Eastern High School - Eastern Yearbook (Detroit, MI)

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fl Tl1eEASTERN Page26 N ineleen Tu.-enlylhree strikes. When the lessons were long and the marks too low, we let down on the studies and spent our spare times on pleasures. But we learned that to strike is to lose time, for, when we return to work, we had to dig overtime, with small pay. Often we have needed safety devices, especially the miner's electric torch, to guide us through dark tunnels, where in these murky places our teachers stood goading us on to do better work. XVe thought the hours long and the work heavy, but now, to our surprise, we are truly sorry to leave the old mine, and we feel sure that we would dig gold if we could only stay. We hate to give up the old spade, but we'll add our colors, the maze and the blue, as an incentive to following classes. The real signifi- cance of these colors and this spade is that they bind us to the past, present and future of Eastern High School. This class has been blessed with such an unusual number of diggers that we were afraid the spade would be worn out long before the end of the term, but there is a semblance of its real self left. This spade will no longer serve our purpose, as we will need a much larger one for future digging, so we present you, the representative of June, '23, with this symbol dear to all graduates, hoping this pledge will bind you more closely to us, and both of us closer and closer as days go by, to all graduates of Eastern High School. Rrci-:Ann HOLDEN. History of Class, January, 1923 As one who con's at evening O'er an album all alone, And muses on the faces Of friends that he has known. So I tum the leaves of fancy, 'Till in shadowy designs, I find the smiling features of Old Ikstem Friends of mine. These friends, my classmates of January, 1923, were gazing out upon the Sea of Life-hailing the training ship Eastern. A motley crew are they. and laughing, for they know not of the future ports of mystery for which they are to embark, nor do they careg that mysterious land of the dead, Latin, or the perilous port of Algebra, or the seven seas of English in which many have been drown'd where late they danced before, hold no hidden danger for this unthinking crew. Ostensibly, the journey to this mysterious land was to be made in four years, but many who were with us then are not with us now. They have been left at various ports: Home, Business, and some at the end of Life's journey. Now, I wonder if you would be interested to learn of some of our ex- periences on this voyage. Well do I remember that wonderful first day: all was joyous confusion when we learned that we were to take a trip on The Eastern. There before us in the harbor lay the majestic ship flying this gallant Orange and Black at her highest mast head. Who had not heard of the wonderful Captain La Verne B. Mann, and what he was doing for the ship? Out of a boat twenty-two years old he was making a ,modern high-powered, up-to-date vessel, and was succeeding so well that our parents were glad to see us embark under his command. Being the latest arrivals, we were put into the steerage and put to cleaning things in the hold and dusting the logs of ancient lives past. Under Mr. Vkfaterhury as first mate we flew many green flags, symbols, our ene- mies hinted, of our freshness. We green sailors chose as our leader Dennis

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Page25 TheEASTERN Nineteen Twenty-three are entering the game of life-a game which lasts not only one day as did the Olympic games, but one that will be played continually during every hour of our existence. Our sacrifices are greater-much greater than those of the men of the Olympic games. For four years these men have given up many pleasures in order that they may be lit for these supreme tests. VVe, too, have given up minor pleasures during our high school race of four years. More than this, we have needed the sacrifices of others to get us even thus far. We have needed our parents' struggles and efforts to give us this necessary training. We have tried, in our youthful ignorance, our teachers' patience as they taught us. The laurel wreath was the reward of the Olympic winner, but the re- wards which we seek are of much greater worth, even than the honor paid to the Greeks. In this game of life we may attain wealth. Wealth is the medium through which we may enjoy many of the luxuries this world affords. If we do not attain wealth we may consider ourselves winners if we attain the esteem of our friends-esteem is a subtle quality-which wealth cannot buy-which is given to those who have proven themselves loyal and trust- worthy. One of the most valuable rewards that can come to us in this game of life is friendship. It is won by loyalty and devotion to those with whom we associate. To be rich in friends is to be poor in nothing, is indeed true. Our success or failure is not fully determined at the end of a day or two as in the Olympic games, but will be determined after many years have elapsed-even after our lives are spent. The spectators at the Olympic games saw the beginning and the end of the games and races, but the spectators who today see us begin our game of life may already have gone to that undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns before our contest is over. But we shall never be without spectators for we shall meet them all through life. The greatest praise that they can give to us at the end of our race is that We have been Masters of our Fate and the Captains of our Souls. Vroux Tmwn. SENIOR SPADE ORATION The Miners Once more we COIIIC to the school spade. WVe received it looking almost new. But, if there is any of the blade left, it is not our fault. For there is no doubt that this implement of hard digging could never symbolize a class better than it does ours. Why, we have dug early and late! Many teachers here, who have known us for the past four years, will bear witness that we have done our share of hard work! Summing up what we have done in the past four years, we might liken 'ourselves to miners, who dig out the minerals stored in the bowels of the earth. So have we labored in the depths of studies, and extracted the essence of academics. We early learned that the richest gold lies beneath the hard pan, and can be acquired only with great effort, difficulty, and danger. We always wanted this gold, but hated to work for it. Silver,' too, was hard to get, and only the earnest, hard working miner could always get it. Copper was not far clown, so many a miner, who might have had silver, was per- fectly contented with copper. Almost on the surface lay the iron ore, so that mining for iron required little time and small effort. Those who leaned on their shovels and rested most of the time had to be content with the baser minerals. We have been like miners in other respects, for we, too, have gone on

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Puge27 The EASTERN i Nim-lean Twenty-lhrec Cooper, the greenest of our crew. Our worst enemies were the third class passengers, who, our captain told us, were Sophomores, or Sophs, as the upper classes called them. Strange stories were revealed to us of a horrible sea monster named mid-semester, who came twice every year and gobbled up green freshmen. We spent many sleepless nights in anxious watching for the terrible creature. The monster came, but to our great relief and surprise many more third class passengers were taken than steerage. After a while we were moved to better quarters and given different things to do. Our positions had risen to one of responsibility and from the elevated height we saw many more of these bothersome Freshmen board the ship. We racked our brains to think up some horrible stories to tell them. We were then given second class berths in the good old boat. Our thoughts were wholly occupied with building up the ship's log and record- ing events which will be looked upon as history. First class cabins and the training is about o'er. All hands in prepara- tion! For we are now about to test that which we have gained from the hold and forecastle of the good ship. We notice with increasing surprise the youth and small size of each Freshman group. We truly recognize how eminently fitting it was for Seniors to predominate as leaders of the entire crew. Of course, it is quite possible that not every group of Seniors were as well fitted for this position as the January, 1923. We, who were very anxious to put ourselves down prominently in the history of our ship, with much care and serious thought selected Bruce Carbutt as our lead. These last few months, with the most illustrious crew of 1923, have been months of much glory for old Eastern. Her renown has spread quickly over the vast ocean, and by mysterious means other ships have heard of her great skill in a game called football. No other ship could boast of such strength as this mystery ship, and they were all afraid and kept at a distance after once they were defeated. These last few days have been times of eventful happenings-plays, parties, and many social functions, and now we have gathered at a farewell banquet, our last social gathering as a class. We have reached the harbor of our port, Graduation, and other ships can be seen about us gliding slowly by. At last we have come to the end of a four years' journey. It has been a great voyage. In spite of sea sick- ness, terror of the storms, and hard work, we have never regretted for one moment that we boarded the ship Eastern. VVhen we are left on the deck out of sight of the Orange and Black banner, we notice many ships inviting us to become passengers within their busy cabins. Fear and terror strike us when we think of boarding a large ship named Business filled with cold and stern looking strangers. While we wait, other ships slip slowly into port, among them one very interesting and noisy vessel called College. Most of us choose this ship for our next voyage, although we lose many friends on the Business and Commerce boats. VVe have parted from our friends, waved farewell at old Eastern, and now we are ready to meet the dangers of the next voyage with as much bravery and cheerfulness as before. I have read you our ship's log. All its pages are written full. NVQ have not the prophet's eye to see the future. The History of the class of january, 1923, is finished. Thou, too, sail on O ship of Ours, Our hopes, our fears are all with Theeg Our hopes triumphant over our fears Are all with Theel Are all with Thee! FAITH McCui.LocH.