Plainfield High School - Milestone Yearbook (Plainfield, NJ)

Text from Pages 1 - 46 of the 1904 volume:

At NEUMAN BROS.’ 501-503 Watchung Ave., The Leading Grocers, You can always find every possible delicacy. Fruits—Foreign and Domestic. Tels. 146 and 131. H. E. Gayle Hardware Co., JOHN J. PRAED Mernchart nalior Fine Custom Tailoring Dress Suits Pressed at Short Notice Satisfaction Guaranteed 314 PARK AVENUE Press System on Shirts. SWAIN, 317 West Hront St., Plainfield, N. J., H. W. PAK SHALE Is now showing a beautiful line of Garden Seeds and Fertilizers. House Furnishing Goods. Tel. 468-R. FRONT ST. AND PARK AVE. Proprietor Carbons, Platinums, Plain and Ameriean Steam haundry, Sa “i pane ae ew Frames, Artists’ Materials, etc. 122 Kast Front Street. Paintings Cleaned and Restored. M. C. VAN ARSDALE, MAhkKMSTRKONG: Shoe and Rubber Plumbing, Heating, Roofing Distributor. and Leader Work. All the new shapes in low cuts. 427 EAST FRONT ST. PLAINFIELD. | 330 PARK AVENUE, - PLAINFIELD. ‘av ws BLAIR, Special Rates to Livery and Boarding Stables School Classes at JO al WEST SIXTH STREET. a ngh (e) rn e S TELEPHONE 152. nae J. HERVEY DOANE E. B. MAYNARD, Jeweler and Graduate Optician ii onsor a | A r ti S t All kinds of repairi : ele pumeanveas The Best Service in Town. Tel. 334-R 115 Park Avenue 141 North Avenue, - - PLAINFIELD. SPECIAL SUMMER PRIVILEGES Y. M. C. A.——$3.00, June J to October 1 Swimming Pool, Shower Baths, Tennis Court, Bowling Alley, Star Course 1904-5 Ast for Particulars Goto HARRY DREIER for Baseball and Tennis Goods. Plainfield Agent A. G. Spalding Bros. Imperial Bicycles All kinds of Sporting Goods, Musical Instruments, Etc. 261--263 West Front Street, PLAINFIELD, N. J. WATES EYES JE AAMINE DPR SATISFACTION GUARANTEED VV ACRES We LOC ES ial NES ee ay) REP AIRE DiibBy Vier ALS Capital, 100,000 Surplus, 90,000 Deposits, $50,000 3 per cent paid on both Checking and Savings Accounts. 707-721 Broad St., NEWARK, N. J. Nice Gloves for — the Young Man and Miss for Dress and Street KID GLOVES—and Suede, one and two clasp— $1 in latest shades; also white and black.......... SILK GLOVES—White for Misses, button and clasp style, at.......... 98 an d 50c FABRIC GLOVES—White Lisle and Cotton for Misses Tand'2 clasp) and sack styles ...0.).. i825 « 12cto 50c | LACE and SILK MITTS—from .......25c to 1,75 pair Fire @rackers and Fireworks at HARPER'S, 411 Park Ave. Plainfield’s Leading Millinery Store........ MILLER’S PHARMACY Headquarters for FANCY SODA WATER Try Cherry Cream Puff, ‘‘Walnut Bisque’ also Nut Frappe—ALL NEW PARK AVE. and FOURTH ST. James B. Guttridge GROCERIES, PROVISIONS, BEEF, VEAL, MUTTON, LAMB, PORK Smoked and Salt Meats, Vegetables, Etc. Telephone Call 331-R NETHERWOOD, N. J.. Try a Pair of ——t=— Doane’s Oxfords Plainfiela’s Leading Millinery Store........ W| The ORACLE | “Tam Sir Oracle, and when I ope my lips, let no dog bark.” BOARD OF EDITORS Editor-in-Chief, PERCY M. BRowN, ’05. Literary Editor, School Editor, Exchange Editor, Corresponding Editor, LILLIAN SNODGRASS, ’05. ANTOINETTE AALHOLM, ’06, WESTON GAVETT, ’07. BENJAMIN HERMAN, ’06. Business Manager, . Assistant Business Managers. HOWARD LAPSLEY, ’06. GEORGE BENTLEY, ’05, ANNA RUNYON, ’05. Associate Editors, Mr. LINDSEY BEST, y ' Miss GRACE E. BURROUGHS. STAFF OF REPORTERS 204, FRANCES VANDEVENTER, 205, AIMEE CONANT, FRANCIS ANDERSON. CHESTER BRIGGS. 06, GERTRUDE HUNTER, ’07, GERTRUDE ABBOTT, DUDLEY STRONG. GILBERT GRIGGS. Published on the first Wednesday of every month during the school year, by the students of the Plainfield (N. J.) High School. Printed by THE RECORDER PRESS, Babcock Building, Plainfield. 10 CENTS THE COPY 75 CENTS THE YEAR VoL. 2 COMMENCEMENT NUMBER No. 9 JUNE, 1904 (he eriiston? ola Gram or, “Sand [This Essay won the George H. Babcock Prize in English Composition. ] NUMBER of years ago, a lugger, bound from Mindoro to Manila, was being coaxed by a gentle east wind through St. Bern ardino Strait. Its cargo was very commonplace, in fact even dirty, for it was a cargo of sand. Moreover the sand itself was not out of the ordinary. It was not the romantic sea sand which is ground from coral and shells and carried about over many miles of ocean bottom until it is finally tossed upon some beach, but it was sand formed of rock waste which had been lying for innumerable years in a dried-up river valley in Mindoro. This was not a much-traveled sand but it was a very humble stay-at-home sand which had started life as rock somewhere upon the mountain side. Under the in- fluence of rain and weather the rock had gradually become pulverized and carried to the valley below where men had found it; -and as these men knew 144 THE ORACLE that good building sand was scarce at Manila, they were transporting it there. The particular grain of sand with which this history is concerned was very small, rough and white. It was presently much whiter, for a little puff of wind, aided by the roll of the waves, started it rolling off the deck of the lugger. It reached the water in company with several other grains of sand, but it soon separated from their company and continued alone its zigzag- course to the bottom. Down on the bottom, with about sixty feet of water over its head, an oyster was lazily lying, open mouthed, waiting for a chance to bring it its dinner. It was not a dainty little oyster, such as is swallowed by some of us with questionable pleasure and a little lemon juice, but it was a large oyster with a shell ten inches across. In truth it must have been the grand- father of the cluster of smaller oysters which surrounded it. To-day chance was mischievous and instead of bringing the oyster some nice, rich, live, sea mud, it piloted to the open shell a small white piece of sand, much whiter now from the effect of its journey through the water. Now oysters .do not live on grains of sand, and to make matters worse the grain of sand had not slid down the immobile mouth of the oyster but had lodged be- tween the oyster and its shell. We all know how a grain of sand lodged in the eye feels and how we have to take pains to remove it. This grain of sand affected the oyster in much the same way. Working deeper and deeper into the shell, it irritated more and more, but the oyster, not being blessed with fingers, was forced to acquiesce to its tenantage. Nature, the enemy of chance, which had caused all the trouble, foreseeing just such predicaments, has provided oysters with a substance called nacre. So when a little piece of sand causes trouble, the oyster covers it with nacre, which is hard but smooth so that it allays irritation. The more troublesome the sand, the more nacre the oyster uses. This piece of sand must have been especially troublesome as it received a coating of nacre which would have made a Maiden Lane jeweler shrug his shoulders with covetousness. But what have jewelers in common with sand? Well, to make a short story, this sand in combination with nacre is a pearl and its home is a pearl oyster. I say that the nacre and grain of sand make the pearl, because one could not be a pearl without the other. The sand is the cause, the nacre is the result, and without the cause there would be no result. So when you look at a pearl, remember that in the center of that pearl there is a grain of sand or some similar substance. Several years had now passed since the sand’s advent into the THE ORACLE 145 oyster. During these years the oyster and the pearl had both grown until they were of regal size. The pearling fleet, of some thirty fishing luggers, was busily engaged in its operations during the summer of 1880. The beautiful dawn of a promising fishing day sent the fleet scattering over the oyster patch in St. Bernardino Strait. This patch was some two miles in extent, so that each boat got its fair allotment of fishing ground. One little boat dropped close inshore and made ready to send its diver, a sandy- haired Scotchman, overboard. Necessity has made the use of modern diving gear absolutely impera- tive in pearl fishing. In past years native divers dove overboard and tore what shells they could away from the bottom and in the course of two minutes rose to the surface and made ready for another dive. This method of fishing was successful in water not much deeper than thirty feet, but when pearls began to give out in shallow water, modern, element-defying armor was called into play, so now all pearl fishing is done by helmeted divers. As native divers proved deficient in the use of these diving suits, white men have superseded the brown Filipinos. When the small boat, before mentioned, dropped anchor in about sixty feet of water, the Scotchman stepped into his heavy rubber suit; his large one eyed helmet was screwed on; the pump was started by two brawny Filipinos; and with a splash and a rush of bubbles to the surface, the diver dropped overboard. After a minute of the crushing sensation felt by divers after dropping overboard, the diver got his sea legs on and commenced work. But my goodness, what a place to work in! It was a sea garden such as could not be equaled by all the work that time and money could command. Sea anemones, coral clusters of every shade of pink and white, enormous barnacles, sea plants that would put the most delicate lace to shame, sway- ing in the gentle ocean movement and surrounded by many sun-colored fish, were everywhere. It is in such places as this that pearl divers in tropical seas work. Our diver, having reached the bottom and adjusted the air valves in his helmet, strode about in search of large and ancient oysters in which perhaps lay his fortune. Whenever he laid aside his knife and oyster bag and stopped to rest, many inquisitive fish gathered round him, but his slight- est motion sent all of them scattering pell mell for shelter. Going from clus- ter to cluster of oysters, he soon filled his bag with the largest of them, but noticing an oyster of great size near by, he started to tear it from its abode of many years. It was so wedged in by smaller oysters that his first at- 146 THE ORACLE tempts were of no avail. At this the Scotchman flew into a rage’and stamped about until all the small fry, which were hovering near, fled in dire con- fusion. This reckless loss of self-control was not a characteristic of the Scotchman, for when on board the boat he had a most equable temper, but it was the effect of being under water. Strange to say all pearl divers are affected in much the same way. Most peaceful men when on board, they very often fly into a temper when: under water because of a wrong air sup- ply or some other trivial matter, and signal to be pulled up. As they near the surface, just like a child, they forget their anger and when hauled on deck do not know what they have come up for. With a powerful pry of his knife the Scotchman loosed the oyster and signaled to be drawn to the surface. A little more air was pumped into his suit. Being thus made lighter he easily rose to the surface and clambered aboard. After a week’s more fishing the little ship made sail for home. After the cargo of several tons of oysters was unloaded they were dumped into sand pits. Here they remained under a broiling East Indian sun until they were thoroughly decayed. The oysters were now easily opened and were washed in a sieve. The pearls, which are mostly quite small, were separated into different sizes, but out of one large oyster a pure oriental pearl was washed. This pearl had the distinction of being put in a strong tin box all by itself. As the completion of one of its series of many adventures, “the 80 pearl,” as it was known, finally found its way into the hands of afamous New York jeweler. There, on account of its regality, it remains to this day. Nat- ure, when allowed, always does her work perfectly ; and as a grain of sand in an oyster is transformed into a pearl of great price, so a little grit in the Nature of a man, if carefully nurtured and allowed to grow, will in time prove a pearl of great value in his character. Howarp G. LAPSLEY, 05. Baseball When the time came around for the organization of the baseball team, matters looked rather doubtful for a successful season. Of course some of the old team were left, but an entirely new battery was required. There were very few candidates for either pitcher or catcher; but, of the material at hand, the most promising were “Phil.” Smith, for pitcher, and “Neal” Davis, for catcher. How well these two players fulfilled that promise is a matter of history. In the beginning of the season we often heard the THE ORACLE 147 remark, both in school and outside, “The High School has a good team, but no battery.”’ Now, the opinion of baseball critics has changed somewhat, for we now hear, “The High School has the best scholastic battery in the State. We see the cause for this change in the manner in which cur games have been won. The fielding has been fairly good in some, and very poor in others; but in every one the battery work has been excellent. Not only has Smith secured the record for the greatest number of strikeouts, but he has the lowest number of hits registered against him of any pitcher in the school at any time. Davis has also developed wonderfully for a first year catcher, his success has been remarkable, and pitcher and catcher have work- ed together like a well regulated machine. The rest of the team has on the whole, a somewhat lower standard than the battery. The infield did some very good work, but. it also did some very poor work. The outfield did a little better. At the beginning of the season, Scott, Bock and Guinn made a powerful trio, but changes reduced this until Scott alone of the old three, remained. In batting, the team was not all that one could wish, but noe was a list of heavy hitters in the beginning of the batting order which always showed up to good advantage. Long, Craig, Scott, Smith and Thompson could usually be depended upon for hits in times of need. This was es- pecially true of Adam Scott. The Pingry game was in fact the only one in which he did not give a good account of himself with the stick. The games for City Championship were tamer than any one expected. Leal’s were easily vanquished, and Cedarcroft almost as easily. The real struggle came rather unexpectedly with South Orange. The Orangemen came here, flushed with an overwhelming victory in basketball, and expected to do the same in baseball. We trounced them to the tune of 4 to 3, and they retired vowing vengeance in the return game. That they over-exerted themselves is clearly shown by the game struggle they put up on their heme field. The superior pitching of Smith finally conquered and we returned with a ten-inning game, 2 to I to our credit. The last game of the season at Pingry, also showed the stuff that we were made of. Up against a pro- fessional pitcher, we won out on our own merits and a pitchers blunder, Craig making the only run scored in the whole game. When we look back over the whole season, there are two things which impress us most strongly. The first is the ability which the team, as a whole, showed in getting out of tight places and in keeping their heads. This is due in great part to the magnificent spirit with which they 148 THE ORACLE were captained and trained. Much praise is due to Captain Thompson for the successes of the year. He inspired a wonderful amount of nerve in the whole team, and this alone pulled a victory out of the South Orange, the Rutgers Prep., and many of the other games. The second thing whiclr appears very remarkable is the woful lack of support which has marked the attitude of the school at large. The Pingry game was the only one in which much support was given by the school. In the City Championship games we had the smallest crowds of rooters of any of the schools. It is very hard to find a cause for this since a successful team almost universally receives the support of the school. The only cause which can in our mind be as- signed to this lack of support, is the deterioration of the school spirit in the members of the Plainfield High School. The only encouragement we have in regard to this, is the fact that next year we will have almost identical- ly the same team, the only graduate being ‘‘Peewee” Long, and the student body may support a team which served so successfully this year. Ty Ola. HEN Mr. Travell made the announcement that we were going to lose Miss Burroughs from the faculty next year, weallrealizedthat she has occupied a place in our midst which will be difficult for another to fill. Miss Burroughs has made the department of History a delightful one, and to her we owe its general popularity among us. Great as will be the loss: which the whole school will feel at Miss Burroughs’ leaving us, the mem- bers of THE OrAcLE Board will miss even more her untiring efforts as our Associate Editor. Miss Burroughs’ connection with THE ORACLE dates. back to the launching of the enterprise in the fall of 1902, and throughout she has devoted much of her time to the success of our publication. It is therefore with a great deal of gratitude that we join with the rest of the School in bidding her Godspeed and wishing her every success. The Fatulty will also lose a very valuable member in Miss. Santee, who al- though she has been with us but a short time, has greatly endeared herself to the heart of every pupil. In general, only the lower classes have had the benefits of Miss Santee’s teachings, but we can safely say that the school at large will greatly regret her departure. “Everything comes to him who waits,” mused the waiter sadlv, as he gazed at two Canadian dimes and a lead quarter—Ex. Teacher—‘“A fool can ask questions a wise man can’t answer.” Pupil—‘That’s why we flunked.”—Ex. YEAR BOOK --- CLASS of 1904 Managing Editor, VAN Wyck Brooks. Cummenucemenut Speaker of the Evening, REV. ROBERT S. MacARTHUR, D. D., of New York. Salutatorian, ANNA CORIELL RANDALL. Valedictorian, ANNA FRANCES BRODNAX. DALUTATORY ADDRESS GREAT many years ago the world consisted entirely of men. But as, day after day, from his high Olympus, Jupiter ob- served his handicap, he noticed how incomplete the race ap- peared, and how desolate and discontented man seemed. One day, as he was making his customary observations, an idea occurred to him. He would create a woman, and send her to earth as a companion for man. Immediately he set to work, and finally the new being was finished. Then the father of the gods sent word to all his children that, on a certain day, he would give a birthday party for this new child, and all were invited. At last the time for the long-looked-for event arrives, and in great excitement, the divinities assemble at the appointed grove. In the midst, on his high throne, sits Jupiter with Juno at his side, and before them stands the wonderful being in whose honor the festival is given. When all have assembled, Jupiter gives a signal, and the gods and goddesses ap- proach. First comes Venus with her gift of beauty. She is followed by Apollo who bestows the faculty of music. Thus, one by one, they advance, each bringing a gift. And last come Minerva with her priceless gift of wis- dom. When all have laid down their offerings, Jupiter arises, and an- nounces that the name of this new being is Pandora, “the gift of all the gods.” Then at a sign from him, two goddesses approach, and, lifting Pandora in their arms, fly with her above the heads of the gathered as- 150 THE ORACLE semblage, and swiftly descending through the air, leave her upon the earth to dwell there forever. Full of meaning as was this story for the ancient Greeks, has it, then, no significance for us? Like Pandora, we, too, have been presented with gifts. We have been surrounded all our lives by influences which have helped to make us what we are. The chief of these gifts has come to us in our homes. There, our fathers and mothers have watched and guided us with unceasing care, and no small part of our pleasure to-night lies in the fact that this occasion gives great pleasure to them. Next in importance to the influence of the home has been that of the schools, and especially that of the High School in which we have spent so much of our time during the past four years. It is to the citizens of Plainfield that we owe these schools. To these citizens, then, we owe a debt of gratitude for the many gifts which have come to us through these schools. To the members of the Board of Education, and to the Superintendent we extend our greetings to-night. We wish to thank them for their special thought and labor to make these gifts of the most value to us. We appreciate the efforts they have put forth to secure for us a more com- modious building. We are sorry that their plans could not have been ac- complished during our course in school, but we are glad that in the near future, their efforts promise to meet with the success which they so greatly deserve. The gifts which are included in this school life are threefold. First, the help and guidance of our teachers, next, the comradeship of our school- mates, and lastly, perhaps the most permanent gift of all, that of the in- spiration of books. Our principal and teachers we have come to look upon not only as directors of our intellectual development but as our sympathetic friends. Not only for their guidance, but also for their sympathy and friendship, we are deeply grateful. Now that our school life is over, we realize how great has been that second gift, the influence and joys of comradeship. Day after day, we have come into contact with many earnest workers, all having the same interests in study and all striving for the same goal. We have entered into each other’s lives, we have sympathized with each other’s failures and triumphs. Can we ever forget how we toiled together over Burke’s Conciliation ; how by the flickering light of the midnight oil, we danced with “the three weird THE ORACLE 151 sisters” in “Macbeth;” how we labored night and day to impress the visi- tors at the St. Louis Exposition with the great worth of the Plainfield High School? More than all, can we ever forget those bonds which linked us closer than all else, those little boards, six inches by ten, by means of which all could find seats in chapel ? Our third gift has been in my opinion the most far-reaching of all. This is the gift of books. Of course the world always has been and always will be full of books, but they can mean nothing to us unless we learn to enjoy them. Our training in the High School has taught us how to get this enjoyment. “Except a living man, there is nothing more wonderful than a book—a message to us from the dead—from human souls whom we never saw, who lived, perhaps, thousands of miles away, and yet these, on those little sheets of paper, speak to us, amuse us, vivify us, teach us, com- fort us, open their hearts to us as brothers.” Thus we, like Pandora, have been showered with gifts. But unlike Pandora, our creation is not instantaneous, nor are we passive in its pro- cess. These gifts do not end with our school life. As we go forth from this place to-night, whether we enter into higher fields of learning or go out into the busy life of the world, more and more shall we realize the great- ness of the gifts we have received, and learn to grasp with more resolute hand the new gifts as they come. ANNA CORIELL RANDALL. ESSAY CAND VALED IC LORY ITHIN the last few years great progress has been made in the development of hand industry. Many years ago, before man’s ingenuity had fashioned the great inventions which we have to-day, much of the work now performed by machines was done by hand. But after the inventions came into use, hand industry glided into the background and became of second- ary importance. Now the work of the hand is assuming its place decreed by nature. Now men are beginning to see the value of the hand arts. If we try to trace the revival of hand industry to its source, we shall find that there are various causes which have led to this great movement. There are a few, however, which seem to stand pre- dominant. First, a wide-spread interest is now being manifested in the 152 THE ORACLE handicrafts, and this interest has led to a great demand for hand-made ar- ticles. Again, the place that this new industry is taking in our national life is due not only to the realization of the intrinsic value of hand work, but also to the understanding of the educational discipline and economic value of the hand arts. In the first place, men have begun to realize that works of the hand are truly productions of art and have a peculiar value that no machine-made goods can possess. The work that is being done in Deerfield, Mass., fur- nishes a striking example of this revived interest in hand work. Hand in- dustry gives very pleasant employment to many of the inhabitants. The women sew, embroider, weave baskets, make carpets. The men make and carve furniture, as has been said, “with the nicety of a Chinese puzzle.” A personal achievement is that of Mrs. Wynne. She invented various ways of decorating copper and silver with enamel, and has lately embellished it with semi-precious stones, opals, and even pretty pebbles. The demand for the articles made in Deerfield by these deft fingers is always in advance of supply. Again, we might devote an entire essay to the work of the Indians. Many have become interested in these semi-barbarous tribes, and are eager to possess their work. The blankets, pottery, and lace made by these peo- ple are sold almost as fast as they are made. The finely woven baskets are especially highly prized. They are delicate in weave, beautiful in design. They give evidence of patience and endurance, and almost constitute an In- dian literature. Old myths, religious beliefs, and even the lives of some designers are woven into the baskets. Aside from the interest felt in hand-made work—an interest which shows that now men appreciate the superiority of hand-made articles to those made by machine—lies the far most important reason for the revival of interest in industrial work. This is the realization of the value of the manual arts in developing character and mind and in training for life, the true aim of all education. The value o f the work of the hand was first realized in the South where it began to bring about wonderful results among the colored people. This work has proved so valuable that it has extended to all sections of our land and even to lands across the sea. In Georgia a Massachusetts model school was started not long ago for the benefit of the poor whites of that State. In the highlands of Tennessee, industrial training is bringing about a marvelous change among the natives. The industrial arts have been intro- THE ORACLE 153 duced into the public schools of Boston. In Man hattan, industrial training will form one of the main features of the curriculum this fall. To go across the sea—this same work is going on in Ireland, and it is thought that it will greatly benefit the Irish nation. These arts have also been introduced into the schools of England with remarkable results. But far away from either of these two countries, we find this work carried on. In India we see the value of this discipline among the orphans and others made wretched by famine. In Turkey the industrial training is bring- ing forth good fruit among Armenian women and children left destitute by the massacres of eight years ago. To understand what this work is accomplishing, it may be well to give the testimonial of one who stands in a position to know the fruits of the industrial work in education. The Rev. James Smith of India, in an article devoted to this subject, says in substance: . “T believe in Industrial Training because for nine years I have tried it, and found that in general my most intelligent and resourceful pupils are those who have had a simple course in manual training in addition to their other work; because it fits my boys and girls for life; because it seems to develop faithfulness and truthfulness better than arithmetic and spelling, and other forms of mere book-work in which cramming and whispering make deception and superficiality so easy; because it makes my boys more self-reliant ; because it makes them more manly; and lastly, because working men and boys must have education suited to their future.” In speaking of the economic and educational value of hand industry, we are at once reminded of the grand work that is being done at Hampton and Tuskegee institutes. In both schools the manual arts are taught with admirable results. In both schools are found dress-making, tailoring, weav- ing, blacksmithing, millinery and other industries. As great stress is laid on these trades as on arithmetic and English. For it has been observed that this training teaches the students to think and to develop originality; it teaches them the beauty, dignity and honor of labor. It may be said here that industrial education alone will not bring about desired results among the colored people. Education of the head as well as that of the hand is necessary. One with the exclusion of the other is not sufficient. Let those who are capable and who wish, pursue the higher education, that they may become wise, intelligent leaders and teachers fitted to lead their people aright. Although this is so, it cannot be denied that industrial education has been and is the most potent factor in elevating the masses. It enables them to gain a better living. It helps to develop the 154 THE ORACLE all-around manhood and womanhood by calling forth skill of hand as well as power of head. These results are known to be true. Students who go to Hampton and Tuskegee from log cabins leave school no longer content to live as be- fore, but desirous of entering the world with higher aspirations and nobler ideals. They build good homes and earn their living through some skilled trade which they learned at school. The officials of such institutions as Hampton and Tuskegee keep a careful record of all who leave their schools, and it is found that these students lead pure, noble lives, and that they live up to the high moral standard which they followed in school. These are some of the advantages of hand industry. And are these not valuable? It would certainly mean peace and happiness among all citi- zens, if, while we are striving to wipe out all illiteracy, we should, at the same time, prepare every future citizen for life. When we consider that the dominant tendency in the world to-day is toward industrialism, when we consider that a large share of the prosperity and progress of our nation depend upon the efficiency and intelligence of our workmen, we can see the necessity of promoting these arts and can realize the value of this new phase of education. There is no man perhaps who has done more to emphasize the value of manual training than has Mr. Booker T. Washington. He has given himself up wholly to the work which he believes to be the salvation of his people. His is a life of unselfishness and of love for his fellow-men, for his country. From the life of one who has done so much, surely something may be learned. Even as Mr. Washington has served and is serving his race, his country, may we, too, as we enter upon our greater work, live a life of unselfishness and happiness in the service of others round about us. For that is the secret of true living. Some one has rightly said, “That man may last, but never lives, Who much receives, but nothing gives.” ANNA FRANCES BRODNAX. Jones—‘“I am a near neighbor of yours now. I have taken a house by the river.” Mrs. Golightly—‘‘Oh! I hope you will drop in some day.” “Fifty miles an hour,” yelled the chauffeur, “are you brave?’ “Yes, I’m full of grit,” replied the pretty girl as she swallowed another pint of dust—Ex. THE ORAGEE 155 ORATIONS I THE IDEAL AMERICAN. HAROLD CHAMBERLAIN FENNO. HE year 1808 marks the beginning of a new epoch in American history, an epoch of territorial expansion; and this same date in the history of the world marks the entrance of the United States of America into the arena of international affairs as a world power. To accomplish this result, however, required the guidance of a master hand—the hand of John Hay, Secre- tary of State. From that date, that hand has never been with- drawn for a moment from the rein, nor has it allowed the foreign policy of this nation to deviate a hair’s breadth from the course mapped out for it. Indeed it has urged the nation forward along that course with a breathless rapidity which has caused aston- ishment within andconsternation without. We saw the power of Spain humbl- ed despite the murmuring of Continental powers; we saw American sover- eignty established in the Philippines in defiance of the outcry at home against Imperialism ; we saw American rights preserved in China, and Chinese in- tegrity assured to the world in spite of European desires to the contrary ; and we have just seen the aggressive treachery of Russia openly curbed and laid bare before the eyes of the critical world. All this we have seen and more, but through it all we can distinguish the shadow of the mighty intellect and forceful hand of John Hay. Not an incident arose for which he was unprepared; not a movement was made which he had not foreseen, and, foreseeing, prepared for. Neither divisions at home nor coalitions abroad changed his policy one ion. His wonderful foresight had enabled him to fix his policy against open threat and hidden deceit; and still the young nation, confident in the knowledge of its strength, pushes onward, and still John Hay holds the guiding rein in his mighty hand. But whence comes this being, who shapes the destiny of a nation, who directs the expansive energy of eighty millions? Who moulded that brain which pierces the darkest, most secret plans of our country’s enemies? Who trained that spirit of liberty? Who educated that mighty power of foresight, that ability to grasp opportunities ere they are at hand? Is it a god come to dwell among men, or is it one of the heroes of old re- turned in modern guise? 156 THE ORACLE None of these. It is a man, a product of the American nation, a descendant of the tillers of the soil, a result of modern education. Not a god but a gift from God; not a hero of old but a hero of the twentieth cen- tury. A man whose only qualification in the beginning was an ability to grasp opportunities; a man whose only title in the end will be “A per- fect diplomat.” From the time that John Hay left college, he began to improve his every opportunity. In the beginning of his career, he met Abraham Lin- coln, and set to work to make himself an invaluable part of Lincoln’s life. John Hay began to study law. He soon stopped, to study men. He made himself familiar with all the details of the great Lincoln-Douglass contest. He became an absolute necessity to Lincoln and it was as Lin- coln’s Assistant Secretary during the trying years that followed that John Hay obtained the broad foundation for his knowledge of statesman- ship which he has exhibited in later years. He had desired to undertake a life of public service, but motives which were known only to himself held him back; yet when the war was ended and with it the life of his President, John Hay burned his bridges behind him and entered the consular service. He served successively at Paris, Vienna and Madrid, staying in each country only long enough to obtain a thorough knowledge of its people and policies and never losing an opportunity to broaden his knowledge of statecraft. He had studied the foreign policy of the country from without and now he returned to study it from within. He first got in touch with the nation through newspaper work and soon he accepted the position of Assistant Secretary of State. He mastered the details of the administration of the nation’s foreign af- fairs, and then he could safely feel that he was prepared for whatever re- sponsibility the nation chose to place upon him. The nation did not see fit to use him for fifteen years, but he was there, ready, with lamp trimmed and burning. Thus, when President McKinley wanted a man for the most important consular position, he put his hand on John Hay; and John Hay again grasped his opportunity, and again entered into the struggle of dip- lomatic life. As Ambassador to England, he measured his wits against the keenest statesmen and politicians of Europe, and his reputation still stands where he, himself, made it; for from that time he is known as “America’s most polished diplomat.” When at last the portfolio of State was vacant, but one name was mentioned to fill it. Who was prepared better than John Hay? Had any- one made that careful study of the diplomatic service from within and THE ORACLE. 157 without which he had made? Inquiry was useless. The man and the position met at last. John Hay’s final opportunity was at hand and he grasped it without hesitation. No wonder now that John Hay dared to lead the nation into a new epoch; no wonder now that the nations of Europe look on apprehensively while, under his guidance, we take our first strides as a world power. Well might Germany rage because John Hay said, ‘China shall not be divided.” Indeed the raging did little good. The integrity of China was secured. John Hay had decreed it. Well might Russia roar because John Hay said, “The Open Door shall prevail in China,’ and did the roaring do much good? The ports of China are open to the world. John Hay had de- manded it. With the right always on his side, John Hay has dared all the powers of Europe, and they have quailed before him. It is not reck- lessness nor is it audacity; it is a firm courage and an implicit faith in the triumph of the right, an appreciation of the advantages of clean diplomacy over foul treachery. Thus in John Hay we see the height which a humble American citizen may reach; not through luck, not through double dealing, but by plain, honest, hard work, and by seizing each opportunity as it comes. And now let us thank God for John Hay, and pray that He will spare us for many years the life of this true, this ideal American. II. THE MISSION OF AMERICAN ART. VAN WYCK BROOKS. HERE is no other phase of National Life which so generally embodies and so accurately expresses the National characteristics and ideals as the Nation’s Art. Fe Italy, with her acutely artistic temperament and her passionate fer- vor, presented in her Art the opening scene of modern civilization. Germany followed—primitive, uncouth, profound. And every other race placed in the History of Art the symbol of its national character. Murillo typifies Spanish Art in the dusky, black-eyed signoritas who were his conception of the Madonna. Every nook of thrifty, home-loving, practical little Hol- land is illuminated by the brush of a Brouwer. All the polish, the dainti- ness, the worldliness of the court of Louis is pictured on the canvases of Watteau. And always last in a question of sensibility, dear old England, 158 THE ORACLE hearty, fox-hunting, honest to the core, glows from the rosy cheeks of a Reynolds portrait. Further back, before our modern civilization, we remember Greece —the race-name that stands for everything lofty in ideals. And after we have felt and thought a great deal about the broadness, the Christianity of Greek culture, what do we find embodies and expresses it all? A Greek God—a Greek God as a Phidias has imagined it for us. His Art executes our conception. | From all the civilized races of antiquity we have heirlooms of sculp- ture and building, as the only tangible memorial of their existence. So we see that pre-eminently, indication of character has been the peculiar func- tion of Art. In modern times, it may be that Painting with its own deli- cate attributes of color and shade expresses the feelings of our more compli- cated life with greater accuracy than any other of the Fine Arts—even than Poetry. For, if we believe Macaulay, Poetry is essentially primitive, and de- clines as civilization advances. Certain it is, that the infancy of the World produced a Homer and a David, and equally certain it is that a Phidias and a Raphael came by Evolution. The difference lies here, that whereas Poetry is the unhindered voice of the soul, in Art the voice of the soul speaks through the instrumentality of the hands. Mere speech is primi- tive, and needs no instruction, but the hands need training and the skill that comes only with Time. In Art, too truly, “the spirit is always willing but always the flesh is weak.’ And so in Art we see a parallel incarnation of human nature, ever striving to represent, to live, what it feels to be right— the spiritual, imperfectly seen, guiding the blind, endeavoring, unskilled hands of will. And when we realize how vital is Art to a nation’s develop- ment, and equally how accurate it is as an Indicator of the inner workings of national life, what must we fear and hope for the future of American Art? That an artistic revolution is in progress among our people is made evident by a thousand Signs of the Times. There is no longer a market for gilt vases. Our schools, once timbered barns, are now picture-galleries. This means that a certain part of the American people realize that children must be made to know something about Art. Whether these people are actuated more by a sense of obligation than by a spirit of sincere convic- tion is another matter. Very few of us can feel Art. But we all know that to be properly balanced we ought to. Taste is a thing which once lacked can never be acquired. But in the rough it can be developed, and the broad- cast spread of Art works it rapidly accomplishing a development. DHE: ORACLE. 159 So it seems that we are really growing in cultivation. It becomes our responsibility as a composite people to unite the virtues of all races. In us must be found the rugged integrity of the Saxon blended with the delicate sensibility of the Italian. And this blending—this building up of ideal manhood—is the Mission of American Art. For it is ever the duty of Art to combine and to guide. What shall it be—Walt Whitman’s art, primitive once more, loosed of all tradition, utterly new—the art of the Prairie? Yes, in one sense, that it must be fresh, healthy, free from effete culture. But in a much deeper sense, No. For Art is Evolution and to begin again is to waste what three thousand years have developed. It is for us now to gather together the best that the World’s Art has attained, and to let it be moulded by Nature to express our American ideas in our American way. Then must come the genuine expression of our national life—harmonized, softened, idealized. We shall combine a Lincoln and a Raphael. We shall have eloquent Beauty and sturdy Manhood. Culture for culture’s sake we shall cast away; but the culture of fellowship with the sages, and the culture of experience for to-day’s ennobling we shall joyfully embrace. The blossom is all we see of the water-lily. Yet beneath there stretches in the muddy water a long stem that in its turn rise s from a slimy root. Cut away the root below, and in an hour we see the blossom wither on the surface. Healthy culture is the lily. Integrity, uncouth labor is the root. As a people we are noted pre-eminently for Ingenuity, and it becomes one of the greatest problems before us to prevent Cleverness from supplanting true Art. But Ingenuity can in one way serve our high- est ends—that by working through Science it may place Art within the reach of the people. Science simplifies the mechanical medium through which Art teaches. And the very simplicity implies two advantages—real Beauty, and Cost equal to the smallest pocket-book. It is Art only which can purify our national failings. We have a mighty slough of Commer- cialism that only Art can reconcile with Ideal. For Art always makes for righteousness and cleanness, drawing forth directly the nobilities of the character. That great soul which exists behind all, chooses many vehicles of utterance; and where the great soul exists, it must speak forth. We are a spiritual people—not in the emotional, wavering devotion of Italy, but in the hardier, mute earnestness of the North—more full of honest faith and honest doubt, more enduring, more sincere. And so our Art must come and will come—to simplify, to uplift, to loose from prejudice, always parallel with American living, yet ever going before to guide, softening our self- confidence, refining our commercialism, and moulding from his varied ele- ments the American as he should be—the type of ideal Manhood. 160 THE ORACLE Class Dau Ode HE Captain’s voice decrees: “Upon the shoreless seas, Launch out the ships I made thine own, to-day; All that Arabia holds, Spices and stones and golds, Rich-stored abundance waits for him who braves the way.” Equal the ships He gave, To stem the wildest wave; Equal to all the fulness of Hi s dower ; Unwarped, He filled our sails Ever with favouring gales; Yet do we find to-day Will equal to our Power? Us He has given all, Tis through ourselves we fall: What we shall be we only can decide, Whether to grasp the chance, Not blaming circumstance, Or let is pass unused—speak, ere thy Now has died! Ours is this plastic being, Plastic beyond our seeing, Mould it a Lincoln or a Cain at will! All to the high proves truer Than to the selfish doer, The clay is ours to mould, our hands the potter’s, still. Forgive the deeper Vision Unaided by Decision, Thought that aspires, without the hands to act, Judge not the seeming fool By the harsh tests of rule: Truth has more sides concealed than she displays in fact. Know and embrace the whole, Knowledge exalts the soul; Knowing, loving, striving on for ever; THE ORACLE 161 The Captain went before; Far on the other shore, Behold He crowns at last our trusting, weak endeavor! Van Wyck Brooks. History EA, ye noble forms of those illustrious ones who contributed one and all to the glory of the Class of 1904. I have found some records of our greatness. One night, not long ago, as I was wandering through an old museum in Rome, my at- tention was attracted by a very large sign—‘‘Hands off! The most valuable possession of the Museum!” Naturally I looked and there, under a glass case, was a huge volume. I read the title and looked again, yes it said, “A History of the class of 1904 of the Plainfield High School.” There was a volume full of our deeds, but most of all I was interested in the accounts of our life in dear old Stillman High and I jotted down a few extracts which were especially prominent: “They were the largest and most illustrious class that had ever entered the High School, and, though many of the boys and a few of the girls did not finish their course, a goodly number was graduated. “In their Freshman year, they were the happy recipients of stock- ings actually small enough to fit, the sole objection to them being that each member received but one instead of two. When Sophomores, they pre- sented their poor little Freshman brothers and sisters with bottles. As Juniors they gave the Faculty and Seniors the most elaborate spread ever seen in Stillman High, excepting perhaps, the one held by the boys in the Lab. on the preceding night. To be sure, the feast offered by the Juniors to this great class in their Senior year was almost as delightful and was most heartily enjoyed. . “They, broad-minded and noble-hearted as ever, were the first to do away with the dangerous custom of raising class flags, although every- thing pointed to success for them in this undertaking, had they not been willing to relinquish it. | “Generous and loyal they may be called, but these words give no idea of the depths of their generosity and of their loyalty. They placed in the possession of their beloved Alma Mater, a costly and artistic reproduction 162 THE ORACLE of Michael Angelo’s “Moses” and of Donatello’s “St. George,” also busts of “Julius Cesar” and of “Homer.” To the Athletic Association, large funds were freely given. “In athletics they were marvelous. Their class base-ball teams were always a success. In their Junior year, their hockey-team won the school championship. While their men were managers of the teams, and while their own ‘Andy’ was president of the Athletic Association, the school was, by far, more successful than ever before in all kinds of sports. In the Field Meet, though the first place was won by the Class of 1905, the second and third places were easily gained by 1904. In the Battalion, their men were always at the head. In its most prosperous days, the Major and many of the officers were 1904 men. So, in spite of the meagre number of boys in 1904, they won athletic and military honors by no means small. As for the girls of this famous class, they were unexcelled in their athletics, ever carrying off the championship banner. “Had not each member of the class been destined for a higher career, many of them would have excelled on the stage. As it was, whenever they gave plays, the chief difficulty was to find a place large enough to accommo- date the audience. After the brilliant success of “The Rape of the Lock,” and of “Cranford Dames,’ even the Plainfield Casino could not hold the crowds who were eager to see their presentation of “She Stoops to Con- quer.” This was indeed the most glorious gem in their crown, nor is there any chance of finding another equally splendid, for what is perfect can never be improved upon.” These, dear spirits, are the most important of the records of that famous book, still there are many more which could be added, ever increasing the honor of the Class of 1904. Mary A. Griccs. Legacy | N the name of God, Amen. We, the class of 1904, of the Plainfield High School, do make, publish and declare this instrument to be our last Will and Testament. First. We order and direct our executors to pay our just debts for bunt- ing and our funeral expenses. Also to erect to our memory an im- posing brick monument to be suitably inscribed, suggesting a few of the more important exploits of our useful life. The cost of said monument not to exceed the sum of one hundred eighty-seven dollars and forty-nine cents. We also direct our executors to enclose our cemetery plot with a handsome clay wall three feet, two inches high and THE ORACLE 163 six feet thick, so as to prevent the curious public from reading the in- scription on our monument and relic-hunters from desecrating the same. Second. We give and bequeath to the High School janitors, in equal shares, one woolen umbrella, and one pair of oil-cloth rubbers, con- cealed in the girls’ cloak room, on the third floor, in appreciation of their valuable services rendered to us during the past four years, with- out compensation from us, other than their board and clothes and ten cents per month spending money, provided, nevertheless, if the jani- tors shall present a claim against our estate for any of their services than and in that case the legacy bequeathed in and by this paragraph shall lapse. Third. We order and direct our executors to deposit and retain our super- fluous white bunting in the garret of the Stillman High School for the space of two days and when by such treatment it has become gray enough to suit the artistic taste of the Freshman, they shall forthwith present it to that class, together with 23 inches of red bunting. Fourth. We do, hereby, give and bequeath to the class of 1905, the remains of our well-used books, Burke’s Conciliation, which have the extra- ordinary advantage of being filled with notes gathered from wander- ing discourses on: psychology and fatalism. We also direct our execu- tors to declare unto this class that, had their dramatic ability been de- veloped we would have given them the opportunity of at least attempt- ing to excel the brilliant production of the 1904 Stock Company. Fifth. We give and devise to the class of 1908, the privilege of the two session plan. Sixth. We give devise and bequeath the residue of our estate in two equal shares, one half to the Common Council of the City of Plainfield, to increase the fund appropriated by them for the new High School, the other half to the Czar of Russia to aid in reimbursing his government for the expense of the War with Japan. Seventh. We nominate and appoint Andrew Carnegie and Carrie Nation as executors of this our last will and testament. In witness we have hereunto set our hand and seal on this the 32nd day of September, I8QIT. CLASS OF 1904. Signed, sealed, published and declared by the testator in the presence of us who in his presence and in the presence of each other and at his request have hereunto signed our names as witnesses. MOSES AND ST. GEORGE. THE ORACLE 164 ‘aseatd ATaAtT dais ‘guO afi] ‘APA SIU, yodun4 sty MOG wy dey 0} nok sposeu jaliqey ‘UdARIFT Ul Joy powueM sjasue oy “SUIUIOU yQeMs S pooypyyo wosz Suissed ysnf ynq prew vy j}NO Mey} OF MOTEq OF) ‘yraids poqinjiod §=Ysat ‘Jsoy ¢Aue 9194} ore ‘sooy anoA ‘Aue ote Ady} spudlif INOZ ‘JOAOU ULY} I}R] IJopog ‘BUljaaay) SAaad “1$ “‘SOSOJT SB Yoofl ‘ured oy} Ul SUIALIp oyIyM poqoeiquod =uoljdumnsuo7) ‘jenbe sy puy yuUpfnod 8 ‘syooq yyM seo Joy posting pue yes ays JYSU I9}e YSIN ‘yzed ysntu aM “podAct -3q “yOopD ayyseo oy} Aqyysiu ye dAlIM} SIT, “UdZOL] ‘ry yOR Aq pezyeooyNs “UsuIsse[oJopun suiddeupry JOf suny;T ‘yreul Sululys e SodAc] YzeId ‘yywadq {0 asnvy ‘yond COL, ‘aInjng 9}eIp -WWT oy} Jo suIy} V ‘punose s ApooM T usyM jhJUsnNOW Os Yoo], },u0q port dys Jf 9UO Jas pjnos syS «spulq yey} puog oy} oq ISIE, “sure}UNOUL ADE spueryusely oAlT ‘Op am uey} jnoqe os1ol sMOUy 3YS “AEM SII uo UooOs S4r ‘UTtOD oul} =poos ke sd19y ‘QUI OJ P[IOM SIyy Ul [us 9uUO AJUO Ss PII ‘sjoaqsolAg vImMow1syo YY “URIIVII] peoy ssisoureg Moipuy Wey] Sulind 10 ‘Io}eaIS oy} ‘ouIOy MELT UOYSUIYSE ‘T, Jeyoog 0} 10sse09nsg ‘ydersouoyg yj} Wolf UellIs souUnOU -o1d 0} MOY SuluIeveT ‘Selec 243 JO wool yeojo oy} UL §=6sinqod-exeS jo ssayonq purer dy} 0} [SILA SulIOjNy rede BE -eS Ul Jopeay, e41}SoyIIO oyoses pueH,, jo s}isol ajqeyeedsun oy} SulyeooApe ‘s}uep -ISOJ ,9PpIS ysey,, OY} Suowe jusse [eiouer “MOPUIM yoRq oy} yo s}eo sulooys JO} poyserie 8url}}04) MOUDGNIIQN IANINT UO] pue s}oeVj “muDYyUng ‘ANG SYOOLT “KDUPOLT “puog B49g ‘quag “AOJIYIIDE ‘uosdapupy WwW Ne) mw THE ORACLE of: 9 38 asO]D s100q ‘UBUIIaD syeods ays ‘1ay YIM Aemy ‘toy YUM Aemy ‘UO LY] JounuNns S UsIp[IyD 24} 0} speot ACM SIT ‘ye 40g iveyd YM ‘uou PleMO}Z = DOT[LUT YA MOUY nof yuop ‘peq Jey ION ‘ulese OG v aq 0} 9AIS you nok p[nomM yzeyA, ‘SsInO SB MOT SB OI jsnut peasy pud1eAdd ay} ‘astm 9y} ‘[[e} 24] THO -OUy “JO AY -IUaq dY} Joy 9AIS ‘Jou JO [us Ayoid e SsTy 0} JayJOYM Jqnop ur J] “IOJ yuly} nod uey} Jsdsep St PloouUO0D ay} ‘IIS YO ‘9194} UMOP 19 Ady} Sulysn]q JOY 92347 “BUNAIL) SAIIqd IS sIvoA b ut Aep suo jooYds wo} juosqe sulsg ésuDo0g yous ‘lo 4YysIupim suring Sighs ES SF asioy JOT AeMe uel ¢ P9yYIOMIIAGC yoqoYy eywryy ‘ayoq YSIYAM sulySeU SuTyye} VW “‘spuvy sy YM Suryye MA, ‘uoIso[dxs uy ‘UOISH[IUOD [edISO] VY ‘yiwaq fo asnvg ¢c TOAO -y[@M,, pojiod e say Ag pue 2sAq joaMS 9} UT ‘goed dAIS = SBUIYY = JOJO [J@ Mouy nos ‘asvo ayy ul st uew Be UsyM puy ‘jae Aq UOM “SULIOAQS -lod oY} SIOARZE oUN}IO,T (OM dy} SsO19e SjyoIDIepay,, jdn suroy «i Of Aw ‘outydasof,, ‘popioap 424 JON ‘Jou st AeUISIP IOAG ‘SJIdaqSOAT mown y ‘sopIqouloyne UI S}eaS UMOP SUIP[O}{ ‘JOOYIS YS Mou 9} Ul asinu = ADua S19 Sissy S ci Ell 94} }e suOTT[0. SuripeaT ‘SNOIIQ ‘SOIG S]]aS ay} JO Yes jive oy} uC ‘SpuIuL JUROeA JO} jooyss e Ssurpunoy ‘suonepnoefs aadoid jo yooq ke Ssuriduioy ‘yynoulsied ye UOTJBONPs-0D, Suryseyis beens gens Avid pjnoys uour [yews AYM UO SUOIVEIO SUITIAA surelg Yy}09S ye yooig uveIny ssoine aspliq uorsuadsns dues B® jo uoronijsu0d sy y “SOOI JO ssejd 9Y} Jo} ,ssurkes ywrelliig,, JO UWOT}OVTJOO eB SsuIpy ‘UOUDINIIC) IANINT ‘Nauuay “MDULAD FT “MM “uanny “q ‘waan vy SSBIAD) “BUM APT YIU ‘OUUd LT WOuld ‘sspjsnoqd THE ORACLE 66 ‘Buprem = $,d}] ‘punos jso}v013 94} soyew jossoa Ajduia uy ‘auo yuRTi4g ‘em sity y “‘poyleoy-a]suls 9Y} jo skof oY} OUT J9}0y “ysnous ysiy ajyinb j,useM yt yng ‘yiqryxo ye OU SI SIYL, ‘g10y puIpe 7,u0M ssed jeq yoyseq V ipes pue Ausools oq 0} oI} SIy} ST ‘ajqe] Seip -[[yo Je PoAsasat soov][q ‘proy oy} 0} WI sT[eo Yyyeod ‘syeonp YM yYort smopeou oy} wort dQ ‘aseatd ‘MOleq IOOY WT uO jo0F INOA yid 0} joo}s e Satay ‘BUYIIAD) SAID FS ‘isly perp oH “‘Bululapq AYyOIOG YES ‘OH @ Mpaay OO], ‘o10Y} pofe}s pue 9}0uU YsIy e YonsS “uOT}IS -odx9 sino 4S 9} 3e SUIMeIP JOJ oz1Id 4sINT XO) AjsoyyoIg Jo Ajo Vy SSeId yous ur suorsenb yse 0} aqQe suleq JON ‘apHpeyos oy} yo usyey oom sulel} yoo1g punog oy L “Ba dzep ‘deep 9y} Ur 4sOT ‘Iva JOTUaS soIpnys dA ‘wedIp Aydwia ue ynq SeM FIT oy} our ‘gps oprm Pury WY L ‘yqwag {Oo asnny) ‘Apuy 99S “Kat -10J pouin} aS jsely ‘aISop USM yeYM ules 1[eys sur YyyeZoOYyD OW ‘oInjny sy} JO suly} VW ‘keme AvjS }Up[Nnos ay ‘yoeq oes 4ed OY TL, yey you |[MoA pue soejd Suryorjs oy} 0} o8einod InOA MaIIDS suaroey [YIN ‘drys oy} dn oad 3,u0q “KIUUOG “UIeSe ATT, ‘sjood asodind 194 9105 -3q ‘Op TTP4s peep SIAL poqyuly-dAllO ‘Qans ynq [jews S]99gSOAG — DIMOML1AID JY ‘Addey otiioy 3uiyxeyy thn f “zo yyy oy} 430fF suorsojd -xXo dINJeIUIW SUIPIAOIg ‘ninz jo ue YNS IY} 0} A124VINIC ‘QuUseUl -aJJeYD UO SoIn}oo] 9891 7 ‘OISNYA, FO AjoyeAIasuoy uo}sog a4} «Ul =: uaTUATedap JOU} 94} Ul JOJONASUT « SUIAT ayy ‘“uUYyof 4S,, [esp -dYy}eD 9Y} JOF J9UsISad ‘Jooyss quinp pue yeop e Ul JOJNISUT Addey suviioysty Suryeyy “AACN ‘'S A 40¥ sopying-diys ‘somes [jeq-aseq 0} UOISSIUIpY sus Surkeg ‘9391109 YWUIS JO uURaq jUe}sISSy ‘OA weujng JO JQUOISSIWWOD 492135 ‘oye -UIS “S “HL 24} JO ‘sold UOUDGNIICN AANIN ‘su1goy “4dagoy UOPUod ‘aIADIT UOjID TI ‘21809 N ‘OAUN J ‘(poow ‘BUOT oot ‘SULIT ‘SUOOY 121. N O ia THE ORACLE ‘uoHenpesy CaNST a sayoerad ‘yuoWssesua sIy yWem OYyM ULsd10YD ][elWSs st 99 T, JO yuataouNOUUe os], es0Y} 0} sWOd ss8uIYy} [TV ‘sjoydes3o UOIYsey Jo -U9}S BIOUT OU PII 9AA JNO 4UaM SuIyIMOdAT, ‘TIF [[IM owury, ‘ABME Pell SIy} ‘owes = =6reaq [IM yy Nod ouos j}eA atoy JOU Ss ATUay UO JOUTIg-uUIg ayy Aew ousod yeYyM suWI0y ‘atom Aue aye] OOL ‘QuUOTe® SUIAIT Yyorq auI0d JADU [[P]{ ‘yno T]9F YsoqYstiq 94} .0Y} BuI0os UsYyM sayours Ape] ey WHS Gysiiq ore sjasuy skemye appued ke dy] WOM Ja 9U 4edYy 4ywUTe.T ‘adii ose sotitayo ‘dn so0y9 yng ISIA ul suryendg ‘yieur uonsonb vy SSBIO ‘daid ay} Jo suls oy, ‘poounouue 4ysnf [as ‘yysIu Aepunsg 91331] Jodoid oo1u e@ yong uossodedsmau Sulsnisg ‘ysed oy} Jo sulin) V ‘Yo 94} 07 “QAT] Joop puz sioyimodkT, 0} 2JqQno1y YyONUT OO] .plOf{ 0} pue saeqz{ OF,, ‘aseaid ‘Sulsadsiym ON = ‘souNqIIy, 94} Jo ‘soig ‘mUNnYyd e—pojue AA 1]9q B@ JO ayuN oy} se ‘Aepuoyy uo sy, yeods nok usyA, sjUsAa JuasinD BuNnIDey ‘yoolg punog ysy ‘BUNIIAD S AIT “JS ‘yywaq {o asnv9 S199gSOAQ DIMOWLAD LY PooMsIoY}ON 0} AreuoIssi uUsI0I10,7 “O][TAIOWUIOG pue peyure,g usemjzoq peosier oy} Ssuiziuoieg aJDeIO ayy JO OND WY ayy 0 «'99Gs OPRATIG ‘d jo ‘Q ye MRT JO sJOSsozOIg ‘Jotuss pue sorunt yyoq sulsq jo waqoid ay} = aAjOS) 0} SUIAIT, ‘'SeXaT “loayOqIOyoIUy ye Jodsay-1eq eUL “SOT][O1] 94} JO yyouleq 94} 10y ezzeid quoly ey} surmiolpy ‘OUNGII] aJUSS py e se uorjejndar e Surures , denbuog 0} sdo00}g 2YS,, JO ‘oD IBIS 94} YUM Usyxe} ainjoid = say = BuUIAR ‘aorid jyey ye StayIModAY = SUITJIS ‘suoljisod -Xq] Joy sdeur Surmviq USl[suy Aw psipnys 7 MOP,, UO syle} SUTAID UONDGNIIQ, AANINT WO “HONTM 192UI “Adquanag uD YMNL) “‘Kpaam I ‘yh Ua sana] SS “sands “4aully WYOT AS. UIBNY 168 DAES ORACLE Songs 1; Tune, “Zanzibar.” OUR years ago, when we were young We came into this school, And since that time we've ever Been learning some new rule; We've had them in Geometry In Latin and in Greek, We've studied too in German Declensions, strong and weak, But ‘specially there was a task, —No easy one or small— And that is this, “To learn the rules Of life before them all.” Although we are a real nice class, Why—‘There are others too—” We therefore on our motto have “To stoop and conquer toa.” CHORUS. We will ever honor Noughty four! throughout our life time And wave our ensign Of Red and White. And we're going to love our High School, which we are leaving, Where we've been learning, To love the right. In two more days we'll leave this school, And we all say we're glad, But underneath I’m sure you'll find That we are really sad. We hoped there’d be no lessons now, And yet we'll find them still, The book of life is opening, Its pages we must fill, Thanks to our training through these years THE ORACLE | 160 We hops there’ll be no blots: We can’t erase them with our tears As we do inky spots. As years go by and we look back, We then will cherish more The memory of our High School days And glorious noughty four. JEAN Douc ass. as Tune, “My Little Chimpanzee.” UR school days fled The sweetest of our life, But now in stead There starts another strife. With joys ’twill ring And it will seem so bright; But still we'll cling With all our strength and might To those dear days gone by, And then we'll softly sigh— CHORUS. Fling out our banner bright That is may give us light, And with its red and white Help us to do what’s right. It is our glad delight And wins for us the fight, O dear and blessed sight Of ’oughty four. As years increase Our cares begin to score, Yet ne’er shall cease Our love for ’oughty four. We may grow old, But yet we'll bring her praise, Our hearts made bold By thoughts of former days. 170 THEVORACLE Then through the air will ring Our praises as we sing— Chorus, E’er long we part Perhaps for many a year; But in our heart Remain some memories dear. So we extend A grateful heart to thee Dear Class, our friend For true we'll always be. Then comrades come along And sound that dear old song— Chorus. MarTHA Ropert. Epitaphs E’VE heard them told and heard them sung, The days when you and I were young. But now to all we must relate The cause that led to earthly fate. By these small mottoes placed above Our graves in reverence and in love, You may see how through life we went, “Until our traveling days were spent.” In affectionate remembrance of Mae Batchelor. “Fallen is the curtain, the last scene is o’er ; The favorite actress treads life’s stage no more.” To the memory of Evelyn Berg. “Farewell! thy sun of life too soon did set, But memory shall reflect its brightness yet.” In Memoriam: Bessie Bond. “To whom the voices of a Fate too fond, Alas! too early called: ‘I’ll have my Bond.’ ” To the perpetual memory of Anna Brodnax. ‘Whence this ambition, whence this proud desire, THE ORACLE 171 This love of fame, this longing to aspire, To gather laurels in their greenest bloom, To honor life, and sanctify thy tomb.” To our dear Jessie Burt. “A heart so soft, a heart so kind, A heart so sound and free, As in the whole world thou couldst find; That heart belonged to thee.” In memory of Mary Dunham. “Come faithful servant, come receive with me, A just reward of thine integrity.” Sacred to the memory of Marie Finch. “Her heart, which well might grace the noblest grave, Was grateful, patient, modest, kind and brave.” In affectionate remembrance of Dorothy Fleming. “That tongue, which set the table in a roar, And charmed the public ear, is heard no more.” To the memory of Mary Griggs. “Farewell, dear friends, to follow me prepare, Also our loss we’d have you to beware: ‘To your own business, mind. Let us alone, For you have faults great plenty of your own.” Sacred to the memory of Winifred Haven. “The remains of faded beauty lie here, Which we not only honor, but revere.” To Eloise Haven. “Oh! Eloise, throughout thy life’s great story, The path of duty led the way to glory.” In remembrance of Margaret Kenney. “Much she has read and much she has thought, And yet you see she’s come to naught.” 172 THE ORACLE For our friend Martha Klein. “What I was you know not, What I am you know not, WHITHER I am gone you know not, Go about your business.” To the memory of Antoinette Moodey. “A faithful comrade, and a friend sincere, Antoinette Moodey lies buried here.” To Helen Munro. “Speak no more of her renown, For here they’ve laid her lowly down.” Dear to the memory of Wilhelmina Patton. “Sleep undisturbed within thy peaceful shrine, Till Angels wake thee with such notes as thine.” In sweet remembrance of Margaret Pierce. “Much pride she had—’twas love of fame, And slighted gold to get a name.” To our beloved Anna Randall. “Peace to thy memory! let no impious breath Sell thy fair fame or triumph o’er thy death.” Sacred to the memory of Martha Robert. “Farewell, dear friend, that smile, that harmless mirth No longer shall make glad this weary earth.” Dear to the memory of Helen Robins. “Music was her chief and soul’s delight, And oft she played with Amphion’s skill and might.” To Augusta Rugen. “Cold are those hands, which living, were stretched forth, At friendship’s call, to succor modest worth.” In remembrance of Mary St. John. THE ORACLE 173 “Because her life was here so nobly spent, Tus is her grave, THIS is her monument.” To the dear memory of May Shimer. “Long had she filled each youth with love, Each maiden with despair, And though by all a wonder owned Yet knew not she was fair.” In affectionate remembrance of Mildred Spicer. “The World’s a stage, at Birth our� play’s begun, And all find exits when their parts are done.” To the remembrance of Jessie Stevens. “True to her friends, a terror to her foes, Here now in peace her honor’d bones repose.” To Bessie Ten Eyck. “Vain world, to thee I bid farewell, To rest within this silent cell.” To the memory of Nancy Van Deventer. “This monumental stone records the name Of her who perished in a good attempt for fame.” In remembrance of Anna Wenzel. “Here lies in praise and honour blest Her bones in peaceful quiet rest.” To our dear Grace Wilcox. “Her soul I TRUST is with the blest above, There to enjoy eternal rest and love.” To the dear memory of Jean Douglass. “Fair she was, in(Jean)ious, sweet and kind, And dared do what few dare do, speak her mind.” To our much-beloved Francis Anderson. “Good passer-by, one moment stay, 174 THE ORACLE And contemplate this heap of clay. ’Tis. Anderson that claims a pause, Who strove with zeal to gain HIS CAUSE. Some faults he had, some virtues too, The devil himself should have his due.” To Louis Bock. “Here lies an honest independent man: Boast more, ye great ones, if you can.” To the everlasting memory of bio by es ck Brooks. “Closed are those eyes, the harhingers ne ey WoW - Which spoke, before the tongs, what S tsi ak espeare writ.” In memory of Harold Fenno. “He lost his FRIEND, which put an end To all his interests here.” Sacred to the memory of Frank Lock. “True to his king, his country was his glory, He never did a naughty thing, nor never told a story.” To the memory of Lucius Koons. “Here lies retired from busy scenes A first lieutenant of Marines— Now stripp’d of all his warlike show, And laid in box of elm below; Confined in earth in narrow borders, He rises not till further orders.” To our dear Monroe Long. “Syort was his stature, but Lone was his name.” In everlasting remembrance of Charles Neagle. “He paints fair Nature by divine command, His magic pencil in his glowing hand.” In memory of Jose Tweedy. “Tf any ask for him, it shall be said, Jose has supped, and’s newly gone to bed.” To Laura Bent. “Stop passenger, until My NAME you've read; The living may get knowledge from the dead.” THE ORACLE 175 To the memory of Abbey Lewis. “Oh stranger, pause and give one sigh, For the sake of her, who here doth lie.” To Bessie Ulrich. “Bessie dear, no longer worry, For here there is no special hurry.’’ In remembrance of Charles Elliot. “Charley, no longer must you raise your tone For blest you lie beneath this stone.” Sacred to the memory of Lillian Walsh. “She acted wise, she was a dear, So now, what more has she to fear?” In memory of Elizabeth Wilson. “ “ADIEU,” she cried, and waved her lily hand.” And now, dear friends, you surely know Why we did leave this world below, For joy of that lasting rest, ‘Which ONLY comes to THOSE that’re BLEST. So now farewell forever more, Be this the greeting of ’oughty four, And when the waking day doth come We hope you'll join us, every one. WINIFRED Haven, ELorsE Haven, MartHa ADELAIDE ROBERT. A Night in a Haunted House A° the stage drew up before the door of the inn, I confess that my heart sank. This bare dilapidated building promising little comfort to a traveler who had spent the whole day jolting over wet country roads in a lumbering stage-coach. Even the orchards on either side of the house, and the wheat fields across the road, looked bare and drooping. Between the rain, the mud, and a lame horse, it was only too evident that we could not reach the Hudson in time to take the night boat, so it was with cheerful resignation that we greeted this “half-way-house.” As the driver told us, 176 THE ORACLE it had once been a flourishing inn, but it was now patronized only by occa-- sional belated travellers like ourselves. At the door we were welcomed by the innkeeper, who seemed to: belong to the place as much as the bar itself, or the office desk at the other end of the room. While the good man and his wife bustled around finding us something to eat, my companion, a young doctor, and myself, also young and of an artistic temperament, occupied ourselves with exploring. We were rewarded by the discovery of a pile of ancient parchment bound regis- ters, one of them bearing the date “1778.” It was indeed a priceless treas- ure for its yellow pages bore the autographs of Aaron Burr, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, Samuel Adams, and other famous men. Among them was one which sounded familiar to me, but which I could not place. I asked the innkeeper if he knew who it was. He looked at me oddly for a moment; then told me this story: “That was an artist who used to stay here a long time ago. He: was painting the picture of my great-aunt. She was by far the most beau- tiful girl in these parts. The poor fellow had some kind of disease. The muscles of his arms and hands were kinder shrivelling and a-wasting away. The doctors told him that he couldn’t be cured, and that before long he would lose all control of them. When he heard that, he jest made up: his mind that he’d paint one picture first, that’d make him famous, so he came here and began to paint my great-aunt’s portrait. It was almost fin- ished when the blow came. The strain had been kind of weakening his brain, and when he realized that the time had come, he took on something terrible.” The old man paused and bowed his head. For a moment there was silence. I was deeply moved by the story of the young artist who must see his masterpiece unfinished and still be powerless to add the touches that would make his name famous. At last the innkeeper raised his head and continued the story. ‘Wal, he went away and left the picture. It hangs in that room. Since then no one has slept there without going queer.” “Without going queer?” I questioned. ‘What do they do that for?’ “T dunno, but it’s a fact,” and he moved off, leaving me to wonder why. The more I thought about it, the more determined I became to sleep there myself. I knew that I was sensitive and responsive to psychical influ- ences, still my nerves were strong, and, with the incredulity of youth, I was resolved to show the good man that there was one who dared to brave the horrors of the haunted chamber. However, it was with the greatest re- luctance that the innkeeper consented to my plan. The doctor, on the other THE ORACLE 177 -hand, was for joining me, but when I politely and firmly refused his com- pany, he only laughed as if it were all a joke, and retired to his own room, the one next to mine. There was nothing unusual about the haunted chamber. It was .simply a small plain room, with the musty atmosphere that comes from many years of disuse. As the light of the lamp flickered over the walls and scanty furniture it fell upon a picture hanging opposite me. For a moment I -stared at it in utter astonishment. It was a face that fascinated and yet repelled the gaze. The features were perfect, full of life and tenderness, but there was an expression about them that haunts me to this day. Surely the original must have been a beautiful woman, and I do not wonder that ‘such a face should have inspired an artist to the greatest that was in him. 1 took the picture down from the wall, and holding it in my hands, sought ‘to discover something of the artist’s method and purpose. That such sweetness and purity could be found in mouth and chin, ‘in hair and forehead was hard to believe, for the eyes, “the windows of the soul,” were entirely lacking. Herein lay the strangeness of the face. For some reason the artist had left this part of the work till last and had never -been able to finish it. As my thoughts turned back to the story of the artist, I seemed to feel the sickening sensations which he must have ex perienced when he realized that his career was drawing to its close, gradually and hopelessly. By degrees my own personality seemed to be lost. It was as if the soul of the man who had undergone such agony almost a hundred years ago, had come back to take possession of my body. I do not know how the change came about. I cannot explain it, but of this I am certain, I was no longer myself. The sense of oppression weighed me down, that indescribable heart-sick feeling that comes to all of us when we must face an inevitable catastrophe. As tie utter hopelessness, the horror of it, was borne in upon me, a wild spirit of rebellion surged through my veins. It could -not be! I sprang to my feet. The picture fell with a crash to the floor. “Never! Never! Never!” I cried, thinking by sheer force of will to keep -off the inevitable. The sweat poured from my brow. My clenched hands ‘beat the air. My whole body shook. Alternately I prayed and cursed, till sat Jast I sank to the floor exhausted. My fit of anger against the fate that chad played me such a trick had passed. It was followed by a mood of ‘blank weariness and despair. I felt myself slipping away, and nothing re- ‘mained before my vision but the beautiful face, from which a glorious pair of blue eyes now looked pityingly at me, as I sank into unconsciousness. A blue sky, a room flooded with golden sunlight and the singing of 178 birds, was the scene upon which I opened my eyes. ‘RHE ORACLE I was in a strange land,. and for many moments lay wondering if this was a normal situation. Slowly it all came to me, all the agony of that horrible night. Very cautiously I stretched out my arm, and finding that I could move it without the slight-. est effort, breathed a sigh of relief. I looked up my friend, the doctor, was standing before me. cheerfully, “How do you feel?” Just then I heard footsteps, and when He greeted me “How would you feel if you had seen a ahoat ?” T asked, half seri- ously, and then told him, as well as I couid, my experience. keen attention. “My friend,” said he, He listened with “your ghost story is one of extraordinary in- terest. It is one of those phenome na which must not be denied because it is inexplicable. their various modes of action. We are still far from knowing all the agents of nature, and The Society for Psychical Research would doubtless give a name to the influences which so strangely affected you last night. My dear fellow, I think you should be grateful to the mysterious fate that led you to a night in a haunted house.” ELoIsE HAVEN. jos. W. GAVETT Fine China, Cut Glass and Lamps Gas and Electric Fixtures ALLEN B. LAING Electrician and Contractor 434 North Avenue Tel. 1331 PLAINFIELD, N. J. WOOLSTON BUCKLE PAINTERS and DECORATORS 145 North Avenue, Plainfield 4@=Do not fail to see M. H. Bergess Son’s Co. new line of Wall Paper. PURE GRAPE JUICE Delicious and Refreshing Pint and Quart Bottles SCHREINER’S PHARMACY Park Avenue and Second Street Soda Water with Ice Creamand Crushed Fruits ROBERT GARDNER MERCHANT TAILOR cleante Pressing and Repairing a Specialty 325 Watchung Avenue JAS. @. HANSEN Painter and Paper Hanger Dealer in Paints, Oils, Varnishes, Brushes, Picture Mouldings 141 E. Front St., Plainfield, Tel. Call 470-R Drugs bought at L. W. RANDOLPH’S City Pharmacy have inbigorating powers. Ask about Vantine’s Crystallized Fruits. We have them. Order Your Coal Early and Save Money Consumers’ Coal Co. Telephone 66 747 W. Front St. ¢ 225 Madison Ave. BE SWAGGER Wear a “Walk-Over” “Tor- pe-toe,”’ the 1904 “IT,” It has all the comfort, all the beauty, all the style that have made _ these shoes the most popular in the market. Sold only by KENNEY The Shoeman, of Kenney’s orner Che Recorder Press 4 ee ) Plainfield PRINTERS OF The ORACLE Babcock Bldg., FURNACES PUT IN ORDER For Summer LINDSAU’S DAIRY Mountain Ave., Tel. 451-J McDONOUGH BROS, Dealers in all Kinds of Ice, Coal and Wood By Upper Lehigh a Specialty A. M. GRI FFEN Coal Yard, 222 Madison Avenue Phone SS. . Tel. Calls Se peinnls, 137-B i Saute: priate VAN ZANDT VOORHEES John Johnston Dealers in COAL Flour, Grain, Feed, Hay, Straw, 929 South Ave., Plainfield, N. J. Telephone 193 Etc; 304 and 306 Park Avenue Plainfield, N. J. De KLEIN BRO, Merchant and Military TAILORS Makers of Uniforms of all kinds. Cadet Uniforms a Specialty. 3 921 WALNUT ST., PHILADELPHIA eS We supply Uniforms for the Cadets of the Plainfield High School � QS Write for Samples, Catalogues and Prices aS ae ‘ pa deat in’ } Hh aN i ys ui hey ) Wirth ft Ay TGR Laven sien ase lait oe meh Ap b