Arlington High School - Indian Yearbook (Arlington, MA)

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ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION. 3 LITERARY DEPARTMENT LOCAL GEOLOGY. Tlie surface of New England has been compared to a stage upon which a great many dramas have been enacted. Among the grandest of these might be placed the “Reign of Ice.” In and about our own pleasant little town we have some interesting phenomena indicating the history of this remote period. Perhaps the most familiar phenome- non is the Boulder Moraine, which winds its devious course along the east- ern side of x rlington Heights. We may walk over its winding track and trace it near the Waverly Oaks, where we find a most interesting formation in the shape of long, low ridges composed of rock, gravel, and sand, which wind along through the Park. These are called Eskers and might be termed fossil rivers, for they were formed by the water which flowed beneath the glacier and are now hardened into these sym- metrical, winding ridges. That the country was covered with ice which slip])ed along from the region north of us, there can be no doubt. On the eastern slope of Arlington Heights, in Robbins’ Woods, are found a number of ledges having a rounded appearance. The surface of these ledges is covered with scratches, all of which run in the direction of northeast and southwest. These ledges are called roches mouton- nees, because of tlie rounded appear- ance of their tops. There may also be seen one or two isolated boulders which have the general appearance of having been carried to their present location by the ice. Among the many interesting features of Boston Harbor are those compact, elongated, oval-backed islands which are known as the Drumlins. These islands are composed of glacial drift and their larger axis, which is supposed to denote their former movement, extends north- west and southeast. This is an entirely different direction from those scratches in Robbins’ Woods, and it would seem that these two phenomena occurred at different times. Eor the scratches in the Woods may have been formed when the ice sheet at its greatest thickness, obey- ing the slope of the continent, slipped along in a general north and south direc- tion; while the Drumlins may have re- sulted from the movement of thinner sheets of ice, broken apart from the rest, and following the local slopes. If we have not seen these little islands, we have nearer at hand other good ex- amples of the Drumlins. Nunnerv Hill, in Somerville, is one whose top has been removed, leaving the bare ledge which shows the glacial scratches. Other ex- amples are Corey Hill, whose oval out- line is clearly discerned when one passes over Harvard Bridge; Beacon Hill, in Boston, and Bunker Hill, in Charles- town. W’est of the Arlington Reservoir, just within the boundaries of Lexington, we win. s sn. Q ROGERS. 47 Massachusetts Avenue. o AGENTS FOi; .... King Arthur Flour, Best in the World, O Best Creamery Butter In five pound boxes and ten and twenty pound tubs. o Goods promptly delivered in Arlington, Belmont and West Medford.

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ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION These rheloiicals occurred on Friday mornings and produced such gratifying residts that the s stem lias been lesumed this year, ' i ' here are but few accjuire- ments of more value to tlie student than the ability to stand upon his feet, with his class as au audience, ami express clearh-, forcefidly, and without lapse of memoiu , the ideas u liich some great man has ut- tered. Not only does it tend to enlarge and impro e his ( cal)idai v and increase his general knowledge of history and lit- erature, but it also de elops an interest in his country’s welfare, and a power to maintain his self-possession while address- ing an assembly of his comrades. Man ' a man owes his success to his early tiain- ing in high-scliool rhetoricals. The Nineteenth of April is a day of great historic interest to . rlington, as well as to the neighboring townships of Lexington and Concord. Though Lex- ington perhaps has won the greatest fame from her part in that great battle where the shot was fired “heard round the world,” yet among the staunch pa- triots who ])icked off the British regu- lars from behind each fence and farm- yard wall,” were many sturdy heroes f-orn old Alenotomy. Indeed, some of e severest fighting of that memorable .y occurred in the streeets of our na- I ye town. Therefore it was eminently proper at on the Nineteenth of April, 18 7, the pupils of the Ai lington High School should have assembled in Lotting Hall to listen to the stirring addresses deliv- ( red bv members of the School Commit- tee, officers of the Grand Army Post, and other prominent citizens interested in the school. The exercises were opened with appropriate remarks by Principal Holt. The chairman of the meeting then introduced Mr. h W. Rawson, who. in a few impromptu re- marks. afforded great amusement by his bidicrous descrij tion of the centennial celebration of the Battle of Lexington, at which he was present. He was followed by Mr. Tuttle, chair- man of the Schoof Committee, who spoke of the advantages of education in training the youth for good citizenship. Mr. K. Nelson Blake, the principal speaker, delivered an inspiring address on the “Historic Past.” Mr. Blake is one who has the courage of his convic- tions, ami his powerful and earnest words of advice were forcible im])ressed upon his hearers. The commander of Post 36 next ad- dressed the assembly, referring very touchingly to the heroism displayed by the patriots of the Revolution, and by the brave Boys in Blue, who fought so nobly in the ’ar of the Rebellion. He doubted not that the young men of the present day would res])ond with ecjual readiness, if summoned, in times of na- tional peril, to lay down their lives for their country. IMr. Parker, the succceeding speaker, dwelt upon the influence of the newspa- per. and of the labor it had cost to bring it to its present state of perfection. He reminded the boys and girls of the school that it remained with them to make the newspaper of the future a worthy sequel of that of the present. The closing remarks were made by hlr. Robinson, of the School Commit- tee, who spoke of the historic interests which linked him to Arlington, and which had largely influenced him in se- lecting this town as his place of resi- dence. The addresses were interspersed with music by the school. The singing of our grand nati mal hymn, ‘‘America, concluded the exercises in an appropri- ate manner. A. B. LRAIirr. Practical Hair Cutter. Tv:o clean a ' 0! ' knien . A clean shop. Plentv of clean toivels. Clean in every sense. Ch ihiren ' s hair aitting a specialty. Razors honed and conca 7 ' ed. MassaclntjeUs Ave.., Opposite Medford St.

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4 ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION. find a number of small hills with that smooth, rolling app arance which char- acterizes glacial formation. These hills are named Karnes and they extend about as far back as Alount Ephraim. Near the reservoir we find three little ponds which are separated from 6ach other on all sides by high, steep banks of glacial material. These are known as Kettle Holes and they were formed by the melting down of huge blocks of ice which were full of debris. Tw-o of these ponds are circular, because the blocks of ice which formed them had perfectly cubical bases, and it has been estimated that the distance from the top of these ridges to the bottom of one of the ponds is about one hundred feet. Through these facts we may gain an idea of the enormous thickness of the ice. As one stands on the summit of Arlington Heights and looks about him on the hills and valleys, the uplands and lowlands, he is apt to ask himself the question how there ever came to be a hill at Arlington Heights. It is be- lieved that this section of the country was worn down by the action of the ele- ments before the time of the Glacial Period. Where the material was soft the erosion was great, but where the sur- face was composed of hard ledges the erosion was comparatively small. There- fore this ledge was left towering above the lowlands and valleys which the ele- ments had formed. These are but a few of the natural phenomena about us, but a little local observation will add much to our knowl- edge of that great ice drama which was once going on where we are now play- ing our humble parts. H. T. Patterson, ’98. THE ST. LAWRENCE AND THE SAGUENAY. There is no more enjoyable way in which to spend a summer ' s vacation than to join a Raymond Whitcomb party and visit a few of the most inter - esting points among our Eastern re- sorts. In such an excursion, a portion of which is comprehended in the title of this little sketch, I had the good fortune to partRipate aJew inonths ago. The morning of July 20, 1896, found our party seated in the station waiting- room at Niagara Ealls, in excellent spirits and occupying ourselves in vari- ous ways while waiting for the early train, which was to steam away at 8.45 bound for Clayton. We had seen Niagara and all its won- ders: we had gazed in silent awe at the stupendous cataract, majestic and sub- lime in its resistless power; we had visit- ed the “Whirlpool Rapids,” dashing their foaming crests high into the air, and lashing the rocks in the river-bed with relentless fury; we had driven across the new suspension bridge, one of the greatest engineering wonders of the age, to the Canada side, whence one gains the finest view of the beautiful Horse-shoe Fall anywhere obtainable,; we had made that novel excursion on the deck of that gallant little steamer, “The Maid of the Mist,” almost to the very CA TERING For all sorts of occasions. Balls, JJLddlngs, Receptions, Dinners, At Homes, Private Parties, Ladies ' Nights, Etc., Etc. Ice Cream, Frozen Pudding and Fancy Ices for private families a specialty. N J. HARDY. JMass. Avenue, Arlington. - - - - Tei.ephoxe Connection.