Arlington High School - Indian Yearbook (Arlington, MA)

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ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION. 3 LITERARY DEPARTMENT PLAYING SCHOOL. To begin with, the children had all got- ten out of bed the wrong side, and were decidedly cross. First, Betty had put both boots on the wrong foot, and laced them up before the mistake was discovered. Then Tommie upset his milk at the break- fast table, and was in disgrace for the rest of the meal. Then it was raining and they couldn’t go out to play, and in general the omens were not favorable for a pleasant day, so we got the Friar’s Balsam and some bandages ready and prepared to endure. They played marbles and quarreled; they played store and quarrelled. Nothing seemed to go right, and they played tag and raced from attic to cellar like a small cyclone. Then Harry fell down stairs and cut his head. We bound up his wounds, wiped up the trail of blood he had spilled (a ceremony which greatly interested all three of them) and devoutly hoped that this accident would turn the tide of affairs. Having been thus doctored and advised to keep quiet for a little while, if possible, the sufferer sank into an armchair, announcing faintly, “ My head aches awful, and I want you children to keep still,” which the chil- dren proceeded to do for the space of half a minute. Bettie put her fat little thumb in her mouth and gazed at him, while Tom- mie wheeled round twice on one foot, and then suggested, “ Let’s play school.” “ Teacher ! ” shouted three voices in chorus, the loudest being that of the suf- ferer. “ You was teacher las’ time,” said Tom- mie reproachfully. “ You never let me be teacher,” said Betty, ready to shed tears again. “ Well, don’t be a bawl-baby! I’m the biggest, anyway, an ’ I ought to be teacher, an’ I should think you’d want to let me when I fell down and most killed myself.” Melted by this last argument, they made no more objections, so assuming the reins of authority he began to issue commands. “ Betty, you put up the chairs and give out the books, and Tommie you get a rattan.” For be it known unto you who are uniniti- ated that, in playing school, you may have imaginary scholars, or, on a pinch, you may have an imaginary teacher, but the rod must be the real thing, capable of being applied in and out of season. The chairs arranged and the rod found, the school was called to order. “ Betty, you may begin to read ; ” and Betty slid down from her chair with a “ Beginner’s Latin Book ” in her hands. “ Mawy, Mawy, quite contwawy,” she began, when — “Teacher, she’s got the book upside down,” Tommie broke in. “ I ain’t.” “ You have, too.” Down came the cane on the teacher’s desk. “ Stop talking in school. Tommie hold out your hand.” Punishment being duly administered, order was restored and the lesson pro ceeded . “ The Wock-a-bye Lady, from Hushabye stweet, Puppies hang fwom her head to her feets Comes cweeping ” “ IIo, puppies hang from her head to her feet,” echoed Tommie and the teacher, scornfully. “ Ma, hear what Betty says. Ha ! ha ! Puppies ! ” “That’s what teacher said.” “ She didn’t ! ” “ She did, too, Tommie Brown, an’ I want my hankchief,” and the ever ready tears began to flow. “ Tommie, you read,” said the teacher,

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2 ARLINGTON HIGH SCHOOL CLARION. Cure.” Each actor was well fitted for his part and the play was finely executed. It has been said that the only way to under- stand Shakespeare is to see his plays on the stage. However that may be, we have no doubt the play given at the Senior social gave us all a new insight into Shakespeare’s intentions when he wrote such plays as “ The Merchant of Venice,” “ Macbeth,” and “ Romeo and Juliet.” At last the hockey team has been able to present to the school the cup for another year and also receive the individual cups which are given to the champion team of the league. It was thought at the first of the winter that six lectures would yield a sufficient sum of money to carry on our athletics for a year and also pay the rental on our field, but we were mistaken. It became neces- sary to have another entertainment in order to increase the funds. The Pierian Sodali- ty, of Harvard, was secured and a most entertaining concert was given. This So- dality consists of an Orchestra and a Glee Club. Six selections were given by the Orchestra and four by the Glee Club. All the selections were well rendered and the quartet of the Glee Club was especially pleasing. At the close of the concert a dance was held and the evening was de- clared a success by all. A good sum was realized from the proceeds. It would be well to mention here that the posters for the entertainment were made by two pupils of the school, Miss Brooks and Miss Wyman, to whom are due the thanks of the Athletic Association. When the Clarion started nine years ago the Debating club was in such a flourish- ing condition that a column was given up to its interests. The orators soon graduated and interest in the club died out for a time ' Now it has been started again and, with the German club, it forms a strong factor in the school life. Therefore, it seems advisable to devote a page of each issue to the two societies. Early this spring, Miss Jones, a graduate of this school and at present a teacher in a grammar school at Townsend, became a heroine of whom we may well be proud. Seeing two of her pupils in imminent danger, she rushed from the school house and, at her own peril, rescued the drowning boys. The hearty applause of the school the next morning, upon hearing of Miss Jones’ pluck, showed that the school ad- mired her bravery and presence of mind. Who will get the Blake prizes is a question in every ones mind. Remember, Seniors, you have got to beat last year’s class. Is it not getting tiresome to have the graduates ask what kind of teams w ; e are going to have ? Of course the best players cannot remain in the school forever. When classes graduate there are others to take their places and so’with good athletes there are always others to fill the positions. We may look to our hockey team this year as an example, where four of the seven men had never played on the school team before. Therefore our advice to all is “just wait and see.” Although the Freshmen were not repre- sented in the class locals of the last Clarion, it is not a sign that they w ' ere perfect and made no mistakes. Undoubtedly the teach- ers could recall instances where a different translation would have made the speaker’s intention a little clearer.

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4 ARLINGTON HIGH SGHOOL CLARION. disgustedly. “She’s no good to play school.” “ I am. too. How way can I wecite when you laugh at me.” “ Betty, will you hold your tongue ? Now, Tommie ; ” and Tommie, with the air of one who knows, and knows he knows, arose and recited, “ The Rockabye Lady from Hushabye street. Poppies hang from her head to her feet.” “That’s right. Goon.” Tommie went on, and with great eloquence recited “ Ba, Ba, Black Sheep,” and “Old Mother Hub- bard,” and then seated himself as one who has done his duty. Betty’s tears being dried hy this time, she was again called on to recite. Brush- ing back the tumbled curls, she began in a sing-song tone — “ A birdie wiv a yellow bill, Hopped upon my window sill ; Cocked he shiny eye and said, Aint you ’shamed, you sleepy head.” Then, forgetting what comes next, she began to extemporize, “ I aint ’ shamed, little birdie, I said, I will go wiv you to the sunny meadows where the dandelions shine and we will pick them, and Robin he Upon a twee Saw wipe chewwies One, two, fwee, and the sun was shining in the blue sky, and how way could we get home, I said.” At this juncture she suddenly sat herself down, covered with confusion. “ Now we will sing.” announced the teacher, and forthwith, ‘ My country ’t is of thee,” floated upon the air in three dif- ferent keys. “ Now Betty. And Betty sang — “ Hushabye, wockabye, little papoose, Dev’s many who lubs and watches above you. Till Dawn comes, wiv Wosy Wings.” “ Now Tommie, sing the scale.” Then Tommie was in despair, for singing the scale was not among his accomplishments. He stood first upon one foot, then on the other. He looked at the ceiling, he looked at the floor. “ Hurry up,” said the teacher. “ I don’t know ' what pitch to begin on,” he stammered forth at last. “ Well, we’ll have the harmonica for a pitch-pipe. Does anybody know vdiere it is ? We’ll have recess v ' hile we look for it.” After upsetting everything in the room, the missing instrument was found in the teacher’s pocket, and once again the school was seated. “ Do, re, mi,” sang Tommie to the ac- companiment of the harmonica, when “ Wow, wow, wow,” came in deep cre- scendo from the corner of the room where the great St. Bernard lay stretched out at full length. The children gazed in open The Best Place to buy . . CONFECTIONERY . . is at the Mystic Street Waiting Room- A. 0. SPRAGUE. R. W. Shattuck Co., PLUMBERS Furnaces, Ranges and General Jobbing 462 Massachusetts Avenue. Charles Davis Cobb, b. m. t . Visit COLUMBIAN CAFE, FOR A DENTIST, Quick Lunch or Good Dinner 22 POST OFFICE BLOCK, CIGARS AND TOBACCO. ARLINGTON. Telephone 182-3. A. C. LaBREQUE, Railroad Crossing.