Calhoun School - Ink Pot Yearbook (New York, NY)

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ink pot the simile ff0NE! Two! Three! Four! Accen+ on fhe firsf beaf! Oh, you exasperafing child! The liffle girl siffing on a piano bench dropped her fear-filled eyes and sfared af feef fhaf dangled high above fhe floor. Pay affenfion fo fhe music, ordered fhaf obnoxious voice, and fhe child focused her eyes upon fhe incomprehensible sheef of nofes once more. Buf she could nof con- cenfrafeq her fhoughfs reverfed fo fhe evenfs of an hour ago. Wifh chagrin she re- called 'rhe ecsfasy of whizzing down fhe ice-packed hill on a sleigh, fhe wind beafing againsf her cheeks, her liffle puppy frolicking beside her. Piano lessons were so firesomez and fhe faf, sfern woman siffing beside her was ferrifying. Oh, how happy I shall be when fhis is over, she mused, and wi'rh an inaudible sigh, sfrefched her pudgy, shorf fingers across fhe keys. Those fingers losf fheir awkwardness as fhey grew. The muscles developed and fhe fissue befween fhe ioinfs became flexible. The liffle girl had acquired a cerfain degree of fechnique: buf fhe keyboard sfill remained formidable, and pracficing one hour, fhen fwo, fhen fhree was a frial. So affer a while fhe liffle girl was allowed fo sfop her music, and she ioyfully reverfed fo play. Buf playing had losf ifs fhrill, and as fime wenf on, fhe ga which her music leff seemed fo grow larger and larger unfil she reached fhe sfafe wfiere she could analyze her feelings: she knew fhaf music was a parf of her. Then she declared fhaf she would resume her sfudy. This firne she was inspired by a feacher who was sympafhefic and encouraging. The firsf fime fhey mei he had smiled in a friendly fashion and. running his fapered fingers fhrough her hair, he remarked, People wifh plenfy of curls make good musi- cians. He had a remarkable sense of humor and lessons were like advenfures. Each week broughf zesf fo his pupil, and as her eyes were opened fo The vasf sfores of liferafure she became more and more enfhusiasfic. Her work was a ioy and a revelafion. Three hours of pracfice were no longer a fask, buf a pleasure and a relief. They became necessary for her peace of mind, an ouflef for emofions, supreme momenfs of self- expression. A golden-haired child playing in 'rhe sun, fhe vivid colors of aufumn leaves, a preffy picfure, a piece of sculpfure. or a pleasing book were impressions melded info her music. This medium was so much more adequafe fhan language of fhe fongue! Buf fhe girl was only enjoying a childish pasfime. Music was sfill anofher form of amusement She failed fo gef fhe composer's messages. She only played and felf, buf she did nof hear fhe resulfs. l-ler fones lacked qualify and depfh. Her music lacked undersfanding. Gradually fhe rapid progress slowed up and fhen halfed. Bofh 'reacher and pupil had come fo an impasse. Suddenly fhe girl was faken away from her accusfomed surroundings. She suffered greafly because, being young, she felf fhaf all was losf, friends, school and, mosf im- porfanf of all, music feacher. ln her unhappiness, fhough, she became aware of fhe narrow scope of her pasf life and she began fo observe people in a differenf lighf. lf was possible for her fo fhink obiecfively, and fhen her music came fo life again. fwenfy-eighf

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ink pot if you will, sir THERE was no doubf abouf if: Geoffrey was more 'rhan an excellenf valef, He was superb. Indispensable, wifhouf a doubf. Imagine having To go on wifhouf him! Unheard of, for no one could equal Geoffre . Why, even his pafience was unmafched. Affer fwelve years of faifhful service, Geoffrey sfill prepared Mr. Ranf for his shower af nine every morning, and wifh almosl' clockalike regularify, waifed wifhouf, dressing robe in hand, Iisfenin fo his masfer. Now fake me, for insfance, Geoffrey. There was I, a babe in arms, handicapped from fhe very beginning because I was born of wealfhy parenfs. From The very firsf, I was desfined 'ro be a rich man's son. Buf nof for long! The spirif of democracy was in my blood: I was fhe na+ion's hope! I was youfh! . . . Oh-er, Geoffrey, furn down fhaf hof wafer a bif .... Tha+'s a boy! Fine! . . . Now ah, where was I? . . . Oh, yes! . . . Well, as I was saying, fhere was I, 'rhe nafion's hope! Youfhl Nof 'ro be downed by unforfunafe birfh! . . . Slowly buf sfeadily I made my way in fhe world. The name of Arlingfon Edward Rani' would live forever! . . . College, as you know, was an unforfunafe experience .... Buf I was young fhen, a Iad, and how was I fo realize fhaf work, and only work, makes fhe man? . . . Geoffrey, hand me a fowel, will you? . . . Thanks .... Onward, onward I pressed: forcing my way fhrough sham and freachery, my goal fhe fopl . . . Ah, my robe, Geoffrey .... Nof a penny of my fafher's money would I accepf. I was a man! A man sfanding on his own fwo feef, for beffer or for worse! Then . . . fhen came fhe crash. Ancl wifh if wenf my hopes . . . my dreams . . . my chances! . . . Bul' even fhaf could nof puf me down! I wenf fo work! My posifion was unimporfanf, buf a sfepping-sfone. I found if impossible, however, +o confinue There. Nof a place fo park my car within fwelve blocks! Again I wenf in search of work. If I may, sir, pleaded Geoffrey. , Yes, Geoffrey, I know .... You wanf fo say fhaf I sfill 'haven'f a posifion. No mafferl I sfill have my fighfing spirifl I shall reach fhe fop . . . evenfually. I beg 'ro say, sir, again inferrupfed Geoffrey. Geoffrey, I realize your senfimenfs. I+ is frue fhaf I am geffing on in years. . . . Buf greaf men have offen labored on unfil . . . I beg fo inferrupf, sir, buf fhe felephone, sir. Well, well, Geoffrey, why didn'f you say so? . . . Hello? H'are ya, Pafer? Whaf? Whafl? Fer gosh sakm, Pafer, whaf in fhe devil do ya expecf a guy fo live on? II s fhe fhird 'rime you've cuf my allowance fhis monfh! Have a hearf, Pafer! Why fhaf isn'f even enou h fo pay Geoffrey! . . . Whaf? . . . O. K. I'Il be righi' over. Drawing himseff 'ro his fullesf heighf, dignify prevailing, Arlingfon Edward Ran? addressed his man, As I was saying, Geoffrey . . . JEAN A. GREENBERG, '39. dejected ASHORT, dark, sfubby figure paced slowly up and down in fronf of a large fheafre. He wore a yellow sign before and affer him, proclaiming fhis fheafre unfair fo his acfors' sociefy. His red nose was badly in need of a handkerchief, and his suif and coal' badly in need of mending. I wonder, wifh all fhe wear and fear on his shoes, was his message heeded? MARGARET I-IESS, '40, fwenfy-seven

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ink pot Now she found a friend in a Cho in walfz. She found 'rhe same spirif and come- liness. She found his grace, poise, and ievify. Bach was anofher friend, a girl she had leff behind her. This composer's work was infricafe, difficulf fo undersfand, buf fascinafing because of fhe subfle design. fhe delighiful paffern his music formed. Her friend had been iusf like fhaf, infellecfual, complex, precise, and powerful. Schumann's Childhood Scenes represenfed a recenf acquainfance. The girl was warm, friendly, responsive, unsophisficafecl, and full of fhe ioy of life. Her per- sonalify was irresisfible, one loved her af sighf. This music was a symbol of her char- acfer: each phrase lenf undersfanding fo fheir friendship. All The drama of Tchaikowsky broughf an older person fo mind, a woman who had been very dear fo fhe sfudenfs of music. Her words had been deep and worldly- wise. She was moody buf so sfimulafing. Mozarf fypified a very dainfy person. One would have fo be facfful and diplo- mafic in dealing wifh fhis friend: in ofher words, fhe fechnique was difliculf. The slighfesf flaw would ruin a lovely effecf: similarly fhe friendship would be spoiled. In mutsiic misfakes are reparable, buf in dealing wifh human beings if is nof always possible fo o so. There were many ofher analogies, buf fhe lasf was very beaufiful. fhe Sonafa Pafhefiquef' by Beefhoven. This music reminded her of a boy of her own age, un- spoiled, impressionable, and adolescenf. The music is unresfrained, varying. Af fimes if is genfle and composed: fhen if is wild and impassioned. There are swiff changes from fhoughffulness fo impefuosify. If is full and vifal and complefely unselfish. Careful inferprefafion would disclose greaf pofenfialifies, buf if if is misfreafed if will remain an undisciplined mass. Sfirred by fhe infimacy of her lasf friendship fhe girl scribbled some hasfy nofes: perhaps fhe preceding narrafive will help fhe reader fo undersfand Them. l A person's soul is like a piece of music. Each individual may inferpref fhe compo- sifion as he likes, buf no fwo inferprefafions will be idenfical. The more mafure one grows fhe finer, more complefe significance one will affach fo any piece. There are several sfages of developmenf. Some sfudenfs of music only affain fhe elemenfary accomplishmenfs of fhe fechnique, a second group acfually reached fhe sfage of ex- pressing ifs own emofions reflecfed in fhe music, buf fhe fhird possesses a sensifivify developed fo such a sufficiency as fo be able fo capfure fhe emofion of 'rhe composer of fhaf bil' of music, fo undersfand fhe infricacies of a person's soul. This lasf sfafe is a full com rehension of fhe depfh of fhe piece. lfs undersfanding produces such a har- mony ofpsounds as fo fhrill an audience varied in degrees of sympafhy. If fakes prac- fice fo make a good musician, pracfice on more fhan one piece, on more fhan one person. However, fhe complefe or nearly complefe undersfanding of one piece leads fo an easier approach fo fhe nexf. A sfudenf of music musf be persisfenf and serious. and fully aware fhaf fhere are greaf quanfifies of fhings he does nof know. Above all he musf love fo creafe beaufy: he musi' be willing fo fif himself for feeling. Every branch of acfivify aids fhe sfudenf fo undersfanding. All fypes of sfudy help as fhey may be applied unconsciously. Learning fo make music, fo undersfand people is very difficulf, buf fhe conscienfious aspiranf derives an exfreme sense of pleasure and in- fense safisfacfion even from affempfing. RUTH HORWITZ, '37. fwenfy-nine