Zanesville High School - Comus Yearbok (Zanesville, OH)

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CL A af ACE KLUb 13 HISTORY History moves slowly. A century makes but a small contribution when its addition is viewed before the background of time. Year after year glides by and passes into history, often unheralded, unnoticed, and without reason for comment. Not so with the year nineteen hun¬ dred seventeen. The Fates were determined that this year should he especially renowned in th annals of history. Not satisfied with hav¬ ing drawn the world ' s greatest democracy into the world ' s greatest war early in the year. Fate further decreed that some two hundred fifty unusually promising individuals should he drawn out of the grade schools and grouped together in one of Ohio’s finest high schools. And so the entry of the United States into the World War was followed just five months later by the entry into the portals of Zanesville High School of a most excellent and most promising Freshman class. With the entrance of this modest hut promising assemblage into this grand old high school, came double assurance that the year nineteen hundred seventeen was to play an important role in Father Time ' s Book of History. Long before the gong sounded the initial welcome that early September morning, we were buzzing up and down the corridors two hundred and fifty strong; everyone eager for adventure; everyone on the alert to discover where they were, how they came to be there, and what came next. On every face was writ¬ ten eager anticipation for the labor and excite¬ ment of four years of high school life. At the sound of the second gong, we in¬ stinctively gathered in the auditorium that the authorities might have the privilege of viewing us in one group. After a few moments of in¬ spection, they g ave us a smile of approval and a once assigned us to session rooms and classes. In a few moments we were seated quietly in the session rooms under the vigilant eyes of Miss Watson, Miss Whitlock, Miss Coyner and Miss Wigton. The annual lectures of these individuals on the “do’s and “clon ' ts,” the “must ’ and “must nots” were fittingly ab¬ breviated to a few words of greeting ' , after which we were sent on the quest of books of learning and told to report the next morning ready for work. l A he following morning the first gong found us waiting,—our arms full of books, our pocketbooks empty, and our ambitions keen for the tasks ahead. Thus did we enter upon our daily pursuit of knowledge which, after four years of continuance, has brought us to this coveted position. The first year moved along quietly and quick¬ ly. Before long we had worked our way into the confidence of both faculty and student- b ody, so that on the evening of October twelfth we were royally entertained with a reception by the upper-classmen. As the year went by we convinced our instructors and fellow stu¬ dents that they had not honored us in -vain. In the class-room, in the pep meetings, at the debate, the minstrel show and in every athletic contest of the year it was evident that this new Freshman class—the class of 1921—consisted only of worthy students, who were keenly alive

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Ladies and Gentlemen, Fellow-Students and Members of the Renowned Class of One- nine-two-one : This graduating class fully realizes the solemnity of the occasion. This is the last time we shall assemble within the portals of this in¬ stitution, the last time we can give our respects to old Zanesville High School, the last time we can endeavor to pay the proper tribute to those who have not only so skillfully guided us through the mazes of academic knowledge, but also molded our thoughts, our ambitions and our characters. Let us remember with Theo¬ dore Roosevelt, “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and ctf nations alike.’’ So it is to the faculty that belongs the credit for all our accomplish¬ ments here, and our achievements in the future. We take this opportunity of showing our ap¬ preciation for the work of these instructors. You have been faithful to your trust. You have been patient and painstakingly thorough. You have been tireless in preparing us for life’s con¬ flict. Teachers and administrators of Zanes¬ ville High School accept our sincerest thanks, which can only multiply as the years pass. We are now leaving school life and stepping into life’s school. Our scholastic achievements are at their best only a preparation for the world of work. Life is but a sequence. What you are today is due to what you did yesterday. And it is the training we received here in the yesterday that gives ns today the possibility of leadership. Opportunity was never so great as now. It was given Columbus to discover a new continent. It was given Washington to father a country. It was given Abraham Lincoln to unite a nation. But now it is given us to work cn the problem of reconstructing a world. The unique privileges presented by our peda¬ gogic system in athletic contests, forensic strife, class room discussion, and scholastic develop¬ ment has brought out the individual’s qualities of leadership. A casual glance at our record in these activities assures one that we have not been hesitant in our endeavors. In the vast spheres of business and profess¬ ional vocations, the responsibilities carried, the acid-tests imposed, will undoubtedly bring out many dormant possibilities. The educated re¬ alize these hitherto unknown assets and capital¬ ize them, while those not prepared “sleep on,” and wonder why they were unlucky, never be¬ ing able to comprehend that we can only achieve greatness by overcoming obstacles and diffi¬ culties. As we step out into this gigantic lab¬ oratory where the law is “the survival of the fittest,’’ we can rest assurred that those who are “always ready” will win. They are those where initiative tempered by wisdom has been developed. The greatest aid to this process is the instinct of service, which has been instilled in our high-school years. We must guard against the crass creed of materialism, which seems to be pervading, or we shall fail to achieve “real” success. The only true ideal is “always ready” to serve the nation and hu¬ manity at large. Let us make sure that when we step out of the “greatest school,” that of life, we have held uppermost those aims which were of the g ' reat- est benefit to civilization, those ideals bv which we can render the noblest service to the masses o- people. That we have endeavored to bring about a new spirit of co-operation, that we have not only assumed responsibilities, but success¬ fully carried them out. Finally that whenever we have received the chance we were “always ready. It is by these majestic means that we can sustain the honor of our class, and let it be esteemed by all. Our duty is clear. We must not fail. 1 he program of this afternoon is the fitting cbmax of four years of preparation and train- ing. It is but a valedictory attempt to convey to you a faint suggestion of the latent and dor¬ mant possibilities, that the world must neces¬ sarily expose. With this program the class of Nineteen 1 wenty-one leaves its departing message, Ai.frkd Zinn.

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to the needs of an ideal high school and were earnestly working- in her behalf. It was as “the plowman homeward plods his weary way ' at the close of an honest day’s work that we passed from school to our well-earned vacation in June, 1918. After a much needed and delightful vaca¬ tion, we returned to school instilled with new vim and eager to attack our second year’s work. With little disturbance we found our places in session rooms under the supervision of Miss Byers, Miss Vogt, Miss Petty, and Miss Shaefer. Our Sophomore year was marked by hard and efficient work. An epidemic of in¬ fluenza shortened our school year and broke into our school activities hut with the coming of spring, the sturdy Sophomores forged to the front in athletics and in the operetta. One could fairly hear the words “Well done” whis¬ pered as the year closed and the school author¬ ities ushered us into our Junior year. Returning at the end of a restful but all too short vacation, we found a new guiding hand at the wheel in the principal’s office. Under Mr. Mason’s able direction many school activ- i t’es have been planned and carried through, every one of which has proved to be a decided success. Mr. Mason deserves a great deal of credit for so successfully promoting the de¬ velopment of a proper school spirit. Our class now numbered one hundred and thirty-eight members but we comforted our¬ selves with the knowledge that the fittest only survive. This year our class was placed i.i the session rooms under the guiding hands of Miss Erwine, Miss Shaefer and Mr. Rich¬ ards. 1 hree members of our class were chosen to serve on the staff of the Comus. Those chosen, Culbertson, Zinn and Pirsch, worked earnestly and did much to produce one of the best high s hool papers in the state of Ohio. In all athletic events of the year the Junior class played important parts, both on the teams and on the side-lines. The work of both play¬ ers and r ooters combined to create a new ath¬ letic atmosphere. The old idea of winning at any cost has gradually been supplanted by the spirit of fair and square play. Both the school and the players now enter an athletic contest expecting hard but fair fighting, always eager for victory but ready to have the best team win. In our Junior year we presented the second annual Junior class play. “Stop Thief was presented on two nights in an altogether com¬ mendable manner. The participants were not only well selected but displayed more than amateur dramatic ability. Immediately fol¬ lowing the class play our class was called upon to supply two debaters for the annual Triangu¬ lar Debate. Alfred Zinn and George Pirsch were wisely selected and helped to carry one team to victory. Then followed the operetta. Here, again, our class was called upon to fill the leading roles. With the closing of our Junior year the class of ’21, with the consent of all, assumed the position of leadership under which all activ¬ ities which promote and foster the highest type of school spirit have been developed and ad¬ vanced. Our Senior year opened, after a restful va¬ cation, with every indication of an unusually promising and profitable school year. Our first duty as Seniors was to elect the class officers. Alfred Zinn was placed in the office of the presidency, George Pirsch as vice president, and Helen Holloway secretary and treasurer. We then selected the staff for the Comus. The staff chosen, together with the advice rendered by the faculty, has edited a very creditable paper this year. Social unity in the class was earlv promoted hv a class picnic held at the home of one of our members, Miss Anna Marshall. Follow¬ ing this outing came various athletic events, debate, an operetta and the Senior class play. Everyone of these events was a decided suc¬ cess. The last social event of the year will be the Junior-Senior banquet to be given on May thirty-first in our honor. The labors of the class of ’21 cannot be appreciated by scanning their work in any seiies of events or in any one particular line of activities. Only can our contribution to Zanesville High School be appreciated when one glances over the entire four years of our high school life. As we complete the four yeai s work and note the steady development of a highei type of school spirit, as we notice the old idea of class and factional spirit giving way to a spirit of loyalty and devotion to old Zanesville Hig-h School, then, and only then, can we fully appreciate the influence of the illustrious class of 1-9-2-1. Rolljn A. Miu.s.