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

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ink pot some day THIN sfreams of sunlighf invaded fhe warm, somnolenf afmosphere of fhe nursery. Soff blue drapes flapped occasionally againsf fhe window panes. Af fhe foof of fhe blue enamel crib a huge police dog reclined, his powerful body sfrefched full lengfh, recumbenf buf alerf. As fhe young woman came info fhe room, his ears rose sfiffiy and a long grey fail fhumped slowly, ioyfully under lhe crib. Bul' when she passed him wifh a careless caress. he reclined info a wafchful and pensive affifude. His greaf. soulful eyes absorbed fhe overwhelming love she felf for fhe finy creafure in 'rhe crib. lf was such a peculiar creafure: Czar had never seen anofher like if. lf had soff. yellow hair. and greaf big blue eyes, and affer she fed if milk from a boffle if would gurgle and wave ifs finy arms abouf in circular mofion. Rafher fufile acfions, Czar fhoughf, anyway quife be- yond fhe comprehension of a canine mind. Whaf annoyed Czar mosf was fhe facf fhal' fhaf liffle creafure demanded so much affenfion. Up unfil The pasf year he was accusfomed fo being pampered and peffed and made rafher imporfanfg when com- pany came, he was allowed fo display his reperfoire of fricks-and fhen was praised for is cleverness. Buf fhe infrusion of fhis obnoxious liflle creafure reduced him fo fhe lowly posifion of a mere wafchdog-which was far below his dignify. lf was springfime, and fhe budding crocuses on fhe lawn reminded her of her new- born child. As she 'rhoughf of him. bubbles of ecsfasy rose and fell wifhin her breasf, and her lips curved in a smile. She realized fhaf all mofhers musf feel as she did, fhe beaufy of her new possession. lf was marvelous and a liffle frighfening fo have fhe opporfunify of shaping a life fo her own will. She had read somewhere fhaf every child was born wifh almosf similar endowmenfs, and lhaf environmenf and fraining formed fhe real basis for characfer. ' She had such plans for her darling's fufure. Firsf she would make him aware of all fhe beaufy accessible fo man: of 'rhe pure beaufy of nafure, of 'rhe s mbolic beaufy of music, arf. and liferarure, of The philosophical beauly in man himself! and his world of science. ln a year or fwo. perhaps. she would play fo him: fhus he would recognize fhe classics al' a very early age and derive a complefe safisfacfion from fhem when he be- came mafure enough fo undersfand music. As soon as he could concenfrafe she musf read fo him, and some day. when he had developed an insafiable curiosify for knowl- edge. she would ply him wifh all sorfs of books. When he would be abouf six, she could inifiafe him info fhe fascinafing world of creafive expression. Perhaps he would learn fo appreciafe arf: he mighf even culfivafe fhe desire fo spread if more widely so fhaf ofhers mighf benefif from whal he had learned. Thar is where his academic educafion would be imporfanf. His general knowledge would give him culfural foundafion, a fruer perspecfive, a balanced sfandard of value. Buf she would never force her own prejudices and opinions on him: she would place a wealfh of maferial before him and he would make his own choice. Perhaps from fhe complex order of all fhis he mighf discern fhe difference befween really living and merel exisfing. She knew fhaf fhe child mighf nor be able fo fuhfill any of her ambifions because fhere would be legion exfernal forces which musf influence his developmenf: and she knew fhaf even if he did nof comply wifh her ideals she would confinue fo love him iusf as fiercely as before. She would live again in her child: she would share his ioys and his hearfaches-fhaf was fhe greaf giff of mofherhood-anofher life. From among fhe safin coverlefs an infanf's profesfing voice arose. A+ firsf if whined: fhen cried, and as ifs cries were unaswered, if lapsed info a series of sfaccafo bellows which became more and more annoying fo Czar's peace of mind. He cocked fhirly

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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

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ink pot his head fo one side and liffed himself fo his haunches for a momenf. His brighf eyes narrowed and his chops fighfened againsf sharp, whife feefh in a slow and sinisfer sneer. The cries of fhe child grew louder and louder-fhen wifh one piercing shriek fhey ceased. The young mofher was abouf fo order several pounds of pofafoes when she felf a sudden fighfening in fhe region of her hearf. Wifh a deep sense of apprehension she Ieff wifhouf complefing her purchases and hurried homewards fo her child. The walk seemed much longer now, fhe air colder and less friendly. As she walked along her sfeps became shorfer and quicker and finally she became panicky and broke info a run. The house was ferribly quief as she enfered, and somehow she could nof find fhe key fo fhe Iafch-and when she did her frembling fingers could nof summon fhe sfrengfh fo furn fhe lock. Buf somehow she found herself wifhin her own home and, hurrying fhrough fhe rooms she came fo The fhreshold of fhe nursery. She fhrew open fhe door and, glancing inside, uffered an almosf inaudible gasp of horror, drew her hand fo her fhroaf and slumped info an unconscious mass .... RUTH HORWITZ, '37. the art of eating spaghetti ONE of fhe fhings which worry people is fheir fable manners. There are many fancy. dainfy dishes wifh which one comes in confacf, buf perhaps fhe mosf horrible fo masfer, as an arf, is spagheffi. Spagheffi, when cooked, mainfains fhe appearance of ifs uncooked sfafe, buf is more flexible and, fherefore, does nof sfay on fhe fork. Any- body will admif fhaf if is sudden and shocking, when fhe food is pracfically in fhe moufh, fo bife down, only +o find buf a fork befween fhe feefh. The only fhing fo do is fo look on fhe plafe and acl' surprised fo find fhe same spagheffi, waifing noncha- Ianfly for anofher chance. In fhe firsf place. spagheffi should never be served on any fesfive occasion. If if is served when one is being enferfained af fhe home of a friend. The only fhing fo do is fo fail fo lower one's vocabulary fo profanify. Perhaps I would never make a feacher. buf I should advise anybody. who wishes fo eaf spagheffi successfully, fo pur- chase a funnel af fhe nearesf hardware sfore. The funnel should be selecfed so fhaf if fifs fhe size of fhe moufh. The spagheffi is fhen under fhe besf confrol fhaf can be ex- pecfed, and can be poured genfly info fhe moufh wifh fhe ufmosf success. JEAN S. CASSRIEL, '37 longing N LONG fo walk a barren field or lie face upward on a hill and wafch fhe sky sparkle wifh silver. I wish I were a shepherd of whife sheep ouf on fhe hills, and for fheir sake musf keep awake. I would see fhe radiance of fhe sky and fhe rapfure of fhe slow sfars marching by, 'rhe near ones brighf, fhe far ones very dim. I long for magnificenf beaufy, black glossy hair, black sparkling eyes, brighf wifh infelligence-so lovely fhaf people would call me divine-so fair fhaf I would fake fhe breafh ouf of fhe very souls of gods and morfals. Beaufy-fhe supreme giff of God! Buf all we can do is long for if. FANNIE MILLER, '39, . fhirfy-one