarry and begin its course down the mountain. Upcame the huge rock hoisted to the top of the derrick. It stood a ment when the great cable gave a lurch and the rock fell heavily on the brake. The car gave one bound and sped like deer the mountains. Farnham immediately grasped the situa- He looked and realized. His blood almost froze in veins his heart stood still. He thought of the men in the cutting shed below; he thought of their and unexpected death and the mass that would be therein the mo- an untamed down tion. his and sudden crushed course of a few moments; he thought of the hundreds of women and children left to suffer except by the resources of their own efforts; he thought of the crushed love and broken hearts of wives, mothers and thought of his sweethearts; he own mother. But thought is quick and with a jump he was on the flying car. He reached for the brake, but the rock had shattered it into pieces and he saw that no aid could be expected from it, and he realized at once that to stop the racing car was impossible. There was one chance and but one—the telephone, a mile and a half the This one hope, but at the But he did not think of his own danger; he thought only of the down mountain. risk of his own life.

Page 31 text:

MERLE GOUCHER, ’07. School Literary ety ELE ww La 4] NX Madera High Society was organized October 8, 1904, with Miles O. Humphreys as president and to him we, as a school, owe much of our success in debat- ing. Almost immediately he instituted debating as the principal feature of the regular Friday afternoon programs. Of course, these debates were at first only contests between members of the school, and the program committees will tell you that it was no easy matter to persuade many of the students that it was their duty “to get up on the platform and make a show of themselves,’’ but gradually they began to be considered a necessity by all enthusiastic members—and a necessary evil by the Junior and Sophomore boys. It was not until February 4, 1905, that sufficient self-confidence to challenges to High Schools. ‘The Fresno High School Senate received and accepted the first challenge We adopted and finding it followed it There should winning we acquired send neighboring to a series of contests. following scheme, satisfactory, the entirely have in all succeeding contests: be three the school two to be declared the school should choose one judge and the judges chosen should choose a third from the audience; the decision should be awarded to points—four for thought, three for spontaniety and two for delivery. The first debate with Fresno took debates, victor; each place in our own assembly hall. MyH. S. was victorious. The second of the series took place in Fresno and again the Purple and White Under the circum- stances it was not necessary to have the conquered. third debate. Madera had wonin a debating contest with Fresno Senate! Our school began to think they could debate, even if they did fail in some other things, and this year we sent challenges to four different Fresno, Easton, Sanger and Modesto. accepted; Easton candidly acknowledged that she was afraid; and Modesto kept putting off the contest from time to time schools, Fresno and Sanger until we have utterly despaired of having a chance to defeat her. The first debate of this year was held in Madera with the Fresno Senate. Madera won—and won deservedly—but the Fresno boys, sore on account of a third failure, refused to debate any more, saying that Madera had not acted fairly because it was girls (members of the two of best High School) who defeated them. our Next came the Sanger debate, held in Madera, February 3, 1906. The Sanger people are the worst (or best?) opponents we have met so far, and we had to work hard to get the decision—-but we got it. The second debate with Sanger, held in Sanger on April 20, 1906, again resulted Madera. The Sanger in a victory for

Page 33 text:

PURPLE AND WHITE. lives in the sheds below. He shudderet + the dreadful position, but nerved himself The reached, and with a brave resolve Farnham for the effort. half-way station was sprang from the car to the whizzing, whirl- ing ground, but it took a mighty effort to pull himself to the telephone. his Piercing pain back ceemed weak; he was hardly able to crawl to the telephone. by the men below was broken and indis- was rending body; his The message received tinct but sufficiently clear to inspire in them the fear of the dreadful danger at hand. Every life was saved, but Farnham, with his legs broken and mangled, spent many long weeks of suffering before he was able to know that his brave actions saved the lives of hundreds of his fellow men. — Cognomens of the Seniors. LIVED in the country three Miles from town. One day I went to town to see the Hosler, the Apple (ing) eye, Hor(a)ce. I met a man. He asked ish ite tO) HkesnOes ee ane “OQ Hump! ll he grumbled. of my about my On my way me, ‘‘How far swered, ‘‘Twenty Miles.?’ Phreys before I get there,”’ As I was passing through the Woods I saw a young man sitting on the bank ofa stream. He had a Lily in one hand and an Olive in the At the post office I saw an Irishman i Macwe He wore a funny-looking hat. I walked up to him and asked, ‘‘Where did you get the hat, Mac?’’ ‘‘Faith an’ that’s all the Fad thin,’’ he answered. In an Alley I met a girl named Agnes. She asked me if my mother wanted a Cook. I said, ‘‘Noma has a Cook.”’ The other day I hid my teacher’s Belle, When she found it she threw Bel, cher and Then she started other. whom everyone calls everything else at me. after me, and [ tell you what, I Ransome. We had an awful time and we even But I came out victori- went to court about it. ous, because I had Goucher to defend me and she had Larue. The Psalm of School Life. YRNELIUS J. PPLING, ’06. ELL we not in language idle High School is an empty dream; You're a fake uneducated, And things are not what they seem. School is real, school is earnest, And the jug is not its whole; Know your lessons has been spoken For the profit of the soul. In the college field of action You may sometime hope to star; Be not then like driven cattle, Bring your record up to par. Trust no teacher, howe’er pleasant, Smiles may brook despair for you; If you would succeed in High School, You have got to learn to do. Days of toil and nights of study Is the portion they require, That, as seniors, you, tomorrow, May the lower ranks inspire. Lives of seniors should remind you You can make your life sublime, And graduating leave behind you Note books for the kids behind. Note books which perhaps some freshmen, In deep High School lore bemired, Seeing, when all but disheartened, May be to success inspired. Days are long, success is pleasant, We must conquer in the jam, Teachers’ guide book are preparing Funeral dirges for exam. Let us, then, press ever onward, Struggling hard with learning’s wave; Faith in self, with strength of purpose, Wins the battle for the brave. — Oa FOR MEN ONLY. “pay Jay UO puv}s 07 pry ays JT ‘MOTTAMIOS I 7v 498 p,dyS Jey} MOUY 9A —pvai Apeaiye says mood sip, SULYIAVJ VO} S}UID 19} IaSPM [],aM MON “MOYS B JO PULY ISvIT Bq} S}as oYs JT ‘moyAue 4no pug [[,ayqs Jeq nod ng ‘MOUX 0} JOU JYSNO ays Suryyomos sip UPUIOM B SATIIOM SaIyyLUB S,aIIq} JT —Hx.