Bourne High School - Canal Currents Yearbook (Bourne, MA)

Page 10 text:

8 APTUCXET A MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL ‘December’ ' H OW quickly the time has gone since we again took up our studies at Bourne High. It seems only yesterday that we entered this great institution of learning, and now, here it is December and half the school term practically ended. December is a memorable month of the year. It was on the 20 :h of December, in 1620, when those stern Pilgrim fathers set their feet on the rock-bound coast of our state. These ' ‘religious outcasts” settled down and proved an important factor in the foundation of this New World. Approaching more recent years, we find that Wilbur Wright made his first flight in a power-driven aeroplane in December of 1903. This great event marks a score for the advancement of aviation. Since then aviation has progressed rapidly until today men are soaring through the heavens like birds. Then, again, comes Christmas, a time of joy and goodwill to- wards men. As the Yuletide spirit overcomes us, our hearts are filled with kindness and love towards our fellowmen. In our joy, how many of us think of the poor and needy people who do not have sufficient means to buy presents and other luxuries, and, in some cases, not enough funds to purchase necessary food and cloth- ing? Let us try to spread joy, for it always comes back to us. Editor The Staff of the “Aptucxet” wishes to thank Mrs. H. L. Colbeth for her very generous and helpful assistance in securing advertisements for the Junior class magazine. The Staff wishes, also, to express its appreciation to Miss Marr, our Commer- cial teacher, and to Elizabeth Sanford and Eleanor Tassinari of the Senior class for their assistance with the typing of the magazine material. The Staff extends, also, its grateful thanks and appreciation to Mr. Coady, our principal, for his ever ready help and encouragement.

Page 9 text:

B OURNE HIGH SCHOOL 7 V. Question: What do you think about the Washington Trip? Answer: I believe that the city of Washington is the most interesting city in the whole world, and that it is wonderful thing for boys and girls to have an opportunity to see all the interesting things in our nation ' s Capitol. The trip itself is educational, and if it were not for the few, the very few, who forget that they are representatives of the high school, there would be little adverse comment on the trip. The only serious objection that I see to the Washington trip is it takes too much of the time and energy of the high school student to raise the money involved. The present Senior class has had to raise about a $1,000, and that is indeed a task. Within two or three years the Senior class will be called upon to raise from $1,200 to $1,500, in order to take this trip. To raise this money, plus keeping up in the school work is a difficult undertaking, particularly because it usually happens that a few do most of the work. Any other objection that might be raised to taking the Washington Trip might be met through cooperation and intelligent regulations. The question of raising the necessary funds is something else again. VI. Question: Should the School Magazine have the same name each year? Answer: Yes. Almost the best way of developing an interest in a school magazine is to give it the same name each year, so that those who graduate will look for the yearly issue. We live in a community that is distinctive and there surely is some name that would awaken interest in the magazine. Some such name as, “The Canal Log, “Canal Currents,’’ “Cape Cod Fly Leaf,’’ would appeal to local interest and pride, and a tradition would be established. [ j I j i I To Miss Tapper, our Faculty Adviser, the Junior | magazine staff extends their heartiest thanks for the | help and advice she was always willing and happy to | give us. I i

Page 11 text:

BOURNE HIGH SCHOOL 9 APTUCXET Plymouth Colony’s First Trading Post T his ancient landmark was established in 1627 by Gover- nor William Bradford and others of the Plymouth Col- ony, at the beginning of the ancient Manamet. Portage across the isthmus of Cape Cod near the mouth of Manamet River (now the western end of the Cape Cod Canal at Bourne, Massa- chusetts) for the purpose of more conveniently and safely carrying on trade with the people to the southward. Here, for many years the Dutch from New Amsterdam, now New York, used to bring sugar, tobacco, linen cloth, “Holland finer and coarser stuffs” to trade with the Plymouth colonists. The Englishmen, by another creek on the north side of the Cape (the Scusset River) brought their furs to within four or five miles, at what is now Sagamore, and then portaged them to their Man- amet store — APTUCXET — to “avoyd the compassing of Cape- Codd and those deangerous shoulds; and so make any vioage to ye southward in much shorter time, and with farr less danger.” From the correspondence of Governor Bradford, and from his history “Of Plimoth Plantation,” it has been found that this Trading Post not only played a most vital part in the financial struggles of the early settlers, but appears to have been what truth- fully may be called the Cradle of American Commerce. In the spring of 1627 the leaders of the Plymouth Colony de- cided that if the debts of the plantation were to be liquidated, the trade of the colony would have to be placed in the hands of a syndicate which would and could control the entire situation, assume all debts and pay them off in a much shorter time than if each member of the company were to trade on h’S own account. They drew up what has, so far, proved to have been the first business contract written and signed in America. This contract (given verbatim in Governer Bradford’s Letter Book), specifically referring to th is country. Because of this and the present world- wide development of our great industries and the creation on this side of the Atlantic of the world’s financial center, this little trad- ing post at once assumes a unique position of national historic in- terest. From it, as one of the very first of the important outposts in New England — and hence in America — has developed the world commerce of the nation. It comes near being zero mile- stone, if not THE zero milestone of our commercial progress.