Central High School - Cog N Pen Yearbook (Newark, NJ)

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[HE CRASHER [here was no doubt about it, Skinny was bored One look at him proved it. He was sauntering down the street, his hands deep in his ро‹ kets, his shoulders hunched, a cigarette in his mouth, and an expression о! general disgust on his [ace Y ез, Skinny was bored. A group of boys were playing in the street. As Skinny passed, one of them looked up and exclaimed in tones of awe, “Gee, look who's here.” Another boy, evidently new in the neighborhood asked, Who is he?” “Why, dontcha know? I though everybody knew Dat's Skinny de Crasher.” — He's de greatest “с | Say, dat guy is so good, him. gate-c rasher in de моа.’ dat de promoters of de woild series sends him а ticket free, every year, so he won't be settin’ a bad example by havin’ people see him crash. Yeah, said the other boy, admiringly, as he gazed after Skinny. Skinny could not but overhear what the boys had said. Ordinarily, this would have pleased him greatly, but at present he was too despondent. Frankly, he He passed a moving-picture house, Life held nothing new for Skinny. was disgusted. and meditated crashing it, but decided not to because By Leo Fendrich. t was too easy. That was it. Skinny was so pro- ficient in his art, that crashing had lost all its thrill for him. “Sneak- I wish I could find “What’s de use, he muttered to himself. ng into dese dumps Is loo easy. somptin new to crash. Walking along thus, Skinny suddendly found him- elf na crowd. Looking around, he saw he was Above the entrance was the somewhat startling sign, “The Rev. John М. Custer Lecturing Tonight on Who is Who in Hell, and Who Will be Who in Hell. Skinny grunted in disgust and was about to walk standing before a church. on when he saw, printed in smaller letters, “No ad- mittance without ticket.” Here last. Skinny cared nothing about Heaven or Hell, and he was something new at Personally, was only mildly interested in what he might hear. But they were collecting tickets, and to Skinny, this was a challenge. Five minutes later, Skinny was sitting inside the church. First Skinny looked around him interestedly. He could not remember when he had been in a church before. To him the atmosphere was depressing. He wondered what it could be.

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ТО PARENT DEAR PARENTS: Implant in your child the big ideal of service. The privilege of serving others is divine. It brings happiness to the server as well as to the recipient. This life of ours is prone to lead us to thoughts of self. We constantly overlook the fact that by rendering service to others and by teaching others to work for themselves, we, too, grow more capable in extending blessings to mankind. Realize that each of us made in the image and likeness of God had countless possibilities for development. Teach children to take account of stock of self anc recognize the powers stored within. Know that under proper conditions they will burst forth into fruition. Therefore, parents impress the child with the knowledge that he has within him the urge to make his own life and that of others worth while. Have young people realize and appreciate that their own potentialities will with careful development, become realities. Have them know that the opportu- nities for service are boundiess. Let service ever be the watchword for them. Very truly yours, DA ae ZA e — WY Princ ipal. ; { {

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NOTAE ЕЗУ Уге за) Presently the voice of the Rev. John M. Custer broke in on his thoughts. The Reverend was a pow- erful speaker, well able to hold the attention of his listeners. To Skinny, however, he was something of a disappointment. He had expected to hear some very startling disclosures, concerning certain people, doomed to Hell, but he heard nothing of the sort. the Rev. John M. Custer spoke only of the general Instead, types of people who he believed were headed in that direction. He dwelt long upon the horrors and tor- tures inflicted upon those who did not tread the straight and narrow path, and finally finished by stat- ing that there was yet hope for everybody if one would only reform and cast aside his evil ways. Skinny left the church deep in meditation. In- What if the Rev. Custer had been speaking the truth? wardly he was greatly troubled. [hen surely he was already condemned to the everlasting bonfire. He would never get to Heaven with that long list of crashes behind him. Skinny was troubled. Guess Га better lay off, he said to himself. sure would hate to be roasted.” Suddenly he heard the wailing of a fire siren. He saw the fire engine motorman twist his wheel frantically to steer clear of a child standing bewildered in the street and heard the crash as the engine struck a lamp- post. He ran to the engine together with a great crowd of people, to see what damage had been done. He soon saw that the engine was a total loss, but that the firemen had escaped with a few minor injuries. A little way off, he could see the smoke spurting from the windows of a tenement house. He turned and walked in the direction of the fire. As he stood watching the flames, he heard a woman wailing, My boy, my boy. I just remembered, he was in the bed-room when the fire started. I forgot He’s still up there.’ Skinny was interested. all about him. He ran to the woman who was being comforted by several other men and women. What floor did you live on, he inquired. “The fourth floor,” pointed to her rooms. the woman shrieked, and Skinny made a dash through the police lines, and He was Throwing up his arms to pro- tect his face, he retreated before the heat. “I can’t get up that way, he muttered through his clenched teeth. ran to the entrance of the flaming building. met by a sheet of fire. Looking up а! the building, he noticed that the manner in which the bricks were laid offered hand and holds. Without started to climb. fool another moment's delay he A gasp went up from the crowd when they realized his intentions. Several shouted for him to come down because going up meant sure death, but for the most part they stood spell-bound. Once he slipped, and, several people in the crowd shut their Slowly and laboriously, Skinny climbed. eyes in horror. When they opened them, they saw Skinny wave one bleeding hand to the crowd below, and continue his climb. A great cheer went up for him. When he got to the window pointed out by the woman, he climbed in. [he flames had not yet reached the rooms, but the smoke was very thick. Keeping low, Skinny quickly searched all the rooms for the child but did not find him. Wonderingly, he began to search the closets, remembering that fright- ened children sometimes hid in them; but stil! no child. Meanwhile the flames were beginning to show their tiny tongues through the cracks in the floor. [he heat was terrific, but Skinny muttered over and over to himself, I must find the kid, I can't go down with- out him.” Meanwhile, on the street, another scene was being enacted. A little boy was seen pushing his way through the crowd. He held a piece of candy in one hand, and his mouth and face were sticky and dirty from it. He was crying. When the wailing woman saw him, she uttered a shriek of Joy and caught him to her. Willie, where were you? the mother cried, and the child explained. When he had heard his mother running downstairs, he had been frightened to be alone, and had followed her down, but was not able to find her because of the crowd. When the people on the street heard his story, they But Skinny did He was in the innermost room, still shouted for Skinny to come down. not hear them. looking for the child, and the roaring and crackling of the flames drowned their voices. Suddenly one man shouted, “Look out, the wall is caving in. There was a general rush to get out of the way of danger. The wall was seen to waver back and forth, and then, with a sound as of a thou- sand cannons, it fell. Skinny was crashing into Heaven.