Benjamin School for Girls - Tusitala Yearbook (New York, NY)

Page 62 text:

TUSITALA Fon l928 THE H A CAST-OFF PARTY On Tuesday night, November 29, our Benjamin School was a veritable Vanity Fair. On second thought, though, the clothes that were discarded could scarcely be called Vanities. Clothes-under and outer, shoes, hose, hats, coats-all went into one collection, until the H A's had quite a respectable haul to send to Miss Minor. As a matter of fact, very few evening gowns and chiffon unmentionables appeared, the contributions were amazingly sane and useful. After unloading, we crowded into the auditorium, and were entertained by a striCtly non-educational travelogue. Whether this was a reward for the generous casting-off, or whether the casting-off was the price of admission for this, still remains a mystery. Anyhow, it was thoroughly enjoyable, and very well presented. We fear however, that one young lady has blighted forever any hopes she may once have had of feminine leads in sundry schoolplaysg she is doomed, Qon the stage, at any ratej to wear the pantsl' for evermore. A delightful finish to a delightful evening was added by bars of chocolate, ice-cream, cakes, and lollypops passed by bull-fighters, sailors, and-I forget whether they're ginrickshas or geishas, anyhow, they're japanese. After eating almost all we could hold, we stuck our lollypops in our cheeks and thanked our collective hostess, and withdrew to speak thus, The third scene, wasn,t it darling? Oh, I thought the Spanish one was cute, didn't- That's the one I mean, halfwit-.U And so on, far, far, into the night. ' CHRISTMAS DOLLS Best bibs and tuckers on, little feet stuck out in a straight row, the dolls at the Christmas dance ornamented the mantels and chaperoned the festivities beautifully, to say nothing of the enjoyment the guests got out of playing with them. They had their night of pleasure, sowed their little wild oat, and were sent the next day to Miss Minor for the poor children. All of them, from the infant that drained his inexhaustible bottle, to the twin pickaninnies, left very reluctantly, because even dolls love the whirl of mad night life as typified at Benjamin, but they went. The intrepid young man in his plane, the Spirit of Benjamin, was adjudged the best of all. His sponsor, Adelaide Salomon, got the first prize, and all those girls who had dressed their own proteges received honorable mention. Page Sixfy-Ozze

Page 61 text:

aae----ee - A f f TUSITALA Fon 1923 from head to foot, gory looking brands on forehead, chin, and handsg hair covered with paste-fit is little wonder we laughed, The teachers, who had bloodthirstily watched the whole thing, were inarticulate with mirth, the old girls, exhausted by their noble efforts, could only smileg but I think that we poor victims, sore as we were, enjoyed it most of all, since we realized that the horrors were over and that at last we were real Benjaminites. And when the sandwiches that the inquisitors had prepared were brought forth, our happiness was complete. We fell upon them with whoops of joy, sat down cautiously, and 'Qwent at itf' I know that a wilder looking bunch has never been seen, but a more enjoyable time has never been had. THE TI-IANKSGIVING DINNER AND PLAYS In a spirit of true scientific inquiry even at the expense of personal comfort, the home girls of the Benjamin School set out the evening of November 18, 1927, to de- termine the exact amount of food the normal female body can accommodate. I regret to state that the experiment was not quite completed, for the supply gave out before the demand was entirely satisfied. However, as far as they went, the results were incredible. Although there were one or two who faltered as the last piece of fruit, the majority of the girls could have eaten on indefinitely. When it became evident that no more material for experimentation was forth- coming, we sat for a moment with glazed eyes and stertorous breathing and then arose. Although the air had been full of song during dinner, after the meal we were incapable of anything more, than a sort of rhythmic gurgling, which, however, expressed our complete satisfaction with the world in general and the school in particular. After we had recovered somewhat from the dinner, the guests began to arrive for the plays. 'They trickled in in deceptively small groups, but when it came to getting them all in for the performance we realized how many people were interested in the school. The two clever little plays, The Clock Shop , and Lady of Pain , were given with a touch worthy of professionals, and more than once the unobtrusive presence of mind of the principals was brought to our notice. Our Dramatic Art Classes give promise of several budding geniuses already. WITHIN THE LAW To steal-a kiss. To beat-a carpet. To kill-time. To fight-life's battles. To speed-good news. To shield-a friendls honor. Page Sixty TV I -TAM

Page 63 text:

TUSITALA Pon 1928 THE I T ENTERTAINMENT The I T invites you to be their guest on Thursday evening, March 8, at 8 o'clockf' This was the invitation which was posted on the bulletin board a few weeks before the above date. The girls knew nothing as to the nature of the party, but were only cordially invited to attend. The evening finally arrived. After being ushered into the auditorium, the guests were most surprised to behold a moving picture, the players being the members of the I T. The name of the presentation was, The Romance of a Benjamin Girl . Benjamin New Eventsn was also, shown. Following the picture came an opportunity contest. The first number on the pro- gram was a skit given by I-Iortense Feldman and Frances Lyon. This was followed by a vocal selection by Frances Kreisman. Mrs. Houdini, otherwise known as Sylvia Shakin, showed her skill in magic with the help of Rosalind Paperno. Irene Abraham, a well-known piano professor, next presented one of her hard-worked pupils, Beatrice Beyer. Adele Harrison and Adelaide Salomon sang and danced fsad but truej. Lauretta White sang some popular songs which were greatly enjoyed. The program was con- cluded by a little act given by the Geller sisters. Refreshments were served in the dining-room, andthe party was over. The next morning the I T girls were delighted to heat that their patty was a success and that their guests had thoroughly enjoyed their entertainment. CHINATOWN Thursday evening, April 26th, the Home Girls and some of the Day Girls started on a most interesting trip to Chinatown. The guide pointed out the various places of interest, and finally the bus stopped at the corner of Mott Street, Chinatown. Anxiously, we all followed the guide into the poorly-lighted streets. First our group entered the Chinese house of worship. In order to get to the main room, we climbed a few flights of steep, dingy stairs. When we reached the top, we were greeted by a group of English-speaking, Chinese girls, one of whom led us around and told us the stories connected with the various idols. We then saw a drum which had been used in the Boxer Rebellion. The story goes, that if one were to tap on the drum three times, a lucky marriage would be in store for those who tapped it. Of course, all of the girls tapped three times. Next we went into the old Chinese theatre which is now used for a mission house. The shop which we then inspected displayed many pretty articles. But, the main attraction seemed to be the backscratchers, for every girl went out with one in her hand. After eating in one of the Chinese restaurants and having the privilege of inspecting the kitchen, we once more went into the bus, and sang songs all of the way home. Page Sixly-Two