Central High School - Centralian Yearbook (Kansas City, MO)

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THE, JUNIORS Helen Fowler, 08. (Merely a Brief, containing a few of the Reasons why the 24 Juniors should be venerated.) A. Seniors, Sophomores, Freshmen, Everybody, should venerate the present class of Juniors, for, I. The nature and condition of the Junior Class command veneration for, a. Their numbers are large. b. Their brains are superior. c. Their beauty is surpassing. d. Their talents are numerous. II. Those who advocate snubbing the Juniors are foolish, for, a. Snubbing is a weapon used only by snobs. b. Snubbing has no sting for persons of self-respect. c. Snubbing casts no reflection on the object. d. Through the ordeals of Freshmen and Sophomore years, snubbing has proved unsuccessful with this class. III. The temper and character of the Juniors require ven- eration, for, а. A love of homage is their predominant trait, for, 1. They are the true inheritors of the wisdom of Solomon. 2. They are a self-governing body. 3. In religion, they are broadly tolerant. 4. But one year lies between them and the goal of their ambitions. 5. They are well-informed, especially concerning their own worth. б. They are remote from the verdancy of the Freshman. IV. Any struggle against venerating the Juniors would shake all fixed principles of school life, for, 1. Juniors have always been looked up to. 2. This particular class has been regarded as phenomenal ever since its arrival at Central. 3. By refusing to do homage to the present Juniors, Fresh- men. and Sophomores lessen their own chances for homage when they shall have reached the enviable state of being Juniors. V. Of the only three ways of dealing with the Juniors, you must adopt the third, for, a. The first way (to remove the causes of the Juniors' love of homage) is impossible, for, 1. You cannot decrease their numbers by flunking them. for, a. Their brilliance and attainments are too great. b. Their determination to succeed is too positive. 2. You cannot deprive them of their inalienable gifts of brains, beauty, and talents. 3. You cannot alter their temper and character for, a. You cannot persuade them that they are not as wise as Solomon. b. You cannot make them narrow-minded. c. You cannot lower the self-esteem. d. You cannot deprive them of their powers of self-gov- erning. e You cannot lengthen the time which lies between them them and glory, f. You cannot turn back time in its flight. B. The second way (to prosecute this spirit as egotistical) is impossible, for, 1. There is no method for convincing a body of its ego- tism. 2. Such a course might teach them that self-confidence is not conducive to success. 3. The school cannot be a just judge in its own cause. 4. This plan has proved unsuccessful in former years. C The third way (to comply with the spirit of the Junior Class, to applaud its courage, to admit its justice, to exult in the promise it gives of future achievement— in a word, to venerate the junior Class.) This method you, Freshmen, Sophomores, Seniors, and Faculty, must therefore, adopt.

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‘‘AS ITHERS SEE US’ Dudley Monk, ’07. 23 AS the one event in a woman's life is her wedding day, so is the consummation of the high school pupil’s desire, his proud year of seniority. Slowly, even painfully toiling itp “ambition’s ladder,” through the realms of Freshland, Sophomoredoni, and Junioropolis, he attains the immortal kingdom of Mount Senior; there he scorns the base degrees by which he did ascend. That part of human nature which causes the poor man, suddenly rich, to become the greatest snob of all, evidences itself most clearly in the bearing of the Senior toward those “beings in the lower classes.” Most truly has it been said that “The abuse of greatness is, when it disjoins remorse from power. But stay. Perchance I dwell too long upon aloofness. Perhaps it would seem that the immortal Senior lives among his kind, content with them alone. Far from it. The ver air of haughty isolation is a hollow artifice to secure the awestruck admiration of lowly dwellers in the realms below. Who has not seen the ocean liner “Senior,” haughty, silent, cruising down the Hallway Sea. ploughing up a foam of frightened freshmen, and leaving in his wake a subdued ripple of sophomore whisperings? Unconscious of his power? Nay, he exults in it with a relish born of years of tribute paid to Senior idols of yore. Is this device enough ? Enough ! It scarce begins the list. Tales of history and the crafts of biographers have made him wise as serpents. He knows that greatness stamps its own. In lieu of greatness, he brands himself. Long, in thumbed and musty volumes, he explores to find the whims and foibles of immortal men. lie has them all. His watch-word shines before him! “By their eccentricities ye shall know them. Does success attend such perfidy? Do not mortals learn in the great school of experience to shun gold-bricks and seniot affectation? Follow me. Behold yon stocky form striding past in grim resolution. Note the stojid, sphinx-like countenance set with silent determination—on dodging his daily share of Virgil. That stride only acquired after months, yes years, of walking—on stilts; that stony visage, the result of many painful applications of snow and salt; that tireless energy, the fruit of ambition; each bears the earmarks of fame; and endurance. Who? Apollo assuming, for a time, the earthly clay of—a senior. Thus it is that jointless walking and graven features are popular among the “smaller ones.” Again, observe this squad of cringing freshmen. Come nearer. Hear them converse. Why do they so mutilate and mumble their words—eliding, syncopating, jumbling, till the product rivals the efforts of a time-worn “Victor” record? Lo, the answer. The scene—Room Eight. The discussion—Francis Bacon. The speaker—He of the placid Grecian features. Listen. In what strange jargon does he discourse? In what new' tongue is he so fluent? What may be his theme? Be not disappointed! ’Tis English shattered on the fixed lips of a some-time ventriloquist. His name? Senior. Let us away. Yet stay; there come the fashionably late young ladies, the envy of every lowrer class girl who with stifled anguish, watches from her desk in class, as they sweep down the hall inseparably intertwined, calmly passing long after the rumble of many feet has “echoed” itself to silence. Note the superb indifference in their defiantly uptilted chins, the utter disregard of the “magisterial frown—and more. Ah, this is grand, this abandon; this joyous exemption from the dull, narrow laws of precedent and uniformity; this glorious setting at naught of custom. But watch. Retribution seeks its prey. An ill-directed query pierces those masks of oblivion. “State Gibbon’s limitations.” Alas, it carries consternation to the heart of previous serenity. Still, they improve. Feminine wrath, real or assumed, is a potent argument with man. He cannot discriminate. Enough. “I could such a tale unfold” as w'ould cast the Senior idol crashing to the dust. So, ye of the underworld. when the towering figures of the clan of ’07 pass, bow the head in meek submission, for though they are not what they seem, “they are all, all honorable men.”

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POOR SOPHOMORES ALMANACK For the Year 1907. 25 Mark a Newby, ‘09. HE that drinks his ice-cream soda alone, let him get his Caesar alone. Don't judge of teachers’ wisdom by their wise appearance. Seniors talk much but say little. Tis not a holiday that’s kept by studying. Great sophomores may dare to venture more: little freshmen should keep near shore. In test, forewarn’d is forearmed. Drive the teachers; don't let the teachers drive you. For want of application the lesson is lost: for want of a lesson the grade is lost; for want of a grade the point is lost. The seniors hate wisdom—in others. Diligence is what has won the sophomores fame. Approve not of him who commends all you sav; he’ll ask for your originals next. A freshman is never so ridiculous by those qualities that are his own. as by those he affects of'the sophomores. It is better to take many injuries than to give one—except in basket ball. If what most seniors admire, they would despite. Twould look as if the seniors were growing wise. A lesson today is better than a promise of one to-morrow. The teachers should obey the wishes of the sophomores: the students should obey the teachers. Work ahead or you’ll find yourself working behind. Early to bed and early to rise, makes a litle freshman the sophomore size. Weighty questions ask for sophomore answers. Warning to seniors—He that takes a wife, takes care. He’s the best teacher that knows the worthlessness of most pupils. Absence is never without an excuse, but seldom a good one. It is ill-mannered to silence a freshman, and cruelty to lei him go on. The first mistake in English is beginning it. lie that masters his Math masters much. You may delay, but tests will not. Reader, farewell. All happiness attend thee. May each school year better and wiser find thee.