Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

Page 13 text:

tractive, and accordingly erected more beau- tiful buildings and residences, set out many trees, and laid out beautiful parks. The city at last grew rapidlj% but we owe our beauti- ful Capitol City to the great dream of George Wasliington. HAERIET M. DOLBEARE, ' 22. RADIO TODAY An intangible, invisible, something, called ether, is thought by scientists to fill all space and matter, and is the means of carrying liglit, licnt and radio communications. The theory is that a liglit or an antenna sets this ether into motion in the form of waves, ra- diating from tlie source in all direction. These waves ai-e like those seen wlien a stone is dropped into a pool of water and the length is measured from crest to crest. The length of tliese waves varies, from that of violet, having a wave length of .0008968mm., through tlie heat wave, up to the longest of all ; the radio waves. Those in general use for radio are between 175 meters and 23600 meters in length or, in the English system, approxinmtely 575 feet to a little over 14 miles. The government has allotted the various wave lengths possible in radio communica- tion to various classes of service, and has provided many laws to regulate the use of them. Licenses are issued to all sending sta- tions before they may lawfully operate, and every transmitting station must be in charge of a licensed operator. Operators ' licenses are divided into two classes: amateur and commercial. An amateur license may be had I ' y passing a simiile test given by the Radio In.spector of his district. With an amateur license one may operate an amateur trans- mitter. A commercial license test is more difficult, as it licenses an operator to hold a position on shipboard. A short time ago, Mr. Hoover called a coun- cil of representatives of the amateurs, com- mercial companies, the Army, the Navy, and others to meet in Washington to solve the proljlem of the interference caused by the many radiophones that have started opera- tions. There were no very great changes decided upon but those made are hoped to satisfy all parties concerned. Until these regulations are adopted by Congress no change will be made, but after Congress has adopted these regulations, the amateurs will be able to use their ' phones without interfer- ing with those wishing to receive the pro- grams broadcasted by the many commercial radiophones. Tlie wave lengths as they were used be- fore tlie conference are as follows: 200 meters and under. Amateur work. 300-400 meters. Commercial Radiophones. 300, 450, and COO meters. Commercial traffic. 800 meters, Radio-compass bearings. 1000-4000 meters. Press, time, weather, etc. From 4,000 meters up. High j)owered sta- tions. The amateurs carry on their conversations on the 200 meter wave. Aside from the usual idle talk there is a societj ' , called the Ameri- can Radio Relay League, which is composed of amateurs all over the country. They re- lay private messages over the routes, formed Ijy llie amateur stations, to all parts of the country free of charge. Often the number of messages handled per month mounts to over ten thousand. While they are amateurs by name, many are exjiert operators and some liold positions as radio or electrical en- gineers. Tlie next group, the commercial radiophone broadcasting stations, has the greatest num- ber of listeners of all. They are located in various cities all over the country and have ranges usually of over one thousand miles. Tliey seldom use the phonograph to enter- tain their audiences but maintain a schedule every niglit, of news items, weather, market reports, stock news and music. They have a one or two hours ' program of singers, players, or an orchestra. Aside from this, one station in particular broadcasts enter- tainments, speeclies, and recitals held in the public halls of tlie city where it is located. Every Sunday morning and evening, the eom- I)lete services of one of the churches is broadcasted. Another station broadcasts the opera which is being played in the Chicago Opera House. To operators who can copy the Internation- al Morse Code at a speed of about twenty words per minute, the next class of signals is as interesting as one could want. It con- sists of the ships and shore stations sending messages to and from passengers and also the orders from the ship owners. After a heavy winter storm the air is full of or- ders, reports, and messages, telling of dam- age and loss at sea, while on the 800 meter wave the radio compass stations, located all along the coast, are kept busy giving ships their positions. 11

Page 12 text:

were crowded on every point of vantage try- ing to get a glimpse. Tlic performance opened by a Prologue, the Voice from the Rock. Then followed the Pilgrim adventurers and their coming to Ply- mouth, headed by the Norsemen who came in tlie year 1000 A. D. Following in line, Episode II, Pilgrims of the Soul, outlined the rebellion in England, the martyrs of the cause, and depicted finally Haltonskitters- liavcn on the east coast of England where the Pilgrims prepared to depart for Holland. The scene changed. Episode 111, the Pil- grims in Holland, opened with the gorgeous picture portrayed in the March of the Dutch Cities of Charity. But the Pilgrims were not satisfied in Holland, so at Leyden, July, 1G20, tlie decision for New England was made. Tlicii came the departure at Delftshaven, August 1, 1020. The little band of 300 shrank from privation and disease to a lit- tle over 100 on the way over. Again was heard the Voice from the Rock. Then followed the Pilgrims in the New World, the compact in the cabin of the Mayflower off Cape Cod, November 21, the first landings at Plymouth, December 21 and 20, the treaty with Massasoit, the return of the Mayflower to England, and the coming of new colonists. In all of these the spirit- ual guidance of John Robinson and the lead- ership of William Brewster and William Bradford played a great part. The climax was reached with the grand finale wliich was a most gorgeous spectacle and one not soon to be forgotten by those who were privileged to see it and feel the thrill it evoked Avhen the Mayflower, a glori- fied, illuminated silhouette, stood out against the sky. Tlio music and chorus singing played an effective part throughout the en- tire Pageant aud almost every spoken Avord could be heard distinctly. Dr. Francis Trevelyan Miller, founder of the Journal of American History, saw the p.ageant and proclaimed it, one of the great- est pageants, probably the greatest that any Nation has ever known, excelling England and even France in this ancient art of ex- pressing the spirit of a people, and I -am sure all those that had the privilege of see- ing this pageant will agree with Dr. Miller, that it was one of the greatest and most gor- geous pageants ever given. MARGARET CORBET, ' 22. HOW WASHINGTON WAS CHOSEN TO BE OUR NATIONAL CAPITOL In 1800 a scat of government was estab- lished in the United States. It was not an easy matter to determine where the National Capitol should be located. Many states de- sired that the seat of government should be within their boundaries. New York desired tlie Town of Kingston ; M.aryland offered Au- na])olis and Charlcstown ; New Jersey con- sidered several of her towns; Williamstown, wliich at tliat time was the capital of Vir- ginia, was also suggested; and Pennsylvania chose Germantown. George Washington conceived the idea tliat in order to avoid an; feeling of jeal- ousy, a tract of land belonging to no par- ticular state should be ised. Accordingly, both Maryland and Virginia offered to give a ixirtion of their territory on the Potomac to the Federal Government, and it was ac- cepted as an ideal site for our National Capi- tol. It Mas at first called the Territory of Coluniliia, but later changed to the District of Columbia. It was named Washington in lienor of our first President and Father of our Country. Washington always referred to this as the Federal City, being too modest to use his own name. George Washington had in his mind ideas of what he desired the city should be like, and so made known his plans to a civil en- gineer, L ' Enfant, a Frenchman, in whom he had great confidence. This man commenced plans for the work, but they wore on such a lai-ge scale that he was ridiculed by many govcrnnuMit officials. Washington, however, (lid not mind these criticisms for ho had a vision of tlie future growth of the republic. L ' Enfant selected Capitol Hill and from this lie ])la lined the streets and avenues to ra- diate like the spokes of a wheel which should lie named after the States of the Union. The city grew slowly, one by one the Iic.-iiitiin] liuildiiigs were completed; visitors who came to the Ca])itol during the years of its slow construction thought that Washing- ton had ] laimed more than he could accom- plish. For sixty years this city was far from attractive, but after the Civil War the Americans began to reali .o the need of a beautiful Capitol City. It was then that the citizens awoke to the l:iit that they must make their city more at- 10

Page 14 text:

Between 1,000 and 4,000 meters the most useful and the most talked of signals are those of Arlington, Virginia. This station sends the Naval Observatory time twice each daj% followed by weather, navigation obstruc- tions, and press. In a way the work of the high-x)Owered stations is uninteresting. If one is fortunate enougli to happen to hear one sign their call letters, it is easy to make a long distance re- ception record, but niost of them seldom sign and tlie messages they send are mostly in cipher. In conclusion many peoiile have the idea that some special apparatus is necessary to receive radio-telephone conversations and Itroadcasts. This is not so, for any receiver will receive the ' phones within its range pro- vided it will tune to the proper wave lengths. This concludes our program for this even- ing, as the radiophone operators say, This is 1-AXB signing ofP. Good Bye. IIAYWAED K. MANN, ' 23. RADIO IN THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL Wakefield High School is far behind the times in the radio line. It is practically the only liigh or preparatory school in eastern Massachusetts which cannot boast of a Avirc- less set. In 1910 the sum of twenty dollars was spent for a wireless set which was designed and constructed by a radio expert. In those days that kind of a set was all right. In re- cent tests, that same set was found to be very inefficient. The station of the Ameri- can Eadio and Eesearch Corporation, located at Medford Hillside was barely audible, whereas with a modern small receiving set it was plainly heard at a distance of thirty feet from the phones. A receiving set suitable for the new school could be bought and installed for about three hiiiulrod dollius. This set would be capable of receiving opera from Chicago, concerts from rittsl)urg. Pa., and Newark, N. J., as well as from other stations within a seven hundred mile radius. With a loud speaker in the lecture hall all this could easily be heard by all those present. Eadio is now the fore- most subject in popular science. In the Manchester High School there is a comijletc outfit being installed and a course in radio being arranged. A receiving outfit is simple to operate and does not require much know- ledge of radio theory. There are a great many radio enthusiasts in the school who are fairly well acquainted with a large variety of transmitting and receiving apparatus, in- cluding wireless telephony. A wireless outfit would be a great addition to the new building. Those who have never had the pleasure of listening to music from the air, know nothing of its possibilities, and until r;idio becomes a form of ijublic enter- tainment little will be done to enable peo- ple to enjoy it. L. LESLIE McMASTEE, ' 23. THE MAGICAL KEY Tlie sunset-glow, coming through the multi- paned window cast variously colored dia- monds across the dusty and littered floor of Perseverance ' s shop. The sliadows slowly grew longer and longer, and the mellow light faded softer and softer, as Perseverance, with a sigh, drew off his leather apron and picked up his tools. He stood for a moment, regard- ing the object of his labors, for so many years, which he today had just finished. It was a key, the Key of Progression, for Per- severance was no more than one of the com- mon locksmiths, whose shops crowded the narrow streets. As he gazed at the Key a golden liglit seemed to settle over it, than hovering around it, would vanish and reap- pear. Perchance it was only tlie yellow light of the sinking sun, but to Perseverance, it was a sign that his labor had not been in vain. Tills Key of Progression it was, that the wealthy King Enthusiasm had ordered, and to him it must be delivered at once. Perse- verance locked the door of his shop, careful- ly wrapped the Key under his cloak, and with a stout heart, set fourth, but the way to the Palace was long and dark, beset with many evils. Long before Perseverance neared the King ' s portals, he became so weary, that he fell by the roadside. Then three dark and muffled figures. Vice, Ignorance, and Hatred, stole forth, and with a hoarse laugh, they killed Perseverance, and seized the Key of Progression. This Key, they knew was to lock them up, as well as to unlock vast treasures, which would forever render their allurements to men hollow, so this Avas the very chance for which they were waiting. Nor when they had tlie Kej ' , did they lot it lie idle. Vice used it with an ease 12