Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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SHAKESPEARE ' S CREATIONS Jt is iinpossililo to read Sliakespuarc ' s works without realizing; that lie hail a peculiar un- (Icrstaruliiig and liking for sueli inystcrii s as fairies, witehcs, and ghosts, and a wide knowledge of ijroverijs. A furtlier study of these creations reveals an unexpectedly brord realm of them. We find tiiat Hhakespeare has given over the greater part of one of his plays to fairies. His treatment of them in Midsummer Night ' s l r( ' am ' ' i.s superb and outstanding witli ar- tist ir beauty. He hats endowed them with all that is daijity and beautiful; fairness of face; power; dimiuutivenes.s; youthfulness and im- mortality; the power to vanish at will and of assuming various forms; and has placed tliem in lo ely surroundings. The fairies were sup- pcisi ' d lo haunt ruial and romantic places. Tlio Irisli fairi.es often inliabited the ancient l)urial grounds, while those belonging tu Scotland resided under the threshold of some particular house, ilie inmates of which received the ])enefits of their presence. Their dress generally included a green vest; and they were known to love music, cleanliness, propriety, and leligion. In Shakespeare:) day, fairies were much in fashion, as common tradition liad made them familiar, lie, in all probability, gathered his great knowdcdge of them from the motive of the peasantry. Oberon is not entirely Shakespeare ' s crea- ti.on. He was first found in an old Frenc ' i romance; Spencer also used him in his Fairy Queen. However, Titania is his own. The fairies were l)elieved to be the same as the attendants of Diana; therefore, the fairy iueen, known through Ovid as Titania, and also called Queen Mat, was Diana. It has been thougiit that Queen Ma.t ori,ginated in tlie Celtic because of her diminutive form, since Mat both in Welsh and others of Brittany ' s dialects signifies child or in- fant. Puck, that mischief-loving fairy, has been gi,veu a lasting fame by Shakespeare. The name Puck was formerly applied to the entire race of fairies. Shakespeare, in giving the mime to this special elfin, known also as Lob-lie-l)y-the-fire and Ilobin Gool- fellow, has bestowed upon him all the traits of fairies. It is not sui-prising that Shakespeare al- luded to witches a great deal, for the litera- ture of the sixteenth and seventeenth cen- turies is full of witchcraft. Even the greatest men of the times believed in them, at least, to a small extent. The,y were believed in ;)y the illiterate people in the time of Horace just as much as by the people of Shake- s[)eare ' s day. Although the witch had thj power to take the form of any ajiimal, the tail was always lacking. The form was most often that of a cat. Multiples of three and nine were connected with them in ancient and modern times. Power was given them over storms and winds. They often made, wax in forms of those whom they wished to harm and then melted these or pricked holes in them with pins. However, that their ex- liaordinary poAvcrs were limited, is made evi- dent i)y the words, On Christmas night the.v have no charm. The witches employed by Shakespeare in Macljeth, around which the plot of the story is woven, are probably Scottish hags connected with everything wicked. It has been suggested that Shakespeare drew upon Scandinavian mj-thology for part of his de- scriptions of them, and that much of the rest was taken from contemporary ideas of witch- ci-aft. Certainly his description of them eon- forms with their description. Ghosts, who we are to believe were dead peojjle brought back to life, were used rather extensively by Shakespeare, especially in his tragedies. They always bore the exact ap- pearance even to the mi,nutest detail to tho person when alive. Scliool masters and scholars were the only peop le who could, sup- liosedly, converse with them. However, they were very impatient and irritable when ques tioned. Their presncee was thought to be lieralded by a change in the tint of the lights which happened to be burning. When Julias Caesar ' s ghost appears, Shakespeare puts these words in Brutus ' mouth, How ill this taper burns! Ha! wdio comes here? Yet these grue some things always disjippeared at dawn, since they were unable to bear the light. Their sig nal was generally the cock-crow. How well ghosts and Shakespeare ' s tragedies fit to- gether! Shakespeare ' s logic and phrases are quoted perliaps more than those of any other author. In some instances, we find well-known prov- erbs slightly changed to fit his meter. Again, we note his words which have become well known since his time. Following are several of these proverbs: In The sun shines hot; and, if we use delay Cold, biting winter mars our hoped for hay. we recognize the much-quoted proverb Make liay while the sun shines. The quotation A cunning knave needs no broker, is not al- tered much in A crafty knave does need no 11

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the varied ships that have been launched upon it, the unbelievable depths of the ocean, the interesting life beneath its waters, the natural we. ' ilth, the many moods of the sea,, all these suggest countless subjects for the poet ' s train of thought. One of the best of these modern poels is John Masefield. One of his poems, Sea Fever , tells of the fascination the sea liolds for man. Thus the sea has been well transferred to the i)riiited pn e of poetry. And for this rea- son poetry about the sea recommends itself to every reader. By reading sea poetry the world inland gaiins a better idea of the vast ocean which it never sees, the mariner »and sea-fighter may live over again their life at sea, and every sea lover finds all phases of the sea beautifully and feelingly expressed in sea poetry. JOHN BATCIIELDER POOKE, ' 24. HOW THE DAILY ITEM IS MADE News comes froni the fire station, the police station, the town hall, puljlic halls, churches, undeitakers, hospitals, clubs, doctors, schools, and the Y. M. C. A. The gathering of news is done by reporters, under the supervision of the editor. All news is first placed in the editor ' s basket. He (;dits it or has a reporter rewrite it if poorly written or lacking in detail. He exercises ex- treme care in being exact in detail; he looks for misspelled words; and ho looks for typo- graph ifC-al errors. News should be exact be fore being passed to the compositors. The compositors place all the advertisements and news in their proper places, specified by edi- tor according to news value. The news is then edited by the editors and tlie headlines! are made. Straight copy or regular news is put on liook 1. The headlines are sent to a special headline hook. Non-must articles are placed on a special hook. After being set on a lino- type mac]ii,ne, the first proofs are sent to the proof readers in the office, for corrections. One of the proof readers reads aloud, then they compare notes. The news is then sent back to the machine for corrections; then back to the proof readers for O. KJ Whe ' i marked O. K. the ncAvs is sent to platforms and locked in large page forms w-ith head- lines and advertisements being arranged. The first two or three words of tlie heaiUino arc used as a guide line on news story and marked must , if for that day. When ail ucws and advertisements arc O. K. and locked in forms, they go downstairs, are put in the press and the Item is printed. A huge roll of paper is slid into a cone in (he printing muchiiie, the pai)er unrolls and is di ' awn through the press by different roll- ers; these rollers are called idlers . Tiie type is locked in forms , which rest on beds . The forms ' ' are locked into th,e press ])y means of w oodcn wedges. Two cyl- inders draw the paper over the forms , thus printing the paper. After it leaves the cyl- inders, it is drawn through various rolls. The paper is automatically folded and cut in half. The machine prints four sheets at a time. When a new roll is added to the other one which is in the machine, the process of put- ting it in is called making a splice . Tin machine prints an average of seventy papers a minute, and three thousand a day. In regard to the gathering and laying-out, the marking, and the setting of advertise- ments, a few words may be written. Owners of stores send word that they want to adver- tise their business. Advertisement schedules daily, three times, twice, or once a week. Changes are procured the afternoon before insertion. These go to the advertisement manager who arranges them and marks them for sizes and styles of tj ' pe suitable for ad- vertisement. The copy next goes to the advertisement linotype niachine and is set . It is then read the same as news proofs and goes through the same process as news proofs. A sob-sister is a woman reporter, cm- ployed to i)lay-up unusual or human in- terest stories so that the reader will sh. ' J at least one tear at the end of every line. There arc few lines of business which so ncarlv ' demand infallibility as does the press. I ' liroiH in newspapers may inconvenience liiousands, may harm many, or cause any kind of trouble from loss of public interest and prestige to absolute ruin through libel action. Ellic ' .ency consists not so much in doing many things at once, but in doing well one thing at a, time. BEKTHA GERSINOVITCH, 23. SPRING A murmur among the trees, A bit of buds on brown boughs. The soft, clinging sod turning green, A splash of blue across the sky, Hirds winging, Hirds singing The invocation of the Spring. G. D., ' 24. 10

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broker. There are a great many allusions to A snake lies hidden in the grass. Perhaps the best is spoken l)y Lady Macbeth when she, advises Macbeth to Look like the iinKicent flowers But be the serpent under it. ' ' Defer no time, delays have dangerous seeds ' .s seen to be the simple phrase, Delays are dangerous. ' ' This is referred to in A prov- erb never stale in thrifty mind. It is an ill wind that blows nobody good is discov- ered to be, 111 blows the wind that profits no- body in Shakespeare ' s diction. Whereas Shakespeare writes When sorrows oome, they conic not s ingle spi.es But in battalions, we more often say Misfortunes seldom come alone. He makes the proverb Still water? run deep much more picturesque by SmooTii runs the waters where the brook is deep. The two following quotations are not as easily construed into the much better known Strike wliile the iron is hot. My lord, he will drive you out of your re- venge, and turn all to a merriment, if yo ' i take not the beat. We must do something, and i ' the beat. What can ' t be cured must be endured is found in Macbeth as Things without all remedy. Should be without regard: what ' s done is done. Shakespeare refers to the old adage The cat loves fish, but she ' s loath to wet her feet, when he says Letting ' I dare not ' wait ui)on ' I would ' Like the poor cat i ' the adage. A study of Shakespeare ' s works togelher with a study of such creations is most inter- estvig. The description of his fairies is fas- cinating, while the gruesome i)ic.tures of his ghosts and witches are awo inspiring. One might well feel repaid for making a tliorougl; study of Shakespeare ' s creations. G. WIDTFELDT ' 24. as long as we live; their actions are a guide to us in times of uneertjiinty. Oh, l)est beloved friends, rema ' .n with us forever! Let us through you and with you, iiiiil our v ' .sion, lest wo also perish. BERTHA VIK, ' 24. BOOKS Books ! — what a volume of thought tha,t one word brings to ns. We think of the quiet, al- most holy hours, tliaf we spend with a book as our sole companion. Wo remember the pleasant moments we have with our friends, discussing some favorite book. The charac- ters become as real persons and companions to us. Their thoughts and words remain with us LA FEMME IDEALE? Selon Monsieur Homme, quelle type est h; feunne ide.alef Est-ce la fille intelligcnte ou la fille athleti(|ue? Est-ce la femnie senti- mentalc, qui vous adore les yeux, ou la fille de bon sens, qui paile toujours a la voix seche? Monsieur Homme, au inieux, est une cre.i- ture changeante, ainsi il est assez difficile di: lui faire un choix. Maintenant, au cas dj I ' intelligente, Monsieur Homme, sans doute, lui offre beaucoup d ' adniiration, surtout, si elle est a la mode. Mais souvent, sa sui)ci ' iorite nieme pique la vanite enfantine de Mon- sieur et — e ' est fini. Nous savons tous que Monsieur Homme aime ordinairement a no parler de rieu que de lui-meme — ses conquetes atl!leti(|ues, par exemple ; ainsi, quand notre fille athletique lui dcmundc un pen d ' elos ' e merite, il la eroit ennuyeuse, et il poursuit soti chemiii. La femnie sentimentale a bien du succes, car elle lui nourri.t la vanite avec le nectar de flatterie exagerce. Cela est pourquoi il ne Taime pas lon ' gtenips — elle le flatte trop. Vous pouvez bien vous imaginer que la fille de bon sens n ' attire pas Monsieur Homme; on tout cas, il senible que trop de jeuncs gens I.-, trouvent prevenante. Monsieur Homme dira hii-meme Ma fille ideale est celle qui repres nte un peu de tout — intelligeute, athletitiue, sentimentale, et la femme de bons sens. Oui, dira-t-il, C ' o:it moil ideale. Mais, quand nioi, jc vois celle |u ' il choisit — c ' est trop. MARTIN, ' 24. A CLOUD Just a cloud like a big graj ' pearl With a (lush of rose in the heart. Just a cloud ill the morning sky To give the day a new atart. Is not there .-i, vision within that rose? A vision for you and for me, Which calls to the very best in our souls And makes us rejoice to be? All, yes; there ' s a vision, a vision true Which leads us on to our best. ' Tis our (iod Who put the vision there And taught us to do the rest. HELEN CORBBT, ' 24. 12