Wakefield High School - Oracle Yearbook (Wakefield, MA)

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A SONG OF PRAISE Tliank (lod I ' or the fresh green spriugtiine, For winds of M.ircJi and April ' s showers, For tlie soft blue skies and the birds ' glad songs And the scent of Maytinie flowers. Tiiank God for jojful sumniertiine, For the golden days of June, For the warm, sweet breezes, silvery nights, When all the world ' s in tune. Tliauk (iod for radiant Autumn, Foi ' her colors everywhere. Red and yellow, orange and purple, And the smoky, i ungent air. TluMik (iod, too, for cold Winter, With its steel blue skies and chilling snow, And Ihc crackling ice clad forest. Warmed by the sunset ' s rosy glow. FLORENCE BUTLER, ' 24. SUGARING IN VERMONT ir you ha e e ' er been in Vermont and seen sugaring done, you know that the work from tapping to sugaring off is of the most in- teresting nature. You know that sugaring is (lone something like this: On a very warm day in the latter part of February or the first part of ilarch, the sugar maples are tajiped. By this I mean that a hole is bored in the tree which is known lO be a sugar-maple, and a hollow spout is fitted into the liole. Then a pail is hung on the spout or on a nail driven into the tree Ti inch or so above it. Tliis is done to everv maple tree; and a sugar farm is usually so large and has so many trees that a whole day is required to do this. The sap is collecte,l once each day by a wagon which is driven through the sugar district and taken to tlic sugar house. There it is poured into long shallow vats, and these are i)lacod on large floors of br ' ck under wliich very hot fires are l)uilt. The brick heats slowly, but when it is very lioi it gives off just the kind of heat needed for evaporating the saj). As soon as the sap stops running in the trees, the fires under the vats are made hotter, and the sap is boiled down to maple syrup. Then that part which is to be sold as syrup, is taken out and the rest is left for sugar- in go ft . On the day reserved for doijig this, the whole family armed with spoons, marches o and takes possession of the sugar house. Then the fires are brought up so that they are very li( t and the syrup is boiled to maple sugar. During this process everyone is continually eating I lie maple jiroduct and having a merry time to see who eats the most. Anyone liav ing cavities in his teeth generally drops out o f tlie contest after about one mouthful. When the syrup has boiled down to that point where it sugars , it is run off into pai ' -i, cooled, sealed, stamped, and shipped away. Usually the demand for maple sugar is jo great, tliat it is sold before it is made. if the sugar comes out bad, whoever has pur- chased it, loses. But, when Vermont sugar comes out bad you may be sure that something very unusual has happened. WILLIAM WAITE, ' 2!!. THE STEAMER The stei ' .mer she ' s a lady and she ne t ' r has a want, For her husl)and is a tug-l)OiU and he tows her as he ought. And all the little soliooners that sail the ocean wide Have a merry time a sailing, a-sailing by her side. The steamer she ' s a lady, by the paint upon her nose, And the gaudy canopies on deck wouhl jiass for feminine clothes. The tug-boat is her husl)and and he ' s always ho ering near. For his duty is to see that her path is straiglit and clear. The steamer siie ' s a lady, y the stately way she sails, . nd she always keei)s her head when she ' j tossed before a, gale. !!ut her husband is a lug-boat and he patiently sits and waits Until he sees her coming with a cargo from the States. The steamer she ' s a lady, by her manner and her air. For her cargo is for the ci ' y and she ni ' ist be escorted theie. }U Y tug-boat luisbaud, on the watch, sails ([uickly to her side .Vnd hand in hand across the river, they float upon the tide. WALTER ALDEN, ' 24, 21

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ing what would become of liini, nnd then of tlie proltahle fate of liis twci coiiipniiioiis. Thus in misery and suspense lie v.Lited theri ail hour. At last he was startled by his mother ' s gen- tle voice asking him wliat he was sitting there for? lie gakied courage and removed the bandage from his eyes — he was in his owji back .yard. IRENE GOLDTIIWAITE. is it any wonder that I look with pride upon this statue of a woman, brave in the face of horrible danger, who in the end conquered? RORERT H. SPROUL, ' 26. HANNAH DUSTIN Possibly none of you have ever seen the interesting staluc of a. woman, Hannah Dus- tin, standing in Haverhill Square, bnt I havi;, anil to look upon this statue brings to mind a story of this lirave woman, who was my great, great grandaunt, told to me by in nncle of mine. Hannali Dnstin was one of the earl.y settlers coming to this country in 1(570. She lived in the small town of Derry, N. IT., At tlrs tini ' several tribes of hostile Indians lived in the near-by forests, and it was liy a small band of Indiiins that she was ca])tured one day, after her small l)aby had been killed, and carried off by them. Mrs. Dustin was coniijelled to live with the Indians many weeks, and gradually began to learn their customs, one of which was tlie skillful way in which scalping was done. Now this woman was ;is bi-ave as slie was clever and quick -witted, so she naturally be gau forming a plan of escape from the In- dians, who by this time had begun to like the white woman. One night, while sleeping on the ground of the wigwam a short distance from wliere six stalwart braves, supposeilly on gu;ird, lay asletq), she i icked up her scalping knife and a tomahawk, which she had carefully hid den the day before, and suddenly made an at tack upon tlie sleeping Indians and soon dash- ed out all their brains while they slei)t. Slip thus escaped in the dead of night and, .jump- ing into a canoe, paddled downstream towar.l tlie next town many miles disl;int. While pondering over her miraculous esca])e, this biave woman decided that she would like to lia e proof of the killing of her numerous cajdors, and so she turned her canoe around, I ' eturned to the lonely spot, scalped ?rll six Indians, relumed to her canoe, .and continued on lier way. ' I ' his is the story of my brave ancestor, and A DISCUSSION OF CALIFORNIA AND MASSACHUSETTS HIGH SCHOOLS As 1 am only spending a. year in the Eas.!: and my home is in California, I have been in- teresited to note the difference in high schools. First, there are the buildings. The old Spanish style of architecture has become very popular in California lately. Most of the new schools are built of stucco, with tile roofs. They usually have only one or two stories and sometimes are built around a court, the various parts of the building being joined by arcades. In i)hysical education, the boys take gym ' ' instead of milit.ary diill. Outdoor sports are carried on all the year round; tennis espe- c ' ally, l)eing ii. favorite with both boys .and girls. The system of study is different in several w.ays. Vc do not have that bug-bear , col- lege entrance examinations, held before us. Most of the western colleges allow entrance on one ' s liigh school diploma, provided that non of one ' s mai ' ks is below B. Moreover, Livtin is not reipiired to enable one to go to college. Theic is greater freedom in choosing subjects. One must, however, meet the state require- ments for graduation from high school. The school hours are usually from eight in the morning till three in the afternoon, wit ' .i an hour for lumli. This gives some time for recreation and allows the students to eat at home if they wish. liesides ditfeiences, however, there arc manv similaritves. For instance, dramatic elul)S, football games, student government, school paiiers, and many other things. You would lind the same school sjiirit and i)ride in their high schools in California that you find in Massachusetts. RUTH PROCTOU, ' L ' (). COURAGE In the grim face of danger P e steadfast, liefore the tecitli of tyal lie br.ave. Hut ' t ' s greatest, in sni.all cares To be able To smile .and to bear them Always. MARGARET ATWELL, ' 20. 20

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THE RECENT EARTHQUAKE IN COSTA RICA (Written by a Costa Rican) Early in the movning of the fourtli of Mareli of this year, a very severe eartliquakc awoke my family in Central America. W ' itli tlu ' first shock, they experienced that terrilile sensation that cannot be expressed. The whole house trembled, the beds moved, and the windows and glass cases vibrated as the eart ' i moved in all directions like a stormy sea. My mother and father got up wondering if the past few minutes of violent shaking would 1)0 all, when there followed a shock so terri- fic that my mother was seized with dizziness, and had to be helped out of the room by my father. As the land kept on shaking in this abominable manner, it was thought better to leave the house entirely, and go to the gar- den in front of the house. Here they passed not only the morning, but the rest of the diiy, as there were four hundred and fifteen shocks during that day. Each of these was no less than a minute in duration. Some people fled to the country horrified i)y the scenes of that early morning. Many large houses crumbled to pieces, and others were left in such a condition that it would not be advisable to live in them, because in a vol- canic countrj ' , an earthquake is likely to conic: at any minute. There were innumerable accidents in the country towns. For example: A young peas- ant girl iiassing in front of a church w-.is killed by its falling steeple. Another catas trophe happened In a very remote part of the country where communication is difficult. A fjunily, in tlieir night clothes, left the house, fearing tliat the building would crumble over them. No sooner had they come out, than the earth cracked and swallowed their house com- pletely. This poor family happened to run ij a road, where they were aided by a young maa tiaxeliiig to the next town. This same nia ' i had seen sometiiing similar to thi,s. A family passed along a country road, when a high cliff of solid rock cut loose from the rest of the promontory, and came upon them, not giv- ing time for the poor fugitives to escape, ami only one out of fourteen lived. The government is doing its best to takj care of all the fugitives. We must realize that it is not safe to enter the houses unt ' ,1 the land is steadier. So the most that can be doni3 is to make tents of whatever material is at hand, and live as comfortably as possible un- der these circumstances. The hardest thing that the goxernmcnt faces is the distributioji of the limited food, because plantation after plantati on was destroyed. No sooner had the American government heard of this, than supplies of all kinds wer sent from the Canal Zone by the quickest route possible, and many people have been helped. As a Costo Rican and in beiialf of my coun- trymen, I take this opportunity to express the most sincere thanks to this nation for the aid which was sent to us when we most needed it. I am sure that every person in Costa Rici will always remember this noble deed of friendship. LUIS ANDERSON, ' 20. ( NOEL The blue night was starred with silver, The heavens arched dark above. And there, the small and peaceful town Lay silent in God ' s love. The little town of Bethlehem; Its streets were still and grey. A soft breeze rustled the palm leaf, God ' s minstrel played its lay. On a sudden a bright gold star Mounted into the night, it came to a rest, and covered all. With its soft and radiant light. The stable was lowly and humblo, liiit was glorious in this light That God sent down from heaven above To guide the way to Christ. DORCAS WOODBURY, 25. MARY LOUISE Fair as a ])rimrose, Hlown in tlie spring; Merry as a morning lark, High upon the wing; Such she was to everyone Whenever by one ' s side, A little, shining sunbeam, Spreading happiness far and wide I ' ll re as a. lily, Spotless and white, Frail as a crystal Clear — without blight ; Such she was ; — but one day (bid called kor soul away. . iid now the perfume of her memory Remains wi,th mc alway. PORIS BREWER, 2-i.