Central Catholic High School - Echo Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ECHO is CATHOLIC SCIENTISTS. ' 'gf fBy H. C. Wiener, '1'6.J I.-Galileo. Galileo, the great Italian philosopher and as- tronomer, was born at Pisa in the year 1564, of a noble Florentine family. He received a good education, and at an early age distinguished him- self as a musician and mathematician. He then took up the study of drawing and paintingg and it is said that it was his love of drawing that led him to the study of geometry. His parents de- sired him to study medicine, but having little suc- cess in this, 'he again returned to mathematics. , He was but twenty years of age when he made a very important discovery by observing the swing- ing of a lamp in the cathedral at Pisa. Noticing that the oscillations of the swinging lamp were of equal duration, he inferred that this principle migh tbe used to measure time correctly. How- ever, it was not until iifty years later that he used this theory in the construction of an astronomical clock. I - In 1588 he wrote a treatise on the center of gravity in solids. This met with such success that he received a lectureship in the University of Pisa and was looked upon as a modern Archimedes. The following year he demonstrated the fallacy of the theory that falling bodies have velocities proportional to their weight, by letting fall un- equal weights from the top of the famous leaning tower at Pisa. This discovery made such a revo- lution in science that we now consider it as the starting point in modern science. Very simple laws and formulas for falling bodies have been deduced from Galileo's experimentg and it is lit- tle wonder that we call him Founder of Experi- mental Science. After much work on gravity and gravitation, the great scientist turned his energy to astronomy. In 1609ihe made his first telescope, which had a magnifying power of thirty. 'With it he discov- ered the mountainous character of the moon, the satellites of Jupiter, the rings of Saturn, the ro- tation of the sun and th? spots on its disc. He also discovered that the moon was not self-lumin- ous as was then supposed, but that it owed its illumination to reflection of light. Such work in astronomy led him to discuss the teaching of Copernicus,-that the sun, not the earth, is the center of what we call the solar system. Many already believed the doctrine of Copernicus, but the greater number of schools and scientists still held the older doctrine. Galileo W-HS S0 SfI'0I1g in his support of the Copernican doctrine that he drew upon himself the hatred of many scientists by accusing them of ignorance and advising them to go back to school and learn something. It was these men that forced himito leave Pisa and seek the seclusion of Florence. This opposition caused Galileo to go' a step farther than a scientist should go. At Padua he ventured to declare that in Scripture there were proposi- tions which were false in the literal sense of the words, that even in matters of solemn dogma the forms of expression were sometimes inexact, out of due regard to the incapacity of the popular comprehension g and that in all natural questions philosophical argument should have more Weight than mere scriptural declaration. Cardinal Baronius answered this bold declara- tion, saying that the Scripture was given to men to teach them how to rise to heaven, not how the heavens were made. The Church had no ob- jection to the Copernican Doctrine as long as the Copernicans did not attempt to use Scriptures to prove it. A Council of the Church condemned the doctrine as ,contrary to Scripture, but it did not condemn it as hersey. The doctrine did not in- volve faith or morals 3 and it is only in teaching faith or morals that the Church is infallible. , Galileo still continued his scientific Work. He proved that all bodies, even invisible ones like air, have weight. We now know that the weight of a body is due to the force of gravity acting on it, that if some gases rise upward, it is because they are replaced by denser ones. We owe this knowledge to Galileo. To him we also owe the proportional compass which is now used so much in advanced drawing. While teaching at the Uni- versity of Padua he invented an air thermometer. He had studied the expansion of solids liquids and gases, and because gasses expand most with increase of temperature, he made a narrow glass tube with a bulb at one end, and placed this vertically in a vessel of water. When the temp- erature fell, the air in the bulb contracted and the water ascended the narrow tube. His last astronomical discovery was made in 1637, when he discovered the moon's diurnal and monthly librations. In the same year he became blind. For some time he had been suffering from a disease in his right eye. The same disease now impared his left eye, and blindness was the result. The misfortune of deafness was also addedbto his declining years. He died January S,

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. ,., 6 CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ECHO of endearment increased, until Joe had to restrain himself from proposing via the mail order route. He would wait till Christmas and then get on his--knees for sure. Yes, he would do that. Why should he wait longer?-he knew what she would say. Her father would announce the engagement right thereeand then, and in June she would be all his own. He had made up his mind to this when the day for Christmas home-going had ar- rived. iHowever, his courage began to waver when he looked at the little photo before he put it in his suit-case. It's not that I'm afraid of your answer, Grace, he said, still looking at her picture but I don't know how to pop tl1'e question. A Strange to say Joe had not neglected his studies during the last three months at school. He had an excellent report for October, November and December. His father was greatly pleased at this and .bought him a new Mercer speeder for a Christmas present. An auto was a strange present for this time of the year, but old Mr. Bennet had a business eye. He had been accus- tomed to buy a straw hat each year in Septem- ber, for he knew that such things can be gotten then for half price. He had made up his mind to get Joe an auto next summer, but a salesman told him. that he could save more than a hundred dollars by buying one now. So he bought it. The weather was still good, and he saw no reason why he should not meet his son at the station with the auto. He drove the shining Mercer to the- station, and as soon as Joe got off the train his father said, Here, Joe, put that suit-case in your auto and we'll speed homef' Father, said Joe, did you say my auto? Yes, my son. You deserved something for your good report, so I thought you would like an auto, said the old man proudly. I'm very glad I studied hard, but I don't know how to thank you, father. Gee! but I shall enjoy the holidays if this weather keeps up. A hard frost makes the roads line for speeding, and I learned to drive about a monthago. Father, do letme drive it home! Joe got home in no time. After he had seen his mother, he took dinner and then phoned Grace telling her he was back and that he wanted her to come out for a ride with him. He was a little disappointed, for .Grace said she could not come until tomorrow, as she had to prepare things for Christmas. At two-thirty, the next day he had the auto in front of her door. The thought of proposing was uppermost in his mind. He had bought a 22-carat gold ring as a Christmas present for Grace, and he had it in his pocket now. Ifa favorable chance should present itself, he in- tended to propose and make her a present of the engagement ring that afternoon. If things would not go as he desired he would wait till tomorrow afternoon when he and Grace were togo skating together. As luck would have it, a mishap with his machine put him out of humor, so he decided not to press love affairs until the skating hour tomorrow. g , . That hour, so long waited for, had now come. Joe got his new skates and started offgto meet Grace. She waswaiting at the door for him, and when .I oe asked if she were ready, she said, 'fQuite ready! You know Fin always ready when you call for me, Joe. It's an ideal day to go skating, but I hope 'tisn't too warm to melt the ice. They walked briskly out to Delta Lake where scores of happy boys and girls were amusing them- selves, then seating themselves on the curb-stone Joe fastened on her skates and then as he was putting on his own he got all excited and said: Oh! Grace, I forgot to give you your Christmas present. He could say no more. ' Suspecting what Joe's present was, and seeing his embarrassment, she thought she would help him out. She stamped her foot on the thin ice, and as it cracked she turned to him and said: My, how easy 'tis to break the ice, Joe. ' Yes, said Joe absentmindedly, I think it would be dangerous for us to go skating together, don't you? ' Yes, I do, she said with emphasis. and I feel so foolish, I wish I was at home. J oe took her home that day and was unable to see her again during the holidays. He went back to school and wrote her. several letters but got no answer. He felt miserable around Easter time and sent for the Fort Worth Journal to comfort himself.. As fate would have it, the first copy he got announced the engagement of Miss Grace Ruth Winters and John Joseph Stillman, County Clerk. The shock aroused him and then for the first time he understood her remark about breaking the ice. L 1

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.. . -.+1rpg- 8' CENTRAL CATHOLIC- HIGH SCHOOL, ECHO ' 1642, and was buried in the Church of Santa Eroce, the Panthenon of Florence. Pope Urban VIII. sent his blessing to console him in his dying hour. Those who knew him intimately regarded him asa genial companion, but he did not make many friends, or rather he did not keep many, because he lacked sufficient tact to keep himself out of difficulties, into which he was driven by his satirical tongue. COLUMBUS DAY. fBy Joseph Wilkinson, '16.'j Over four hundred years ago there . et sail a daring mariner from the little port of Palos in Spain. He believed that by sailing westward he could iinda new route to the Indies, and perhaps discover new countries. As you know, he did not find a new and shorter route to the Indies, but discovered a continent, where he planted the standard of the Cross. Little did he then know that his name and his fame had become immortal, that a grateful nation would select the day on which he discovered America, as a day for jubila- tion and gratitude, that many states of that nation would proclaim it a legal holidayg that an appre- ciative people would pay homage to his memory and -his deeds, that a great Catholic Society un- der his patronage would devote its best efforts to the advancement of religion and good govern- ment. In gratitude to him who added this fair conti- nent to the civilized world, the State of Indiana calls upon us to commemorate the great event which took place on October 12, 1492. If there is any day in our glorious history which deserves commemoration it is Discovery Day-the day on which every country and every people were of- fered a refuge from tyranny and religious perse- cution. Warped must be the mind and small the heart that would refuse to honor the 'great dis- coverer because he held a different religion, be- cause he was a pious Catholic. But, thank God, there are not many who have such warped minds and such narrow hearts. Every man who is a Worthy citizen of the Land of Libertyoconsiders October 12 as a sacred day, a day on which jus- tice fthough tardy justice it cannot but bel should be offered to the name of Christopher Columbus. p , , ,J Not until a few years ago was-Columbus Day celebrated to -any great extentf The city of Bos- ton started the active celebration, by the parading of all Societies and lodges and people of every na- tionality. This celebration was adopted by other large cities. Its influence spread. Today, our people of every nation-Americans, English, Ger- mans, French, Irish, Poles, Italians and Chinese- take an active part in paying tribute to Columbus. Yes, he is honored from pole to pole, from east to west. The voice of justice cannot be suppressed, it will call out until the end of time, Columbus, a continent is your monument. S f Like many other great men, Columbus had a poor chance to acquire knowledge. His parents were poor, and he wasforced to leave school at the age of fourteen. But he did not quite study. He took up navigation and astronomy. His be- lief in a spherical world grew Q stronger. He longed to give tangible proof of it. Time and again he was turned down, but he clung to the old maxim, Try and try again, until he suc- ceeded. His life after his discovery was for some time a pleasant one. Glory's sun shone on him but for a day. We might expect to see aman who had performed so great a deed, honored by all while he walked on earth. But such was not his fate. The possessor of fame has many enemies, and Columbus was no exception. He died-died a prisoner and in chains, May 20, 1506, at Vallado- lid, Spain. , j Such was the mournful end of the man to whom we have dedicated October 12. His youth was one of poverty and perseverance, his manhood one of struggle and achievement, his old age one of sorrow and afflictiong but his whole life was the life of agreat man. To him more than to any other may the words of our greatest poet be ap- plied: , ' Deeds of great men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And departing, leave behind us , Footprints on the sandslof time.