Alton High School - Tatler Yearbook (Alton, IL)

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love of all that was good, inspired him with a power to touch the hearts of the people as no other man has ever been able to do. He has left us abundant testimony in words and works of his religious creed. He was a man of keen perception of right and wrong. His conscience required him to see his way clearly before making a start, and his rigid honesty woidd not allow him to make a pretense. His greatest fault was his inability to suppress his sympathy. He once said: “If I have one vice, it is not being able to say‘Xo!’ Some of our generals complain that I impair discipline and encourage insubordination in the army by my reprieves and respites, but it rests me after a hard day’s work if I can find some good cause for saving a man's life. In his eulogy of Lincoln, Emerson says: “His greatness consisted not in his eloquence as an orator, his shrewdness as a lawyer, nor his executive ability, but in his absolute self-control, his unselfishness, the full maturity of his wisdom, his unwavering honesty, his humanity, his love of country and his faith in the people and in republican institutions. He grew according to the need; his mind mastered the problem of the day, and, as the problem grew, so did his comprehension of it. Rarely was a man so fitted to the event. In four years—four years of battle days—his endurance, his fertility of resources and his magnanimity were sorely tried and never found wanting. Through his courage, his justice, his even temper, his fertile counsel, and his humanity, he stood—a heroic figure in the centre of an heroic epoch.” Alma R. Green, '09. THE PHYSICS TEACHER. See the Physics teacher, With his meter rule ; I wish that he would meet her In our halls at school. THE CALL OF THE WILD. “All my study periods are omitted, and I have a test today!” 12

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fame, and the rail-splitter of Sangamon became the most honored and respected man of his generation. However, there was nothing prepossessing in his personal appearance. He was a very plain man. People called him ugly, but his ugliness was impressive. In all his movements he was as awkward as he was uncouth in appearance, but it was an awkwardness that was often eloquent. He enjoyed jokes at his own expense, and used to appropriate to himself this incident, told of so many ugly men : “In the days when I used to be on the circuit, he often said, “I was once accosted on the cars by a man who said: ‘Excuse me, sir, but I have an article in my possession which belongs to you.' ‘How is that?’ I asked, somewhat astonished. The stranger took a jack-knife from his pocket. ‘This knife,’ he said, ‘was placed in my hands some years ago with the injunction that I was to keep it until I found a man uglier than myself. Allow me to say, sir, that I think you are fairly entitled to the property.' ” As is well known, Mr. Lincoln's nature sought relief byrecalling incidents of a humorous character. Humor was his safety-valve, and when his memory awakened the story sought, there would be a sudden and radical transformation of his features. His face was an impenetrable mask, and people who watched him when a perplexing question was proposed could never tell what was going on in his mind. At times he stood almost transfigured, those with him declaring that his face would light up with a beauty as if it were inspired. In repose it wore an expression of perpetual sadness, which was due to his naturally melancholy temperament, as well as the continual strain and familiarity with the horrors inseparable from war. In his facial expression one could easily detect his sympathy for the sufferings and sorrows of the soldiers, and he seemed to share the grief of brokenhearted mothers whose sons had died in battle. His own career had been one incessant struggle, a ceaseless endeavor, and his tenderness is traceable to impressions thus formed. No man ever occupied a similar position, whose own experience had been so closely paralleled with that of the plain people whom he represented. His personality gives us an idea of his moral conscientiousness. He was not only concerned in the political questions of the time, but the moral considerations involved in them. He carried his conscience into every discussion, took no position that he did not believe was right, and made no statements that he did not believe fair and true. His natural tenderness, his affectionate disposition, his poetic temperament, his pity for the weak and sorrowful, and his instinctive 11

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The Sixth Annual Meet MHE old saying:, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. was never so much appreciated by Alton rooters as at the last Madison County Meet. The third trial proved a charm and May 9. 1908, we regained the banner from Granite City, which had held it for two years. The battle was a hard but gdorious struggle, in which the red and gray came out victorious. Phoebus smiled brightly as he appeared over the horizon on the date set for the meet. But even before he arose, the streets about the City Hall contained a few early birds, who were joined soon by about three hundred other rooters for Alton High. Three special cars were chartered to carry our crowd to Collinsville, where the contest was to take place. When the cars left Alton, everyone was in a good humor, singing High School songs, giving yells and toasts to our participants and to the school, and, in short, we were feeling quite gay; beautiful banners and pennants fluttered out the windows, while many a farmer that we passed, plowing in the field, held his horses somewhat tightly as he watched us out of sight, and said, “Wonder w’ats all the row about ?” We made things quite exciting while passing through Edwardsville, and led the rooters of that city a merry chase from there to Collinsville, as our car went first. Upon reaching the town the greater part of the crowd went to the opera house, where the intellectual contest was held, while our athletes went to the best hotel which the city could produce, followed by a crowd of—“don’t want to but can’t help ourselves”—admirers. The intellectual contest started a few minutes after our arrival and lasted till a few minutes after twelve. Representing Alton were Miss Maynte Coleman, essay: Miss Alice Morris, declamation, and Mr. Lee Hull, oration. We won first in essay and third in oration. Granite City took first in declamation and oration: Edwardsville second in essay and declamation: Collinsville, second in oration and third in essay: Upper Alton, third in essay. Every one was almost starved and a scramble for a dinner ensued, every person thinking there wasn't enough food in town to satisfy his own appetite. Owing to the good dinner, and plenty of it too, which every one got, it was necessary for a large part of the visitors to take the car to 13