Barringer High School - Athenaeum Yearbook (Newark, NJ)

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THE LABORATORY. ii studies, but the question is, Will he be strong? I think he will not. Youth is the time to be preparing for the trials of life, and if boys and girls do not take regular and systematic exercise, they will not be able to endure the hard- ships of mature life. They may be men- tally prepared, but their minds, however well developed, will be useless to them without strong constitutions. The youth of our day are too apt to patronize the cars instead of walking to and from school, and are too fond of eating candy as a substitute for wholesome food. While reading is excellent in its way, it seems to me wrong to study all day and then come home and read instead of re- freshing the body with exercise. We are inclined to think that the ath- letics of ancient days was something im- possible for us to duplicate. Fhillipides, when sent on an important errand involv- ing life or death, ran one hundred and forty-eight miles in forty-eight hours. This was considered a remarkable record, and so it was, but Chas. Rowell eclipsed it recently when he completed one hundred and fifty miles in only twenty-four hours with no greater object at stake than money. So the halcyon days of Greece and Rome were necessarily no better for athletics than these which we enjoy. Mr. Gladstone, now a man of eighty years, beside walking several miles each day, takes an axe and going into the woods, fells a tree. On the anniversary of his seventy-fifth birthday before an audience of friends, he cut down a large oak tree unassisted; and oak is not poplar either. Who knows but that his axe may yet free Ireland? Boston, often called the 4‘Athens of America,” because of her learning and literature, has recently shown that she is broad-minded enough to do something out of her immediate line. In the beautiful park on the shores of the noble Charles River an out-door gymnasium has been established with play ground, running track and numerous improved apparatus. All is under the supervision of a com- petent instructor. To this gymnasium all the boys of Boston may go; young or old, rich or poor, regardless of state or con- dition. In the High Schools of Boston the boys are taught military drill every day; be- sides the discipline which this gives, it is a grand gymnastic exercise. The whole school forms a regiment called the High School Cadets, and on public occasions this regiment parades, doing great credit to the training of the school. Boston has set us a grand example, and these things will be well to remember when we build our new High School. THE LABORATORY. I OR two years the science students have been formed into societies, with weekly meetings, for the study of topics kindred to the course pursued in class. The seniors studying geology are known as the Weston Chapter; the second year boys in physics have an Edison Chapter, while the first year classes are divided into the Cwk and the Dana sections. Considerable interest has been developed in science studies through the instrumentality of these socie- ties. It is to be hoped that a new chapter will soon be formed from those members of the school who are not engaged daily in the study of science. Quite recently these chapters have formed themselves into a general organization, which has taken the

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IO PHYSICAL CULTURE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. morning. Disquieted by his prolonged absence, I made a thorough search for him. I called, but there was no response. Near my house was a dense forest which had been penetrated by a railroad. Had William strayed to the woods and lost his way amid the underbrush? I walked along the only path through the forest, halting at intervals to search among the bushes that skirted it. Suddenly I heard the loud, clear whistle of an approaching train. Another minute and I came into the clear- ing divided by the track. As I did so, a loud “ ba-a-ah sounded a short distance behind me. I turned and saw William emerge from the bushes. He walked to the middle of the track, halted, and gazed curiously about. The train was moving swiftly toward him, and he appeared to be astonished at the audacity of the thing that dared approach. His pugilistic instinct» were aroused; with a loud ba-a-ah, m gave a spring forward to annihilate lq opponent. The train was not wrecked by the collision. Finding a piece of meg near the place of encounter, I buried i and erected a small monument upon whiq was carved the following I EPITAPH. O shed a pil'ying lear Upon this earthly mound; William, the billy-goat. Sleeps in the cold, cold ground, In warlike mood he stood Upon a railroad track; He sought to wreck a train. He sought-----alack, alack. And when the train had passed, A piece of meat was found, ’Twas all that’s left of him— He's in the cold, cold ground. PHYSICAL CULTURE IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS. ARTHUR M. BARNES, '$2. AMONG the various branches of edu- cation pursued in our public schools, there is none so important and yet none so neglected as the training and building up of our bodies. This glorious country of ours spends one hundred mil- lion dollars annually for mental training and an equal sum for moral instruction, but the amount spent for physical culture is shamefully small. I do not mean to underestimate the other branches, but I claim that physical culture is at least important enough for thoughtful consid- eration. In the country Mother Nature converts the fields and forests into perpetual gym- nasia, but in the city, where the space is limited and the air impure, the need of exercise is greatest. It is true that there are places in the city where children may gain muscular strength and agility, be these places are not for the public, b within the means of all. There are pari also, but in order to have a frolic on velvety turf, children must shut their eyd to the sign, “Keep off the grass! ” and: the same time be very watchful to dod£ the brass buttons. In the ancient days it was consider just as important for a boy to develop! strong, shapely body as it was for hr to master all the knotty problems in mat emathics. But that idea has lost fav until now the general belief is, that if boy goes to school five hours a day, k plenty to eat and drink with eight hour sleep, he will grow up strong and inteE gent. There is no doubt that he will grr up if he lives, and doubtless he will '• well educated if he attends properly to I

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12 THE LABORATORY. name and constitution of the old Agassiz Association. An appeal was made in the last Annual for a microscope. As there was no re- sponse, the members of the science depart- ment, at the suggestion of their teacher, determined to raise the necessary funds among themselves. In this work they were assisted by the second year class of the ladies’ department. The text-book committee of the Board of Education recog- nized the industry of the pupils and lent a helping hand. It is to this committee that the science department is now indebted for an excellent microscope. Acknowl- edgment should be here made for liberal subscriptions to this object from Congress- man Lchlbach,Postmaster Conklin, Messrs. Leroy and Ira H. Ormsby. A new text-book in physics has been adopted for the second year class—Avery’s. The students now have a lxx k that is up to the times, particularly in electricity. The Hammer Prizes this year were awarded to Gustav Voigt and Frank Roller respectively for the best practical work in electricity and best general work in physics. Mr. Hammer has expressed himself as highly satisfied with the exhibit made by the entire class of last year. He also speaks in praise of Crane and Jaehnig, who left the school to accompany him as assistants at the Paris Exposition. Ter- hune and Hedges, members of recent classes, arc now engaged at the Weston Laboratory, and Durand has a position in the Edison Lamp Factory in Harrison. Manual work seems to be of a decidedly practical value to our boys when they come to leave the school. A phonograph lecture on December 2d added some money to the microscope fund, and gave enjoyment to three hundred pupils and their friends. Can we not con. tinue these evening entertainments during the winter? We understand that there» a prospect of a lecture in January on the Paris Exposition. The New Jersey Assembly of the Agas siz Association was held in our school foal] on the 14th of December. After the usual business, there was presented an interest, ing programme, consisting of a lecture br the celebrated botanist, Dr. Rusby, oe “ Experiences in South American Travel, a talk on “Bees, by Prof..Downing, i lecture on the “Anatomy of the Oyster, ] by Dr. Chas. Lchlbach. The following cablegram' was sent bv Mr. Hammer to Frank W. Roller, the re cipient of the prize for practical work it the Laboratory. It is dated from Londtfl December 8, 1889. It reads: Dear Sir: I was glad to receive your letter of November SI' which was forwarded to me here from Paris, and I con- gratulate you upon securing the prize. 1 have fromtia. to time examined the work of Mr. Sonn’s pupils, whid speaks volumes for the teacher and for his pupils, u it has been a pleasure to add a little encouragement b both their efforts. In answer to your question about a description of tk Edison exhibit, 1 guess the best thing will be tk “ United States Official Album of the Paris Exposition which is almost ready for the public. I will send ja one by and by when published. Wishing you every success and a Merry Xmas andi Happy New Year, I remain yours sincerely, Wm. J. Hammki. Edison’s grand Electrical Exhibit at thl Paris Exposition was managed by six® our High School boys, all of whom rt ceived their first lesson in electricity whikj with us: Wm. J. Hammer, Manager-ifr Chief; W. F. Sonn, Edwin A. Hammer Paul Jaehnig, Frank Crane, Horace Gould 1 The “Spirit of ’90 wishes to know 12.29 P- M., and that sad yet thrilling 1 the connection between the Library steps, tale, the “ Last Loaf,