St Marys Academy - Illuminatio Yearbook (Inglewood, CA)

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Hardly, laughed the narrator, fully awake to the interest of his listeners. Summer brings bicycle-riding, boating, and regattas. No, our national sport is not skiing, but association ball, a game something on the order of, and bearing some resemblance to, football. Then, too, I almost forgot to mention another attrac- tion which brings thousands to our summer resorts — horse racing. Humph, roared the professor, nothing but sports, such a place in which to take up one ' s abode. Now, I The shadows in the corner shifted, and from their depths suddenly emerged the youngest member of our genial company. Last winter in the mountains of Cali- fornia my frat ' made whoopee. We had the best time in our lives — skiing, taboggon- ing, ice skating, everything! It was great! Such being the case, I think I shall spend next winter enjoying the sports of my homeland, without leaving this country, came from the fair face wreathed in a cloud of smoke. ' ou mean you will most certainly be cured of your nostalgia. Monsieur spread his hands most eloquently, but received no reply. In the silence that followed, a man ' s ruddy face was silhouetted against the fire- light as its owner leaned forward and stirred the embers with a dry stick. Will Norway be represented in the Olympic Games in California next year? came from somewhere in the room. The reply issued from an unexpected quarter: Eh! Eh! Did someone wish to be informed concerning the great games of our Hellenic ancestors? The four great festivals of the Olympic He was fairly started, and there was no stopping the flow of rhetoric. He had removed his spectacles, passed his long fingers once, twice, through his somewhat tangled hair, and precariously balanced his great book upon his knee. Pythian, Isthmian, and Nemean games were of greater efficacy than the Amphictyonic Council in promoting a spirit of union among the various branches of the Greek race. Compressed action surged beneath the cloud of passive submission that lay over the room. The professor continued : The famous festival was first celebrated at Olympia, on the banks of the Alpheus, in the territory of Elis, and near the ancient temple of the Olympian Zeus. These games were held every four years, and the interval which elapsed between each cele- bration was called an Olympiad. The whole festival was under the management of the Eleans, and was frequented by spectators from all parts of the Grecian world. There was too much repressed energy in the room ; something was about to burst. Glorious youth, represented by Bill, rose to the surface, with: Frankie Wyckof is in line for marathon laurels in 1932. It was a brave attempt, but that was all. The learned man with the mussed up hair was strides ahead of the fastest runners of ancient Greece or of modern Cali- fornia; nothing but a catastrophe would stop him now. During the games all hostilities were suspended throughout Greece Then the catastrophe occurred. The ponderous volume, balanced precariously on the professor ' s knee, slid, and with a crash toppled to the floor. He leaned over to retrieve the huge bulk ; as he did so his spectacles slipped from his nose, and he dropped his pencil. Very effectively then, and in less time than it takes to write it out, the professor was silenced. Breaking the subsequent stillness came: Speaking of athletes — well, Ireland might boast a bit of her own crop. Yes, came the quick retort, but, old friend, the Irish, as a rule, are rather clannish, aren ' t they? That is, they devote tiieir talents to themselves alone. Mr. May was not to be pacified: Tu ' ciity-iiiiie

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GREECE THE. DISCUS THROWER BY MVRON, AND THE RUINS OF THE THEATER AT ATHENS BELOW A MODERN AMERICAN ATHLETE, AND THE ENTRANCE TO THE COLISEUM AT LOS ANGELES WHERE THE OLYMPIC GAMES IN 1932 WILL TAKE PLACE. Tzvciity-eight

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Listen, man, do you realize what you are saying? The Irish have contributed to every art or trade that ever existed, migrating to every part of the earth and aiding in the development of the sections in which they reside. Just name the business in which the Irish are not represented, and well represented, too. Name the country or state that is not settled by respected Irish citizens. As to devoting their talents to themselves alone, take John Steven McGroarty. Has he written of Ireland? No, he has written one of the most complete and authentic histories of California ever known. Many of the early settlers in California were Irishmen who came directly from Ireland. John J. Read, Esquire, was one of the first men to settle permanently in California, the first man to erect a mill in Los Angeles. It seems to me that he was the original surveyor of the San Francisco Bay, someone intervened. Yes, that was the very man. The Irish are represented in every walk of life. After hesitating for a moment to light his pipe, Mr. May quieted a bit and continued with the story which seemed so familiar to him : In the field of journalism and literature, there are numerous Irish workers. For instance, O ' Meara, known for his sketches in the Argonaut and the Examiner ; George Jessup, poet and literateur, who contributed to the Overland Monthly ; Daniel O ' Connel, McClatchy, and O ' Sullivan. Again an interruption: Father York, a recent editor of the San Francisco ' Leader, ' was one whose cleverness I greatly admired, came from the sunken depths of a comfortable lounge. By the way, I see where some new histories of Ireland have been edited. A Seumas May is the editor, I believe. Any relation to you, May? one laughingly replied. Odd name that — Seumas — real Celtic, isn ' t it? Yes, it is, replied May. Has it any English equivalent? Everyone looked at May — the expert linguist. Um-m-m — , well — er — it ' s James. Jim, you old rascal. A real note of affection crept into the voice with the dis- tinct Oxford accent. By Jove, you are a surprise, old man. Seumas May appreciated the warm praise his companions expressed, but the hand- clasp of the man next him touched that friendly chord that is so characteristic of an Irishman ' s heart. Congratulations, old man. Again Oxford spoke. And thanks far the account of eminent Californians. Once more the shadows of the room became alive. Bill had retrieved the pro- fessor ' s pencil and was busily engaged in trying its efficiency. His attention was di- verted for the instant, however, as his eye caught sig;ht of a dog-eared volume which the professor had just cast aside with elegant disdain. Bill reached for the volume and ensconced himself where the light of the fire fell full upon his opened book. Outside, the rain beat upon the already drenched earth with renewed vigor; a limb was wrenched from a tree, and as it fell to the ground it brushed against he window. Several glances turned in the direction of the offending noise. As the gaze wandered back, a quiet man with a preoccupied air caught sight of the book on Bill ' s knee. Pointing to a picture, he leaned forward and exclaimed, An expert photog- rapher took those pictures. Why, this villa is very similar to the one at which I spent a few days on my last trip to Italy. You are well acquainted with Italy ' s charms, are you not? ' I love Italy, and I would return soon, but what can one do when one ' s daugh- ters insist on Paris? They were charming daughters, whether they preferred Paris or no, but it was Thirtv