Clarion High School - Lasso Yearbook (Clarion, IA)

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NINE RAHSH A Class Room Production. A Book Review of an Imaginary Story If popularity V were a test of the value of a book Nine Rails! would rank high in the literary world. We hardly dare in the face of its large sale to offer a word of unfavorable criticism and yet it goes against the grain to see such a fla- grant case of plagiarism bringing to its author thousands of dollars yearly, while hundreds of more deserving men are almost in beggary. A p The opening scene of the story is the entrance of a young Freshman to the college where his brother, then a Senior, has made an enviable record as pitcher on the base ball team, a plunging half in foot ball, and who stands a good show of winning the Rhodes scholarship. Through the influence of his brother, whose name, by the way, is John Bryant, the Freshman, James, is at once received into the best circles of college society and is incidently saved from the clutches 'of a loose crowd known as Jensenls Bunchf' The saving pro- cess included a good licking at John's hands, of Jensen, who is so enraged that he does not hesitate to use the most un- scrupulous means of getting even. The night before the Rhodes exam some of the papers are stolen and in the next dayls test John comes off with flying colors, while the other contestants, particularly Jensen, who is also entered, find the text exceptionally difficult. Suspicion at once points toward John as the thief and he is ostracized by his fellows. This guilt is thought to be proven beyond all doubt when the missing papers are found in his room by a committee appointed to search it. John quits his place on the foot ball teamand applies himself more assiduously to his studies, while Jensen takes his place at left half. U The Thanksgiving game is the grand climax of the story.

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DEBATING CLUB Oliicers: Harry' Sturgeon, presidentg Hollis Bryant, secretaryg VV. H. Blakely, criticg Ralph Zastrow and lValte1' McCreery, division leadersg Sam Russell, marshal. Harry Sturgeon W Caryle Goslin Earl Ellicott Hollis Bryant Earl Pardun Sam Russell Ralph Zastrow Ralph Smith Arthur Crowe Walter McCreery Lawrence Spencer Ray Stone Clifford Croslin Howard VVetter' Clifford Crowe John Lalor Hugh Hartshorn Frank Stockwell George Richards James Rowen W. H. Blakely Harold Grattidge Arthur Grattidge Heard in debate: Harry Sturgeon: Mn President, I deny the allegation and defy the alligator tgreat applausej Walter McCreery: Mn President, I think the girls ought to be admitted. John Lalor: Ouch! Who put that pin in my seat? I'd like to give you gentlemen a little advicefi

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YVith the score tied and but five minutes to play Jensen re- ceives a knock on the head which puts him out of the game and renders him delirious for an hour or more. In this delirium he confesses that it was he who stole the papers and placed them in John's room. John himself goes in, takes his old place at left-half and with a minute to spare crosses the line for a touchdown. He is the hero of the hour and at the reception in the evening whatever doubt might have been left is cleared away by the president of the college in his speech. The meeting closes with nine rahs for Johnnie l and apologies by all his teammates. Truly a remarkably entertaining story and if one had never read a book which was published in England about ten years ago under the name of Old St. Joseph, it would no doubt deserve it's present popularity. Space will not permit our quoting page after page of direct stealing from the older book, Wbut to any one who has the curiosity to look for themselves we would recommend the dormitory scene or the glee club practice. Such piracy is wicked and were we the owners of the English copyright there would in the language of Nine Rails! be something doing.