Auburn High School - Trojan / Oracle Yearbook (Auburn, IL)

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24 THE ORACLE —1923 CHAPTER IV. Now it so happened that there dwelt in an adjoining territory, Charles Barts, a man of much learning and good repute, who hearing of the departure from his post of Lee Russel Carlson, removed from his field of labor, and dwelt for a time in the Land of Learning, that the travels of the Class of Three-and-Twenty might continue for many days. And it came to pass that the Class of Three-and-Twenty found favor in the eyes of this wise and worthy stranger, and success looked fair before them, and they were much glad. Now this, the fourth year in the history of this great and wonderful Class of Three-and-Twenty lias been one of much hard labor, and but little resting by the wayside; for preparations have been making ready for them to take their final departure from the land. Now it came to pass, a. their pride grew to a great bigness within them, that the Class began to wish for badges befiitting their station; and many messages were sent to the big cities and all the towns round-about for samples of their fine jewelry; and at last, after much considering, the Class professed itself to be satisfied with its choice, and rings were purchased with which they rested well content. Then it straightway came to pass that the members of the Class began to work on the Oracle and to write down the greatest and most wonderful of thoughts, such as no one ever had thought before since the beginning of the world, upon sheets and sheets of foolscap, that the people who should come unto them to listen unto words of deep scholarship upon the night of their Commencement should not needs be turned away in disappointment. Likewise did they sew and sew and sew upon yards of fine silk and linen, that the eyes of the multitude should be gladdened by the glitter of their fine raiment, even while their ears should be enlightened by the wisdom of their much speaking. Now there was in this Class a certain few that had a certain likeness, who were descendents of William Aaron, of the House of Weeden, a man of war and of much valor. But behold! they did grow fearful of that heavy course that the other members of the Class of Three-and-Twenty had to carry, and their hearts felt heavy within them as they communed with it from day unto day, till they resolved not to take their departure with the Class of Three-and-Twenty, but to stay yet a twelve-month longer in the Land of Learning, and finish their journey with that company which should come this way in the year to come. For verily, had they studied their arithmetic long and faithfully and had learned by many strange and curious ways how surely two and two make four. And their feet grew heavier and heavier at the bidding of her heart, as they lagged behind in their classes, and would not move ahead unto the gates. So with many tears and much bewailing did the Class of Three-and-Twenty bid them farewell, and sorrowfully pass on their way without her. So it came to pass that of the three and forty that entered this land in nineteen, only four-and-twenty will depart, for verily, verily, 1 say unto you. that broad is the gate, and wide is the way that leadeth to the High School, and many there be that go in thereat; but straight is the gate, and narrow is the way that leadeth to graduation, and few there be that find it. Four years hath the Class of Three-and-Twenty sojourned in the land, and gathered in large portions the fruits from the Tree of Knowledge. But it is written, “In the day when ye shall have eaten of all these fruits, ye shall surely be driven forth from the land!” Now, T say unto you, they must

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THE ORACLE-1923 23 CHAPTER III. Now as this band was gathered together and lead on into the midst of this new land by Elvira Ehnbom, they were rejoicing over their rapid prog- ress, when suddenly a great cry went up from the throats of the greedy Class: “Lo! if it doth happen that we are to graduate after many days, it ap- peareth that there is much need of many dollars wherewith to provide the song and dance thereof!” And so, thinking these things, the Class made many a feast, and the public was bidden that money might be brought into the treasury, and the coffers were filled. And behold, it did come to pass, at about this same time, that the Class did aspire to histrionic honors, and did present to the people a great and wonderful play, wherein each should act what he was not; and they did choose as a sacrifice one of the great comedy dramas once so thoughtlessly committed by a great man of recent years, and “Bashful Mr. Bobbs” was once more “butchered to make a Junior holiday.” And lo! again the awful deed was done; and the multitude did cry out in their hearts, “Heaven for- give them, for they know not what they do,” and with their lips. “How grand and wonderful this thing which ye have done!” and the heads of the Class did become swelled to their fullest capacity at the praise they did receive for the murderous deed they had done. Now, when the nineteenth day of the fifth month of the year of Two-and- Twenty was fully come, this Class did give yet a great feast, and did send messages over all the land, east, west, north, and south, to all the Seniors thereof, saying, “Come ye, and make merry with us; for the Class of Two- and-Twenty is to depart to a far country, and all things are now ready for a feast.” And as they were bidden, so come they in a large group to the place set apart, and did eat of the good things of the land, and did rejoice with the Class of Two-and-Twentv at the good fortune which had come to them, in return for all their long and patient laboring at the tasks that had been set before them. And men of high standing in the land did speak unto the people words of wisdom, and of cheer, and of encouragement, and did in many feel- ing words say farewell to the Class that was departing. And when guests did at last depart from the festivities, they were ex- ceedingly glad that things were as they had been proclaimed, and did give much thanks to the Class of Three-and-Twenty for the pleasure they had pro- vided for their enjoying. And behold, as the Class went on its way in great rejoicing through the land of plenty and of promise, they were suddenly astonished to find that two fair damsels who had been wandering along tlie path alone were lost and after a long and careful search without finding them, they proceeded on along the path hoping that some other company would rescue them at once and that they would bo carried on safely through the journey to graduation. And lo, the whole number at the end of this third year was nine-and- twenty. And it came to pass, at the end of these three years, that Lee Russel Carlson, the professor who had thus far traveled in their lead, did go from this country to far distant places, and there was much grief and sorrow in the land. For verily, had he made himself dearly beloved by the Class of Three-and-Twenty.

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TITE ORACLE —1923 depart thence, to go each a separate way, to lands they know not of, to do, they know not what. But “let us not be weary in well doing, for in due season we shall reap if we faint not.” And now may the blessings that ever attend the noble and good and true, follow and abide with us, each and all, now and forevermore. Amen. Class Creed Class Reuelations.—[Prophecq] bq IDilliam IDood Listen, O ye men and women, youths and maidens, and little children! Listen, all ye people of Auburn to the words of wisdom from the lips of your prophet, who now speaketh unto you what hath been revealed unto her, even as it hath been decreed by the powers that be. For it has come to pass that the evil of the future hath been rent in twain, even as it was so rent in the days of the wise prophets of old, and the Spirit of prophecy hath descended from the spheres to envelop my soul with her mystic power. Aye, 1 say unto you, men and women, youths and maidens, and little children of Auburn, it hath been given unto me as the chosen one of this great and good people, the Class of 1923, to dream strange dreams, and to see strange visions of the glories of the years yet to be. Now it so happened when it was decreed that the future of the Class of 1923 was to be given unto the hand of this, your prophet, to do with even as she listed, that she cried out in a loud voice of lamentations, saying: “Who am 1 that the future of this great and glorious class should depend upon me? What am 1 that the fate of these most fair and beautiful of damsels, and these most sturdy and noble and manly of youths, should rest upon the decisions of one so humble of intellect, and so infirm of purpose?” But behold ! even as the cry of weakness did ascend from the long-suffer- ing soul of your prophet, a voice from the heavens spake unto her, even in the words of old, saying, “Hear now my words. If there be a prophet among you, I will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream,” and straightway, from the clouds of the centuries gone, and from the shadows already “cast before” by the “coming events” of the proverb, there appeared unto her the fair and lovely Spirit of Prophecy, the angel of Things to Come, and lo, she did with her mystic touch roll back the curtain of the dim Beyond from before my prophetic vision, and did permit me to gaze at will down the long vista of things yet to be, that I might behold all things that now are, transformed into all things that they shall yet become, even as it was so granted to the wise men of the past. And lo, as she drew back the cur- tain she pointed with a long, transparent finger down the avenues of a strange land, and opened her lips and spake unto me, saying: “Look! Listen! Prophesy unto the young men and young women of Auburn High School even these things which you herein behold.” So, even as St. John, the divine, said unto the world, so 1, your prophet of the Class of 1923, do say unto the people of this audience, in this the twentieth centrv, “Blessed be she that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein; for the time is at hand!” For as I looked into the land of the future I could discern moving among the dim shadows of the peoples yet to be, the familiar shapes of those fair