Cedar Grove Academy - Yearbook (Cincinnati, OH)

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Opportunity uwuitr you ut the Top! 'gMuke your class I000f29 for the Annual! These and similar slogans appearing on the bulletin board during the month of April aroused enthusiasm throughout the school. Our appeal met with ready response. The Seniors reached the brow of the hill first with the loyal Juniors in hot pursuit. Next, trudging bravely up the steep incline, came our Little Sisters . These were followed by the Sixth and Seventh grades, always good sports, who proved themselves good hikers as well. The Fourth and Fifth grades by their brisk strides soon overtook the leisurely Freshies. Our friends in the Eighth grade seemed to have gotten lost on the way but they found the trail before the game was over. The year book of '17 marks the completion of our activities at Cedar Grove. lt is a pleasure here to express our gratitude to all those who aided our venture. Es ecially do we appreciate our teacher's in- spiring and neverfailing uidjance. We are grateful to our subscription solicitors and to our afvertising managers whose unflagging energies made our Annual drive a success. H. W., '17 a. ,- ixhiklylflf -'ff' 'llfff' X x NX ex lf ,111 fig!! . i Ml ,, B., Jiff I , X .r ,Aj f gl A',f I fag, f 61

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The Roman Eipic - -fflijif fgq EEPLY implanted in the heart of every nation is an intense desire to it perpetuate the memory' of its heroes. Oriental peoples reared ,g rjvly colossal monuments to ibmmortalize their illustrious dead, but -the CJ l ,Sit professional bards of ancient Greece and Rome chanted the heroism of their countrymen in songs which should live and stir men's hearts ,. . .-.ua long after architectural tributes had crumbled to decay. ln the held of epic poetry, two widely different classes of composition are dis- cussed. The first includes that fund of legendary lore which invigorates a nation's youth-its cherished traditions of gods and heroes, its long struggles of love and war. In fact, it embodies all those things that vitally touch the heart of man. It may exist in scattered fragments welded into a whole by the genius of some heroic bard who gives spontaneous out-pouring to his divine possession. Such epics s ring from a remote period and can not originate in a state of advanced civilization. hey are designated in poetic discussion as the primitive or authentic epic. Of this class of writers, Homer is an unrivalled example. Of a far different character is the type known as the literary epic which is composed amid the influences of a highly developed social and political life. Scien- tific knowledge here distinguishes between historic fact and the fairyland of fancy. To write an epic that will endure, a poet must sing not only of heroic deeds, but he must weave into his narrative all the tangled threads which bind the strongest interests of civilized man. It is the pre-eminent glory of Virgil to have achieved this. In his magnificent epic, the Aeneid, he has reared an artistic monument, not meant to eclipse, but to do honor to his predecessors. Virgil borrows copiously from nearly every older master, but he is by no means in mental bondage to any of them. lt seems remarkable that the two poets on whom Rome cast her most powerful spell, Ennius and Virgil, were born outside the pale of Roman citizenship. In the little village of Andes near Mantua, Virgilius Maro was born in the year 70 B. C. He studied at Milan and in Rome where he became familiar with the best learnin of the time. Gentle and retiring, not hysically strong, Virgil possessed a singu ar sweetness of disposition which inspire affection and confidence. He had a humble opinion of himself which led him to undervalue his poetical genius. Hon- ored and loved by all, his life seems to have been shadowed by a tender abiding melancholy which is discernible in all his writings. At what time in his life Virgil turned his thoughts to epic poetry, is not known, but it is related that from his earliest years he felt the ambition to embody Caesar's glories in an epic strain. It is the opinion of many that Virgil's genius lacked heroic fiber, invention and dramatic power. He had no conception of the stern joy that warriors feel, an element so necessary to the martial song. Yet the balance was in the poet's favor, for he ossessed a high enthusiasm for his art, a rare literary excellence, and a soul attune to the music of the past. Virgil stands for Im rial Rome. The object of the Aeneid, was to praise her glorious career. Paralle with this runs another theme-the glorification of Augus- tus. Virgil heartily supported the Emperor's attempt to revive religious enthusiasm, hence the religious e ement in the Aeneid is most rsuasive. Virgil clung tenaciously to the two beliefs which other writers scorn ully put aside, faith in an all-wise, over-rulin Providence, and in the soul's existence after death. To ive a brief summary of its merits, we may say that the Aeneid possesses technicafperfection, mastery of language, a tender majestic sadness, a sense of Rome's imperial power and destiny, and a love of nature ruled by an intelligent, universal mind. The genius of Virgil was too great to be confined within the limits of a single country. He, like Homer and Dante, sang to the whole world and the great heart of the whole world enshrined him forever. K. M. 60

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ver be ffeacupf 'yggf DVERTISING.has for its primary purpose the selling of fAfll:H ,X?5f5 goods or services. The appeal that an ad makes to the reader's eye determines its failure or success. Present day ads are so clever that the only superfluous ones are ee those offering reduced rates for round-trips to China. I once attended a party at which ad language was the basis of our conversation. It ran something like this: No question about it, confided Mrs. Simpkins to her neighbor while the two were removing their wraps, the DeVans are 'stepping out'. Only six months ago they purchased a car. Then they bought a radio. And now they have a Heatrolaf' Mrs. DeVan at that moment ushers in other ladies and the topic changes. How did you say Arethusa was getting on, Mrs. Romney? Oh, she's fine. We expect something great of that girl. She's taking music lessons by correspondence. She mastered the keyboard in one lesson and at the end o six she will be able,to play anything from the lowest 'oom' of the bass viol to the highest tremolo of the flute, or money refunded. I am glad she is keeping pace with her opportunities, broke in Mrs. Simpkins. I read of a New York concern offering intimate instructions on 'how to land a big job' so I told our joan to write her name legibly on the dotted line, check the profession she desired, and await results. By return mail came a questionaire. Did she palpitate for self-expression? Would she wish to have her picture in the morning paper? Would she like to have the glad hand ex- tended to her wherever she goes? Had she ever been thrilled at the patter of rain on a tin roof? Could she throw her thoughts into the chapters of a book? These were just a few of the soul-searching questions joan had to answer, and now she is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the 'secret' that will make her the envy of the town. Well, said Mrs. Ayers, who could never remain long on the outside of any discussion, I think it's no more than right that parents should try to elevate the young folks to the top rung of success, especially in these days when the magazines say it can be done for the paltry sum of S1.98. Mrs. Lytell at this point added her choice morsel to the conver- sation. You haven't heard about our Amy's enga ement, have you? Well, she's getting a self-made man. It's woncierful to hear him tell how he obtained just one new subscriber for the Country Gentleman and thus started a spreading circle of influence that has 62.