Decatur High School - Decanois Yearbook (Decatur, IL)

Page 14 text:

THE DECANOIS 1938 But his loveliest work is his fine decorative landscape, 'As the Sowing the Reaping, now buried away in Decatur, lllinois. We regard this as the noblest, most poetic, purely land- scape mural decoration ever produced in America, or, tor that matter, in the world- during the present centuryl Bold, but true, praise. The work, about twenty feet long, represents a View across the Mississippi from Sylvesters doorstep over into the lllinois plain, . . This passage is taken from F. W. Ruckstull's Great Works of Art and What Makes Them Great and was published in the Decatur Review last summer. Even if great artists of authority do con- sider Frederick Oakes Sy1vester's beautiful painting wasted upon Decatur High School, they are mistaken. The painting is a part of the school library and no high school student would want to have it removed. lt has been a possession of the schoo1's since the winter of 1911-12. The smaller photograph was made ot the print of William Blake's painting which hangs near the auditorium in the main corridor. A pilgrimage to Canterbury as described by Chaucer is depicted. Agora, the girls' literary society, presented the picture to Decatur High School as a memorial to Mrs. Lucy H. Nelson. Mrs. Nelson was long a teacher in the Decatur schools, latterly a teacher of English in the high school.

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THE DECANOIS Actors and actresses would shudder at the empty house portrayed by this picture of Decatur High Schools auditorium. It is, how- ever, of keen interest to the student body be- cause few have ever seen the auditorium abso- lutely empty and fewer have ever seen it so from the stage. Planned to seat nine hundred people, the auditorium has long been inade- quate for the needs of the school yet every student has pleasant memories of plays and programs given here. Before another year has passed assemblies will be held in new quarters. The fate of the present auditorium is undecided. Between the entrances to the auditorium is the trophy case Like the auditorium, it is unable to fulfill its purpose adequately. This is not because of the quantity of students in school but because of their quality. Teams from the commercial department win cups and plaques. The basketball squad often con- tributes two beautiful trophies in a season. Most of the trophies pictured are athletic ones. Sometimes the case holds exhibits of interest to the school in place of the trophies. 9 Z kr

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