Natick High School - Sassamon Yearbook (Natick, MA)

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THE SASSAMON PAGE NINE LIFE OF WASHINGTON As it was nearly time to celebrate the birth of George Washington, I was call 3d into the office of the story editor of the Dover Tidings, and told to get a story of Washington ' s life, not one from history, but from the general himself of his life at home. I immediately made my plans for a trip to his home, at Mount Vernon, and went there several days later. As I strolled up the wide walk leading to his house, I was just a bit shaky to think that I was to meet the greatest man that had ever lived on the western continent. I knocked at the door and was admitted by a darky to a room where I met the charming Martha Washington. Having told her what I had come for, I inquired for the ex-President and she told me that he was out on the plantation somewhere. She said she would call him, but I expressed a desire to see the place myself. She then called an old servant, by the name of Erastus, and gave him orders to take me to Massar Wash- ington. We soon came upon the general, and then as Erastus tried to introduce me, he got tongue-tied on my last name and called me Mr. Hindlegs or something like that. However, as soon as my name was straight- ened out, I asked him if he would tell me his life story in his own words. At first he hesitated, but then, after a few moments ' thought, he began by telling me that he was born in a small place called Bridge ' s Creek, in Virginia, but when h« was three years old, the house burned down and they moved to a place on the Rappa- hanock, quite near to Fredricksburg. He said there was little left to mark his birth- place. However, I might add here that since then there has been a small monu- ment erected there in order to mark the spot. The first episode of his life happened when he was five years of age. This was the story of the cherry tree, which he chopped down. As the old general told it to me, I could see that in his eyes it seemed but yesterday. He had been given a small hatchet for his birthday and to put it in his own words, I then went out thinking I was an experienced woodchopper, cutting everything that I came near. I saw this little tree, and little did I realize how val- uable it was, so it went down along with the rest of the things. Later my father came out, and, seeing the tree chopped down, demanded in angry words if I knew the guilty one. At first I hesitated, but then I boldly said, ' I did, father, I cannot

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PAGE EIGHT THE BASSAMON II. That every two weeks, on a definite day, to be agreed upon by the Board, there shall be a meeting. III. That the Editor-in-chief shall send a no- tice around at each regular meeting at some fitting time, near the close of school. IV. Board Meeting: The penalty in all cases if absent three consecutive meetings being suspension from the Board ; when the Board will elect a new member. V. That the secretary shall read at each meeting the notes of the previous meeting. VI. That the business clerk shall at each meeting read his report. VII. That the subscription editor shall at each meeting read his report. VIII. That all material shall be collected and handed in four weeks before date of print- ing. IX. That this Constitution is subject to amendment for any sufficient reason. SCHOOL NEWS Miss Marjory Cooley, from the Chandler School of Shorthand has charge of the Stenography and Typewriting classes dur- ing Miss Knowles ' absence. The Sassamon Board regrets sincerely the loss of its efficient Business Manager, Charles Burke, whjo has entered M. I. T. Charles Burke and Robert Buckley, pres- ident and vice-president, respectively, of the Senior Class, have entered M. I. T., Lyman Spooner and Fred Fannon were elected as temporary officers for the class. The Sassamon Board welcomes Mr. Ran- kin and hopes that his stay here will be long and pleasant. An orchestra has been organized by Miss Melchert, from members of the music classes. We are indeed sorry to hear that Miss Knowles is still confined to the Framing- ham Hospital, after a prolonged attack of influenza. She was able to return to school a few days after it started, in January, but was compelled to again leave school. We hope that she will soon enjoy good health and be with us again. Framingham, Natick and Arrogance The article printed in The Philomath, the Framingham High School magazine, gave the readers of The Sassamon mujh delight. The article, The Team, Natick, and You, must have been written by one who had far-reaching ideals not obtainable by the Framingham Team. Framingham, we ask you what you mean by your statement, Natick — arrogant, im- pudent, boastful Natick ? We would con- sider that an insult even if we had been thrust to the lowest depths of defeat; but as we were victorious, we look upon it as mere jealousy. You certainly were preparing — but for what??? It seems that the large supply of megaphones and cough drops gave out far too soon, as they failed to help you win your game. Your team may have worked, but not enough to defeat that won- derful team from Natick. All Framingham did turn out to help cheer their famous team on to victory. How much good did it do??? The lungs of those two thousand rooters were far surpassed by those of Natick. By the article, it is quite plainly seen that you, (Framingham), have been doing a little boasting yourself. Remember, Framingham, He who boasts shall gain nothing. In your last prophecy the picture of the defeated Natick team, leaving the field amid a tumult of jeers, was vividly carried out by your own men. Now Framins ham, Natick — Arrogant, Impudent, Boastful Natick — thanks you for publishing your prophecy, as it shows the other preparatory schools what your sportsmanship really is. We thank you.

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PACK TEN THE SASSAMON tell a lie. ' He, of course, cooled right off and told me how glad he was that I had told the truth. From that time on I re- solved never to tell a lie. As I grew up, I became the leader among my friends and could always excel them in most sports. Well I remember the day that I threw a stone across the Potomac, after all the other boys had tried in vain. When 1 was eleven years old, I had my first sorrow, that of the death of my father. Then I, being the oldest child, had to take over the responsibility of the plantation, and although everybody said it was impossible, I managed in some way to do it. I went to school with the rest of the boys, my mother intending to have me take my father ' s place as a plantation manager. However, I had my own desires and U- though my mother did dissuade me from going to sea, she did not manage to do so when I decided to take up surveying. I started this at the age of sixteen, and by the time I had reached twenty, I had be- come public surveyor of the neighborhood. Soon after this the French and Indian War broke out. Of course, I know you didn ' t come for that story, because it seems everyone knows it, so I will just say that because of the great amount of faith the men put in me, I was able to help quite a bit in bringing that to a successful close. After that was over, I married Martha Curtis, who was then a widow, with two children, and I settled down to live here, but not for long, because soon the Revo- lutionary War broke out. I was called to take command of the armies. I am going to omit the story of that war just as I did the French and Indian War, because in time of peace, war is a dreadful thing to talk about. As soon as that was over, I retired to private life, only to be called back as President of the country. At the end of four years I began another term, not because I wanted to, but because I felt it my duty at that time, when the French Revolution was going on and we were being asked to enter the fight. Wheii my second term was ended, I again retired to private life, only to be recalled to take command of the army, because of the dan- ger of war with France. However, this danger soon subsided and now I am here again, where I hope to spend my few re- maining years in peace and happiness. When he had finished teling me his story, he invited me into his house for refresh- ments. I might add that I never met Washing- ton again and that he did spend the rest of his life at Mount Vernon. In December of 1799, he was one day making his rounds cf the plantation when it was raining and he became wet through. He did not mind it, and the next day he did the same, even when he had a cold. That night he became sick and passed quietly away, after a forty- eight hours ' illness. E. B. HEINLEIN, ' 19. CAPTAIN JIMMY Jimmy was a young fellow, the son of rich parents and one of the best sports in town. He was an only child and because of that had been constantly petted, and denied very little. He was smart in his studies and had graduated with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. He had studied and fitted himself for a lawyer, but now that he was ready to prac- tice, he showed no intention or desire of doing so. His father was of the old school and a veteran of the War of ' 98. When Jimmy showed no desire to do any- thing useful, his father was surprised and ashamed that his son should be an idler. His mother, however, was a social figure of some prominence and thought that her son should be a shining light of the social world. Affairs had constantly been growing worse for some time, but still Jimmy con- tinued to idle away his time and his father ' s money. Many times his father had started to say something about it, but his wife had persuaded him to try Jimmy a lit- tle longer, so father did, although in his own mind he was beginning to be troubled. Things kept on this way until the Unite:!