Bristol High School - Green and White Yearbook (Bristol, RI)

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16 THE GREEN AND WHITE “BLACK” The word black is one of the most picturesque and most widely used words in the English language, but comparatively few of us ever really stop to consider its actual significance. Before we go on, let us consult the learned Mr. Webster, and determine his views upon the subject. Black. Mr. Webster would lead us to believe, has a variety of meanings, among which are—“destitute of light; of the darkest hue ; opposed to white ; enveloped in darkness ; dismal, gloomy or forbidding; destitute of moral light or goodness; atrocious; evil; calamitous; threatening; clouded with anger; sullen. Certainly it isn't a word to inspire or cheer a man ! In substance of this, let us say the word over to ourselves slowly: B-L-A-C-K! Immediately, so the psychologists tell us, we experience a feeling of revulsion, a subconscious fear, a certain, nameless terror. Our fear is not a definite, matter-of-fact emotion; a threatening, fear-inspiring, sensuously evil web has clogged our minds, and drugged them in its meshes. We are, to use a psychological term, self-hypnotized. Obviously, black is a potent word. To begin with, the universe was conceived in darkness, for after God had created the earth he said, “Let there be light, and there was light!” God used the power of this darkness that he had created with the earth in a number of cases, in fact nearly every incident in the Bible is connected in some way with darkness. For example, one of the seven plagues of Egypt was a period of intense darkness; God gave Moses “The Ten Commandments at night, in the midst of a thunder storm; the angel appeared to Mary at night; Jesus was born at night; Joseph fled into Egypt with Mary and Joseph at night; and most significant of all, a three-hour period of utter darkness fell upon the earth when Christ was crucified. Black has, from time immemorial, been a symbol of sin and evil. Night is considered the time when criminals and addicts of evil roam abroad. The black flag, also referred to as the Black-Jack,” is the “trade-mark’’ of piracy. Who has never heard of a blackguard, a blackhearted scoundrel, or the ‘blacksheep” of a family. A “black list” is a list composed of undesirable persons, a “black leg” is a person who endeavors to obtain money by cheating at races or cards, and to “black-ball” an undesirable person is to bar him from membership in a society or organization. Black is acknowledged as a symbol of depression and pessimism. Who among us has never heard of anyone with a dark past or one who has a black future? A dictionary will tell us that a pessimist is one who looks on the dark side of life, and a certain well known proverb states that, “It is darkest just before dawn !”Blackhasalwavs been used to represent gloom and despair, and a storm is heralded by dark. lowering clouds. Finally, the psychologist tell us that the best way to punish a wrongdoer is to place him in a depressing environment ; a child is punished by being placed in a dark closet, and there is an ancient and honorable custom of confining a particularly obnox- ious criminal in a dark dungeon. Who is not more or less afraid of the dark? Most significant of all, black is undeniably the symbol of death ! Black is the color worn by one in mourning; the vulture and raven, generally associated with death, are “raven black. “Black cattle” are cattle raised expressly for slaughter! The executioner is always dressed in black, and the black-cap” is the cap worn bv a judge when pronouncing sentence of death. Many more examples of the widespread use of black might be set forth, but it would only be expanding this article to unnecessary length, as the material already presnted must have convinced the reader of the true significance of that most picturesoue of words—BLACK! GEORGE H. WILSON. ’34. -------- -------- PILLS (With apologies to Edgar Allen Poe’s “Bells”) See the doctor with the pills. Horrid pills! How many of them do we eat against our own sweet will. How we swallow, swallow, sallow A glass of luke warm water Which the durn pill will not follow, But hides in some throaty hollow, As if composed of tar and mortar! While we choke, choke And at our throat we poke. Contemplating not to pay the doctor’s blamed old bill For the pills, pills, pills, pills, Pills, pills, pills, For the whitish and the greenish horrid pills. See the vellow headache pills. Golden pills. What a mass of nerves that pill must kill! Though they are a pretty sight They are to me no shining light! From their glassy walled vials Keep me afar! For a pill I'd walk a mile, That statement is the cause for my unchecked smile-Rather eat the jar! So prav the land where no prescriptions are filled For the pills, pills, pills, pills. For the large and choking, worthless pills! Pills, pills, pills. ELEANOR RAF., ’34. --------- -------- Tall. Reaching into the very heavens. Its slender, shapely, form Rising majestically over Manhattan’s disjointed skyline, The Empire building. V. C. OTTEN, ’34. —-------- -------- Mr. Walker—“What insecticide would you use to destroy insects, enemies of the cabbage ? Doran—“Flit.”

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18 THE GREEN AND WHITE THE TICK OF A CLOCK When one is alone ami everything is very quiet, one otten connects the tick ot the tall, stately, old clock in the hall with many other sounds of the world. How strange and quiet it seems for one to listen to that old clock as it ticks away the time. How many things that clock which has ticked faithfully for many years mu.- [ know! And yet it never ceases its steady tick-tock all through the days and nights, the weeks, the months, and the years. It never hurries but ticks slowly and steadily as if it would never stop. Sometime at dusk when things are apt to be quiter than usual, it reminds one of a doomed prisoner as he walks along in tick-tock pace through the gloomy discouraging corridors to his dreadful fate. Then again on a bright summer afternoon it might remind one of a joyful tune keeping time with the dancing sun on the window pane. Sometimes one wonders if the faithful old clock really knows its effect on the world and if it could speak what sad or pleasant tales it might tell. But it ticks on, faithful to all its masters and mistresses and when ;t grows so old that it ceases to tick, it will be carefully put away but will always be remembered by all who knew it. PEGGY SISSON. ’35. -------- -------- SPRING The skies are once more blue. The grass is wet with dew; The sun shines brightly once again, Senditig a warm message to Earth, its friend. The crocuses peep o’er the ground. To brighten the winding lanes around; The May flowers and the arbutus creep Oer the meadows, a message of Spring to speak. The air with sounds again is filled, Nature’s resurrection once more thrills. Filling with joy the hearts of men, Merely at the signs of Spring. Mother Nature is doing her share To welcome hack this daughter fair; The trees stretch forth their branches green, While the breezes murmur, there, unseen. Spring to me will always be A symbol of blissful eternity; Every shrub, every flower, in the Spring, The glory of God in its own wav sings. GILDA PROTO, 1934. ------ ------- Harriet West in 1940—“My husband had a hope chest, too, before we were married.” Cleta Connors—“For mercy sakes! What was in it?’’ Harriet—“A bushel of socks—he hoped someone would darn them. THE ENTERPRISE AND ITS VOYAGE The Enterprise is the name of a small English cutter, owned by Mr. Barber of England. This boat has one mast, is painted black and white, and is about 36 feet long. There is an engine in this boat so that it there isn’t enough wind to sail the boat, the engine power can be used. This engine was installed by the Herreshoff Mfg. Co. of Bristol, when Mr. Barber was here. Mr- Barber left England in this boat in the Winter of 1932. He sailed on the Atlantic Ocean for a number of days, finally reaching Bathrust, on the West Coast of Africa, in 1933. Somewhere on this voyage Mr. Barber picked up a young man, named Bob Stewart. These two men became very good friends. Mr. Barber and Bob took some very interesting, but dangerous trips into the interior of Africa. On these trips they caught insects and bats, and they took many beautiful pictures of the country and animals. The insects and bdts were taken to a museum. After sailing around Africa they set out again in the sailboat, this t'ime for the United States- It took them about -S3 days to sail from Africa to New York. They remained in New cork for a few days, and then set out again. This time they sailed for Bristol, Rhode Island, arriving here on November 26th, 1933. The boat became becalmed oc of Prudence Island was towed into Bristol by Captain Herbert Warner. The above information was given to Mr. Warner bv the owner of the boat. One day in March, 1934, this boat again left for Africa, this itme taking on it a crew of three. The new member of the crew was a young man from Barrigton, R. I. On this trip there will be a great many stops along the coast line of the U. S- “ELIZABETH WARNER. 1934.” ------- ------- A STORM What is that? Yes, it is the patter of rain on the window pane. Listen, what else do I hear? The splash of raindrops as they fall in the puddles already formed on the pavements, the slush of people's feet as they pass, mothers calling to their children ; windows being closed, doors slamming, the wind blowing through the trees, and the carpenters next-door hurrying to put away their tools. The rain and the wind are increasing, making it seem as if the very heavens, themselves, have opened. The gutters are full and a queer singing noise made by the tires of the automobiles is the only sound now heard; the pedestrians having sought shelter from this sudden down pour. How hard it is raining! Ah yes. the downpour is lessening and the sky is becoming lighter. The rain has nearlv stopped now. The wind is dying down, and the children are again shouting and playing. glad to be out after being shut in for what probablv seemed to them an exceptionally long time. The birds have awakened to sing and bathe themselves in the raindrops remaining on the trees. At last the sun breaks through for one minute before it sets. B. S. HUESTIS, ’35.