Coplay High School - Coplayite Yearbook (Coplay, PA)

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be attained through the help of reading; not, however, the type that literally Hood our book markets today and are not worth the paper upon which they are printed. The world, in general, would not think of including Milton’s works as studies essential to the training of a mechanical engineer, nor would it understand that poetry is fairly part of the technical education of a chemist. Yet more and more clearly are educators coming to realize this, practical men to appreciate it, and technical schools to recognize it in their courses of study, and today the call is for men who, without ceasing to be practical and level-headed have yet the breadth and power which come from the best all-round mental training. Since the thoughts of the master minds of all ages are transmitted to us in the form of books, and these books are the embodiment of the souls of millions of friends, let us grapple the greatest of these friends to our hearts with hooks of steel, for by reading alone, do we acquire all our knowledge after our school days are gone. We should, therefore, select our reading matter as we do our friends, for they teach us the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Now, my friends, it is my duty to say farewell. We love to linger over the well-beloved scenes of our long years of toil and pleasure but duty calls us into other fields. To the teachers who have guided our youthful steps along the intellectual highway and taught us how to avoid many pitfalls, we extend our heartfelt thanks. In after years when we have wandered far from the scenes of our early training, we will ever remember and I m sure with increasing appreciation, the great part you have had in our lives. We wish each of you many years of health and usefulness and if we ever meet on the great highway of life, I assure you, you will meet true friends. To the school board who so carefully looked out for our physical comfort as well as our intellectual growth, we extend our warmest thanks. The best wishes of our graduating class will always be with you. To the Junior Class, who will next year take ur place, I bid you welcome and hope that you will appreciate the opportunities offered and make even a better record than your immediate predecessors. May good fortune smile on you and bring every happiness. Classmates, since early childhood some of us have moved along the same pathway. Many who started with us years ago did not reach the goal. The faithful few have kept on and today are the honored ones at these exercises. During all the coming years of life, we will look back to the companions we have had in our high school days. We will form new acquaintances and have other friends but never again can we have companions standing in the same relationship as we stand now. May every happiness be yours and may success crown your every effort. —Eeda Peters.

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Modern Fiction Fiction from the earliest dawn of literature, has been the favorite form of composition. It is a production that depicts .lie lives of imaginary persons, although il speaks of them as if they were real. It aims to portray character and seeks to give a just insight into human nature. It teaches us much concerning history, the customs, habits and manners of the domestic and social life of the people during the age in which the scenes are laid. The record of the best of what the millions of friends of the billions of people of past ages had said, thought and done have been put into the permanent form of books. The pages of our best works of fiction are strewn with wise thoughts and have all the wealth of style lavished upon them. The fiction of today, compared with that of yesterday appeals only to the lowest sentiments of human nature, and is positively not fit to be placed into the hands of young people to read. On the other hand, we have men and women who have written books on fiction which appeal to the noblest sentiments of the human heart, that teach a lesson in history, mechanical arts, and in the world of nature, which are written in exquisite language, in elegant style and in a healthy moral tone. Let us cultivate a taste for the master-minds of all fine arts and ages, and we will profit largely by it. What then, shall be said of the exclusive reading of poor fiction; that fiction of today. The circulation of popular novels has advanced by leaps and bounds of late year.;. Sensational methods of advertising have had some share in this, no doubt, but along with the large sales of novels has come the falling-off in the sales of other books. Any book-seller will admit that people buy fewer books of solid merit than they bought twenty years ago. This is surprising, especially considering the assertions constantly made as to the increasing avidity of the public for instruction. Certain classics, of course, have a steady sale, though even in their case it is diminishing. There is at present a dwindling of our great literary productions, although the inspiration of our country and its history is great, our work in the field of letters is a promise rather than an achievement. It has been well said that the characters of people may be judged by the manner in which they spend their leisure moments, and since fiction is read primarily for the sake of amusement we should read only the very best, for in so doing we will remain young in spirit, no matter how old we may be in years. Familiarity with the best literature is today almost a necessity in any training, even the most technical which aims at the highest success. Character and breadth of mental reach become steadily of greater practical importance; and for enlarging the mental view, for nourishing that imagination which is the creative force in practical affairs as in all other human work, no other training can rival the wonderful study of literature. This mental flexibility can only

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ATHLET16S BASEBALL TEAM Front Roto—Left to Right—Frank Groller (score-keeper), Walter Stewart, Stanley Anthony, Roy T. Newhard (score-keeper). Second Row—Secretary George Gerncrd, Norwood Morgan, Elwood Dotter, John Horn (Student Manager). Third Row—Charles Moritz, Louis Schaadt, Prof. John Ruth (coach), Charles Gernerd, Raymond Rodgers, George Miller (captain).