Birmingham High School - Piper Yearbook (Birmingham, MI)

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interview willy Rev. I-Muienlmcdb Mary E. Staley We were seated in Dr. Aulenbech's office,wait1ng for him to arrive. Through the open door came a mixture of sounds---voices lifted in a hymn, punctuated by, nLet's try that part againgn hurrying steps in the corridor and on the stairsg the jingling of keysg much conversation and running about. Presently the sexton came in and left an armload of sleek, green palms, then hastened away again. Ub- viously the day before Palm Sunday is a busy Soon we heard a firm, swinging step'and Aulenbach. At sight of us, his slight frown with a welcoming light. NHello, there,--glad our hands heartily. We had interrupted him one at the church. a familiar voice, and there was Dr. vanished, and the fine eyes kindled to see youln he exclaimed, gripping on one of his busiest days, yet he could be glad to see us and willing to give of his precious time! WI suppose this interview business seems like a big joke to you?n I began uncertainly. 'Vhy, not at all---I feel honored,n he assured me, seating himself at the desk. Wwhat would you like me to talk about?' NTell us about yourself---how you happened to go into the ministrylu we begged. WVell,n he began reflectively, NI was brought up in the church---wanted to become a parson from the time I was eight or nine. I used to put on my mother's apron and preach a sermon to my sister, who was the congregation.n Thus the story began. He taught Sunday school when he was only fourteen,and at sixteen was in charge of the junior group,which, although a difficult one, he managed very successfully. As dently amb1t1ous,snd felt that world during his lifetime as a to the Philadelphia slums and and women, entreating them to fami1ies.Qn one of these occa- left. Thisdwas rather discon- his sermong and presently the meat under his arm! ed him to become a business this end in view, he was sent distasteful this may have been bility at an early age: for as a boy of seventeen he was ar- he could reform the whole parson. Sometimes he went in- spoke earnestly to erring men reform and return to their sions,a man rose abruptly and certing,but the boy continued man returned, a package of Dr. Aulenbach's parents want- man, not a parsong and with to business school! However to the young manJhe showed a- a youngster of twelve he went around on roller skates selling newspapers, and was so successful that he was o- bliged to hire an assistant! After the war,during which he served as a Ngobu in the navy, he wanted to go to college. He had only sixty-five dollars in the world, but after talking over his problem with the dean he entered Swarthmore College. At the end of the year he owed something like two hundred and sixty-five dollars. First he followed the example of some fellows he knew and worked on a trol- ley car, collecting fares. That summer his real opportunity came when Dr. George Miller,his first parson and early inspiration, came to him and offered him a po- sition as substitute at a little welfare parish nearby. Ho accepted without hes- itationg although he was only twenty, by the end of the summer he had become so necessary to the little parish that he was asked to stay. This first salary en- abled him to pay his college expenses. 'Did you know when you started college how you would pay your expensesi' WNQ, I didn't have any idea. But if I had waited until I had the money, I might never have gone. I don't believe in being too cautiousg for instance, when a young couple say to me that they aren't getting married because they haven't enough money,my advice to them is to go ahead. The chancesfcontinued on page 561 24

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Interview with English Boys' Ciboit Mary E. Staley '35 One evening in March, St.James Church was filled to capacity with men, wo- men, and children who had flocked from all parts of Birmingham,eager to hear the sweet voices of the English Boy Choristers. The choir had had large audiences at every performance during its good will tour of America,and that night was no ex- ceptiong for the little church was so full that many stood throughout the entire service, or sat on the steps just inside the street door. They were like twelve young angels standing there before the altar, with their little faces so bright and earnest as they sang, and with silver crosses flashing against snowy robes in the soft candle-glow. There was a simplicity and sincerity about their singing that was particularly beautiful, and went straight to the listeners hearts. Then the young choristers blended their voices into lovely chords and closed the service with Stainer's WSevenfo1d Amen.n Afterwards when they had exchanged their vestmente for street clothes, they were twelve little boys once more, all talking at once and noisily comparing im- pressions. 'I like this church,H said one. WIt'e so nice and homelike.u NI'm glad we had oranges for dessert tonight,n sighed another. NEvery place we've been, they've given us ice cream, and I'm so tired of it.N He was asked if the boys had a special diet. nDiet!N he snorted indignantly. HI should say not! I wou1dn't be here if we had a dietln Asked what type of songs he preferred to sing, onefcontinued on page 635 23

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1 ,r .Y ,J oo Reviews , ss!!rlf s t ....1 ?. New York,l954J mn Foamy nlys or Musl nlcn by Franz werfel. Cvaking Press, In this, his latest book, Mr. Werfel has surpassed himself. well to say that the story depicts the continual strife between Armenians,that it is based on an obscure,little known incident of and that the feeling between the followers of Mohammed and the still persecuted Christians are portrayed clearly and without prejudice. It is all very the Turks and the World War, However,nothing can be said that will impress the reader as much as reading even a few pages of this lengthy book. Even the casual reader, who may pick it up merely out of curiosity, is caught and held by a mysterious force which he is powerless to resist. True, it is depressing, sad, and even disgusting, but there is always that note of hope and optimism that right will triumph over right. C Based on the defense of Musa Dagh in l9l5,the book tells in detail the out- rages suffered by the Armenians at the hands of the Turks. Gabriel Bagradian, an Armenian, and his French wife,Juliette, are the principal figures in this story. Gabriel,considered a foreigner by the Armenians in his native village because of his long residence in.Europe, takes matters in hand and guides the destlnies of is strange. Though Irish, he looks like any native his people. Realizing the possibilities in this event, the author has written this very long novel superbly and with sympathy and understanding. KIM by Rudyard Kipling. fDoubleday, Page and Company, Garden Gity,New York 1926. This classic is a favorite of young and old alike, and in it Kipling is at his best.He has used all of India as the background for this novel, and his pic- tures are clear and forceful. The mystery, beauty, and enchantment, the squalor and filth of India, are plain to the reader. The story of Kim's boyhood in India is strange and thrilling. Kim, himself, and speaks his mother-tongue in 'a clipped uncertain sing-song.n Used to shifting for himself, he runs into all kinds of queer and interesting people and plays casually at the Great Game of intrigue as a member of the British Secret Service. He becomes the chela or disciple of an old Tibetan lama and with him wanders up and down the length and breadth of India ln search of the River of the Arrow. Though Kim is a very extraordinary boy,Kipling never overdraws him.He lives in a colorful atmosphere and has interesting experiences, but always he is a thoroughly human young boy with much the same feelings as other boys of his age The book is illustrated with prints from paintings by Kipling's father, who served for some years as the curator of the museum at Lahore. ----Victoria Gellatly 25