Berkeley High School - Olla Podrida Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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30 THE OLLA PODRIDA Four meetings and two regular debates have been held. At the last one, on October 27, the question debated was: Resolved, that the Government should own and operate the rail- roads. Affirmative, S. Hume, C. Newhall, and Whitney; Negative, Bert. Chaplain, Muir McKelvy and Robert McKeown. Mr. Young was present and acted as critic. The debate was awarded to the negative by the judges, who said that although the affiramtive were superior in argument, the delivery of the nega- tive was so much the better that they were entitled to the debate. While the judges were deliberating on the decision, Mr. Young came forward and gave a very instructive criticism. The plan of having members of the faculty, and other competent critics present at every meeting, is a good one, and we hope to be able to continue in it. After the meeting several new members were sworn in. There was to to have been another regular meeting on the tenth of December, but on account of the en- forced absence of Mr. Brock, one of the speak- ers, the meeting was postponed for one week. J2? j£? j xcKanges In this final edition we have decided to devote our space to a general discussion of the Exchange column, presenting in a new garb some excellent ideas from other papers and supplementing a few of our own. There seems to be a tendency in the school and in others as well, to underrate the value of the Exchange Column. Although we do not con- sider this the most important part of the paper, nevertheless we feel that this intercourse ought to be of great benefit to the paper and to the school. It will be well-nigh impossible to carry on a paper on an isolated local basis, and keep it up to a high standard. The incentive to better work which rivalry engenders, the improve- ment in the literary department which always follows the exchange of ideas would be lacking, and eventually the paper would fall into provin- cialisms in construction and style. Besides furnishing ideas, the Exchange Column gives — what is perhaps more needful sometimes — en- couragement to the editors of other papers by praising worthy editions. We know from ex- perience that the Business Manager is always very anxious to know what the outside world thinks about his rustling ability, and is always greatly pleased and expanded whenever it is commented upon. In speaking of the Business Management, it can easily be shown how the Exchanges would affect it if only they were put in a place ac- cessible to the students as they ought to be. Many of the students will not subscribe to a paper because they say it is not worth it; that it is not up to the standard set by other papers. If they could see the other high school journals and should compare them with their own, very likely they would be willing to add their names to the subscription list. Again the most im- portant issues of a paper, the final editions, are materially helped by the Exchanges, for both the Editor and Business Manager are contin ually getting ideas of novel departments from their contemporaries. Indeed, one column, called Smiles from Exchanges, is entirely gotten up from the best joshes in the papers which reach us. Athletics are indirectly fostered by the Ex- changes. This may seem a rather bold state- ment, but it can be proved. If a track or foot- ball team is trying for the championship of a league it is always eager to know how its rivals are getting on, and the best way to find out,

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THE OLLA PODRIDA 29 The Forum, this year, has every reason for encouragement. The debates have been good, the new members of the right caliber, and all rough-housing has ceased. The Consti- tution has been changed, and as it now stands it meets the needs of the Forum much more successfully than before. All the members seem to take a great .interest in the debates, those of others, as well as their own. The old Forum members will doubtless recollect the con- dition of affairs last year. ' At that time the members, with the exception of a faithful few, did not even interest themselves in their own debates. This deplorable condition of affairs, combined with dissentions among the members, resulted in our defeat by Oakland last May. But this year the Forum seems to have taken a new lease of life. At every meeting, competent critics have been present and have materially added to the interest in the debates. Mr. James, Mr. Hackley, Mr. Alexander and Mr. Young have acted as critics so far, and we hope to have more of the faculty at future meetings. The new members who have been drawn from the two upper classes, have already taken as much interest in the Forum as the older members themselves, and a number of them have already debated. There is much good material for the Oakland debating team among these new members. A new series of five debates with Oakland will soon be arranged. Oakland High School won the last series, being victorious in three out of the five contests. The representatives of the Forum in the debate against O. H. S. were all good speakers and nobly upheld the honor of the Berkeley High School. Many peo- ple thought that our boys should have been declared the victors, by reason of their superior- ity in argument, but it is no use crying over spilt milk. The best way to retrieve the de- feat of last year is to win the next debate and we are hopeful that we will be able to do this. Of the members of last year ' s team, but one Bert Chaplin, the leader, and the best individ- ual speaker of the evening, is attending the High School, the others, Mr. Miller and Mr. Monroe, having left school. But the record of last year ' s debates is not al! defeat. The Forum sent to Alameda a de- bating team who were able to conquer their opponents. Alameda High School was sure of victory and when defeat came took it with an ill grace. Many of the B. H. S. boys will re- member that debate, especially the rough house that followed it, when many white Alameda caps were stolen. The debating team against Alameda was Messrs. Chaplin, Adams and Girvin. The officers of the Forum for this term are: President, Win. Andrews; Vice-President, P. Girvin; Secretary, L. C. Hawley; Treasurer, C. Newhall; Sergeant-at- Arms, Bert. Chaplin.

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THE OLl.A PODR1DA 17 No, 1 can ' t, said Robert, going on quickly with his head up and his eyes tightly closed. Why, Robert, your throat goes like a chicken ' s when its drinking, asserted Walter. Say, father, will you please make these boys let me alone ? I want to study, Robert pleaded. Well, I don ' t know, Robert, said his father doubtfully. You bother us too. If you are going to study out loud, you had better go to your own room. So Robert went, and anyone passing the Waitt house at eleven o ' clock that night, might still have seen a light in his window. When Robert first awoke the next morning, he wondered in a sleepy way what da) it was. Oh, Friday, the last day of the school- month. Let ' s see. ' Superlatives and more rarely comparatives — also medius, c-certus — no ' o— oh, confound the pesky thing anyway. ' With this he jumped out of bed and got his Latin grammar. Its a hundred and ninety-three, isn ' t it? Yes. Also medius, ceterus. ' Oh, yes. Ceterus, not certus. Now, let ' s see. ' Su- perlatives and more rarely comparatives, de- noting order and succession — also medius, ceterus, and reliquus — usually designate not what object, but what part of it is meant. ' There! I know that. 1 think I know them all now except that one about datives with com- pounds. The Waitt family were slow in coming to breakfast that morning. Robert, having been up late the previous night, dropped into his chair after all the others were seated. The dative- with-compounds rule were still on his mind, and almost unconsciously he was reciting aloud, Many verbs compounded with ad, ante, con, — Robert, said his father rather severely. What did 1 tell you about bringing your books to the table ? Well now, father, I can ' t help it, he said apologetically. I ' ve got to learn this rule before school, and that ' s all there is to it. I learned all except this one last night. Miss Burke gave me until today to know them all, and if I don ' t she ' ll put me back with the scrub-juniors. Well, that does make a difference, his father said thoughtfully. But next time try and do it beforehand. Robert began between mouthfuls. ' Manv verbs compounded with ad, ante, con, in, inter, ob, post, p rc-no-oh, hang it all anyhow — 1 don ' t care, he added despairingly. Oh, come, Robert, don ' t give up so easily. Mr. Waitt spoke with a kindly interest this time. Here, you say it alter me, and Mr. Waitt read it from the book. Robert listened carefully, and then he began. Many verbs comp — Most verbs, corrected his father. Most verbs compounded with ad, ante, con, in, inter, ob, post , p-pro — ' no, there ' s where 1 get stuck every time. But it ' easy enough, Robert, if you get the rythm of the thing. It ' s post, prae, pro. ' ' ' Most verbs compounded with ad, a?ite, con, in, inter, ob, post, prae, pro, sub, super, and — -and — ' ' ' And some with circum, put in his father. Oh, yes — ' and some with circum. ' Now let ' s see. 1 think I know it all. ' Most verbs compounded with ad, ante, con, in, inter, ob, post, prae, sub, super, and some with circum, — ' let ' s see. Oh, yes. ' take the accusa — ' no — what the Dickens? Oh, of course, ' the dative. ' Well, I ' ll learn it better on the way down, but I must go now, and with his books in one hand and a biscuit in the other, he started on his way. His return home that night, while not a tri- umphant progress, showed that he had met with success sufficient to keep him in the class. But if was not a continuous victory. The next week found him grinding again and muttering to himself on unusual occasions in a way that startled and alarmed his family. And all the term when he was wanted to work around the house or to join in the family amusements, he would groan and complain and finallv refuse because he had to give his time to studying those rules of Latin grammar. One morning near the close of the term, he reached school just in time to get into Latin be- fore the door was locked. As he dropped into his seat he noticed that there was a subdued sense of excitement in the room. Glancing up, he saw on the platform with Miss Burke — hor- ror of all horrors — Dr. Strong, one of the Latin professors from the University. Come to examine us, whispered George Allen from behind nervously. Glory hallelujah, I ' ll bet I ' ll spoil the whole class, thought Robert to himself. I wish I was sick, he reflected. Then, as he saw Miss Burke looking ruefully at him, as if she remembered his past failures, he added grimly, and I guess she wishes so too. (TO BE CONTINUED.)