Bloomington High School - Aepix Yearbook (Bloomington, IL)

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THE AEGIS 17 1 9 3 7 GEORGE SLOAN In 1937 the class of '17 will have bee11 out in the world for twenty years. Who will be the statesman, who the money master, and who the literary genius? At the same time that these students graduate, thousands of others all over the country will do the same. They, too, are ambitious. They, too, are sure that their class contains the brilliant successes of the future. These are not mere day- dreams. Anything may happen. Who can tell! In 1872 a nine-year-old southern boy was compelled to work twelve hours a day in a glass factory, due to the untimely death of his father. But he kept his eyes open, and soon got a job as a bell-boy, in the hotel across the river from his home. He soon worked up to night-clerk, and then took over the bowling alley, and within four years had ten thousand dollars in the bank, and had spent half as much more on a home for his mother a11d sister. One day a newspaper informed him that in Buffalo there was arising a giant twelve-story structure with a thousand offices within its walls. I'll get the restaurant privileges, he said. After many difficulties he made a success of it. With two hundred thou- sand dollars from his restaurant, and three hundred thousand more fborrowedj, he built the Inside Inn,f' at the St. Louis World's Fair. At the end of the summer he took back an additional two hundred thousand to Buffalo, for his summer 's work. Then he built the hostlery in Bufalo, across from the restaurant. which bears his name, and in rapid succession, one at Detroit, and Cleveland, and he will soo11 put into operation the largest hotel in the world, containing two thousand, two hundred rooms, opposite the Pennsylvania Terminal in New York. If you know anything about the hotel business you have probably heard of him,- E. M. Statler. In 1908, a bright young salesman succeeded in landing a big lot of orders for cars. Then he found that his firm was ready to go into bankruptcy. He took over the factory, without a cent of capital, and managed to put through the year, by using the money taken in on one car to pay for the materials for another. When he took over the shop, he was thousands of dollars in debt. This was in January, 1908, and by August 15, the debts were all paid. Hi inventory showed assets of forty-eight thousand dollars. On thi as capital, he made and sold four thousand, sixty-five cars the next year 09095, clearing over one million dollars. With a shoestring and lots of hard work, this man, John North Willys, built a sixty-eight million dollar corporation in nine years. Three years ago a studious-looking young man-he was then twenty-nine years old,-came to New York City. He had only a few dollars in his pocket. But his head was full of ideas and he did know business principles. He entered the Pyrene Manufacturing Company as a salesman. In six months he was sales- manager. Then he was put in charge of advertising. In 1916, the president of the Pyrene Company, a million dollar corporation, resigned. The Board of Directors elected the studious-looking young man President. He had been with the firm less than two years. From no job to presidency of a huge corporation at the age of thirty-one! The name of this young man is C. Louis Allen.

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16 THE AEGIS Jim Worth turned the last corner and almost skidded through a plate glass window. By J ove! The office was dark, as he had feared. The paper was off the press. As he crossed the street, he noted the coldly malicious stare with which the greasy windows reflected the moonlight. Jim turned the key, and a moment later stood in the press room, where the papers lay, neatly stacked for the carriers. The lights flashed on, and by their merciless glare the unfortunate young editor recognized on the front page of the paper, till limp from the press, a familiar, smiling face and the inscription, Ever yours, Marian. With a groan Jim Worth peeled off his coat, found a pair of shears and set to work. Two hours later the startled policeman awoke from his snooze long enough to watch a suspicious looking character with a queer bundle under his arm, slowly trudge along Main Street. It was a tired young city editor who walked into the office of the Star on the next afternoon and gave surly answers to all inquiries. And it was an irate lot of subscribers who kept the phones jangling all day, to find out why the upper right hand corner of their papers was missing. They never received any definite information on that topic. But in the bottom of Jim Worth 's trunk lies a great heap of printed repro- ductions of the smiling face of a certain young lady who signs herself Marian, and for some unknown reason Jim gets all his personal mail at home. A PLEA JUx,1A HENNINGIQR Of all the torments, all the cares, With which our lives are cursedg Of all the plagues a student bears, The finals are the worst! ' ' Misery loves company, ' ' Said a wise man long ago. In finals, too, we joy to find Companions in our woe. O Teacher, surely you can see That fears do wrack my breast. I beg that you will favor me, E'en tho' you slight the rest. How great 0 e'er your rigors are With them alone I'd cope, I can 't endure my own despair And see another's hope.

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18 THE AEGIS So it is all over the United States. Big executives of enormous corporations are literally begging for men for big positions. ln Boston, in February of this year, a certain firm advertised for a General Manager. Salary 350,000 to start, and one hundred thousand after making good. Yet many young men go around complaining, and as an excuse for their idleness, say that there is not a chance, any more. Instead of lacking the opportunities of our forefathers, we are much more fortunate. The rebuilding of Europe, awakened China, the wonderful riches of South America, the virgin Mexico, the undeveloped Alaska, the wealth of Australia, the natural resources of Africa-all-await the ambitious young man of today. Never before has apportunity been so great, never before has for- tune smiled so sweetly upon the youth starting out to make his way. The last generation has opened the path, it is for the young men and young women of the present to finish the work which has already been begun. Thus, of the class of 1917, who will be the great public leader, who the power in the financial world. and who the famous writer? I wonder. I wonder! THE AEGIS HAROIID GREENE Perhaps to the overburdened minds of our readers, there has been vague uncertainty as to why our deep thinking predecessors imposed the name Aegis upon the recording book of many generations of High School students. lt is my avowed purpose to remove this state' of uncertainty from your minds. Herein I will give a short synopsis of the Aegis's life history. Those of you who have been exposed to Greek mythology will doubtless recognize The Aegis as being the sacred shield of Jupiter, who was king of all Gods. The Aegis was made for him by Vulcan, the God of fire. This shield derived its name from its covering Aegis which is the Greek word for Goat Skin. tlt might be well, gentle reader, to inform you here that our Aegis is not of goat skin, although it may skin. some guufs.J As God of aerial phenomena Jupiter could, by shaking the Aegis, produce storms, tempests, and intense darkness. Now it was well known among the gods that Minerva was the favorite daughter of Jupiter, consequently she was subject to the envy of the lesser gods. Jupiter seeing this, bestowed the Aegis upon Minerva as her protection from all danger. She was permitted to hurl the thunder, control the elements, and lastly, but greatest of all, to pro- long the life of man by guarding his truthfulness, character, and all virtues. So it was that she was the Goddess of Wisdom, with the Aegis, the eternal protector of wisdom and virtue. Minerva always used the Aegis against tyrannical oppression and for the general welfare of mankind. In the center of the famous shield was the head of Medusa, bordered with serpents and covered with dragon scales. Upon looking at the Aegis, the observer was instantly turned to stone by the influence of the head of Medusa.