Charlotte High School - Witan Yearbook (Rochester, NY)

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OUT THE WITAN OUR SCHOLARSHIP Our school days amount to nothing, We think, as the days pass by, But when it conies to the end of the month, We want our marks up high. To get the marks we wish for, Hard work must be our aim, For to a lazy pupil A scholarship never came. So let us give our attention And work with all our will To try to raise our standard high. That our hopes we may fulfill. —Geraldine Gallery ’27. NINETEEN TWENTY-FIVE It takes one year for the earth to make one complete revolution around the sun. During that three hundred and sixty-five days the people of the earth are eating, drinking and sleep- ing, three essentials necessary for life. Yet, despite the fact that they per- form these three essentials, all people are different. Different in appear- ance, different in habits, different in character and intellect. It is during the three hundred and sixty-five days that these distinctions are formed. Would it not he well then for us to think how we are forming these dis- tinctions? Are we making our standard high and trying to live up to it or are we sliding along with no particular standard or ideals, follow- ing our own inclinations whether they he good or bad ? In a word, living along the lines of least resistance— the easy way but not the best way. “Lest we forget” that the old year has rolled away and the new year is upon us, let us take a mental inven- tory of ourselves. Nineteen twenty- four has passed and carried with it all the faults and errors of that year. Nineteen twenty-five comes in with a clean slate, giving us a chance to make our record clean; giving us a chance to perform our tasks each day to the best of our ability, to grasp the opportunities for good as they come to us, opportunities to be cheer- ful and bright, to scatter a little sun- shine on the lives of those around us. Opportunities for strength, courage, perseverance and service. Remember, opportunity knocks but once and when it passes by it is gone forever. Let us then resolve at the threshold of the New Year to “be up and doing, with a heart for any fate, still achieving, still pursuing, learn to labor and to wait.” Elizabeth Brown 26. BROMIDIC AS USUAL Sub-Title—4Pet Aversions” I realize that there is nothing new or original about this topic, but I think it’s one of those subjects on which everyone must express his opinion, at one time or another, in order to get square with his feelings toward the world. Here are the ways some things affect me: When a person says “he don’t,” I feel exactly as 1 do when the dentist starts to drill and says gently. “I may hurt you a little now.” if 10

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THE WITAN TOMORROW’S ASSIGNMENT “Tomorrow’s assignment said the teacher, and waited for the noise to subside, “is to write an essay, on any- thing you wish- “Hmm ' remarked Archibald to himself, and repeated iL He always did this when he began to think. He also gazed owlishly at nothing when he thought, which he was now doing. The boy was not trying to think of what to write. Oh, no. Archibald was a very deep thinker, he could write an essay on almost anything, but his main trouble lay in trying to decide on a subject. After a full minute of meditation he said to himself: “Supposing I write something about airplanes. Hmm. No, that's too far over my head. (Long pause.) Well, how about submarines That’s a pretty deep subject. ’ Thus his thoughts rambled on, first one thing and then another and then both being given over for something else, until at last on the verge of despair, he told himself he must take a rest before he could think any more. Fifteen minutes really was a long time for Archibald to think, all at one stretch. As he leaned back to rest—pop! The big idea struck him. He would write an essay on candles. Ah, that was it, just it—candles. “Now, let’s see,” said he to him- self, “a candle is composed of string and wax. The string being called a wick and the wax—wax. Hmm. It bums, giving off light and heat. That’s all 1 know about candles. I must needs make a trip to the li- brary.’ After supper he started for the library. Then thinking he might need his library card, turned about and re- entered the house. Going to the table drawer he looked for h;s card hut couldn't find it. “Has anyone seen my library card?' he asked. There was no reply. “I wish you folks would leave my stuff where I set it down, said Archi- bald, becoming irritated at the delay thus caused. “Ever tried remembering where you set it down? ' asked his sister sweetly. Then a hot argument ensued which ended when Archibald jammed his hand into his pocket and discovered his card therein. Again Archibald set out, feeling ;ather squelched 'tis true and conse- quently not in good humor. How- ever, his new trouble was soon given over for the old one, ie, his essay. So deeply immersed was he in his thoughts that when he entered the library he forgot to remove his hat. The librarian, however, reminded him of this deficiency of his memory. Af- ter thoughtfully gazing at nothing for a minute or two he approached the shelves containing the reference books. “Hmm, said he to himself, “a candle is composed of string and wax. I will see what I can find under ‘string in the encyclopedia. Of course he found nothing of value to him. Slightly disappointed and feeling baffled, he looked under ‘wax.’ Here he found, among other things, that it was sometimes used in making candles, and, see Volume II, page .3002. “Oh, v s ’ said he. and as urual, to himself, “why didn’t I think of that before ? He found Volume II, page 3002, without much difficulty, the main dif- ficulty being in getting it down from its high rhelf. »n the process of which it came into violent contact with his nose. He found what he wanted and took down a few notes in a note-book, feel- ing that he had enough to fill a news- paper. After several unsuccessful attempts to replace the book on its shelf, he gave it up and went home. “At last ’ said he to himself, “I will write my essay. Laying pen, paper, and eraser on the desk before him, he opened his note-hook and gazed at it. Gazed (Continued on page 22) 9

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THE WITAN anyone leaves his spoon in his cup, I always want to bring my hand down h .rd on the spoon, thereby spilling the contents and causing much derision. 1 feel that I’ve been cheated by Nature when anyone makes more noise at a game than I do. (As you probably know, 1 seldom feel cheated.) Remarks on my stature; getting up and going to bed; Sunday, the day of restlessness; moving pictures that should end sadly and don’t, and men who “eat” cigars, you know, waltar- ing them around in their mouths while talking; doing as I’m told, when I’m told- -all these things make me want to run oir to an unexplored nook of the world and create a little disturb- ance all my own. Florence Tendon '25. DOORS Doors are essentially pieces of wood. They also have panels, and knobs. Necessity is the mother of in- vention, hence hinges. The door slams, and the hinges squeak. The doors also stick. Wood is then re- moved from the edges, and they no longer stick. They do quite the op- posite. In the night they are always closed when you think they are open, and open when you consider them closed. Sneaking thru an open door, which you believe to be closed, never know- ing when you arrive at the threshold, and hurrying thru a closed door which you believe to be open, dis- tinctly aware of the moment of ar- rival, both provide thrilling sensa- tions, somewhat different it is true, the latter composed mostly of noise. When a man is on one side of a door, and wishes to be on the other side, as a rule, he opens the door, anil passes thru. If he cannot do that, he looks thru the key-hole. Doors are of many kinds. Front doors, back doors, cellar doors, side doors, bam doors, and just doors. Front doors are on the front of the house. They are especially construct- ed so that the key-hole may be the darkest place in creation. Back doors and side doors, along with front doors are used principally for entering and leaving the house. Cellar doors pro- vide exits for ash-barrels, and barn doors adorn that part of the space oc- cupied by the barn which is not other- wise adorned. Just doors are used as interior decorations. Baxter Waterhouse '27. AND SO— One day, Studious and his brother, Nou-Studious, on their way home from school met Scholarship. Scholar- ship was a very beautiful girl, and Studious and his brother both loved her very deeply. Scholarship did not like Non-Studious because he was very lazy, and never did anything to win her, but she did not like to tell hJm o. So the next thing for Schol- arship to do was to get rid of Non- Studious. To settle the case, Schol- arship said that the one that studied the hardest would win her. Of course Scholarship knew Studious would win. Non-Studious thought that it would be very easy to win Scholarship, so he did not study very hard. Studious kept right on studying. When the contest ended he was rewarded and won Scholarship, and lived happily forever after. John Brouwer '27. A PRESCRIPTION The ingredients should consist of one or two of Aline Kilmer’s—just a little philosophy taken from someone else—add a trifle of almost anything from Edna St. Vincent Millay—bor- row a bar of melody from an almost forgotten violin song—then a little fairy tale or two—mix them thorough- ly, sprinkle with the last section of Robert Browning’s ’Star”—digest well. Guaranteed not to hurt. Now, don't you feel better? One may vary the ingredients to fit the case, circumstances, mood or conditions. Ethel Whitfield '25. 11