Eastern High School - Echo Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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THE EASTE.RN ECHO one is tying his sandal 3 one is arranging his cloak, some are riding, some are trying to mount, some are walking. Slab VIII is called Phidias and his horse, for, although it is not the sculptor himself, the perfection, both of horse and man, could only have been done by the master. The entire frieze is considered to be, perhaps, the most perfect piece of relief ever made. The horses are the most life-like and spirited ever rep- resented in marble. The forward movement of this western frieze will probably never be repro- duced as wonderfuly as it is here. All of you go and look at it, and see if you don't notice its perfect rhythm and movement. I suppose you all have recognized Venus de Milo in room 109, where, I imagine, she sees a great deal more of what goes on in the classes than we would want anyone else to! The figure was found at Milo, in about 1840, by a peasant, who, not realizing its value, sold it, for about three hundred and forty dollars, to a Frenchman. It was taken to the Louvre at Paris, where it is now. Venus de Milo, as she is now, has no arms. They were broken off, somehow, and no one has ever been able to make, a pair that are perfect enough for the figure. 'An article published some weeks ago says that there is an authentic descrip- tion of her, written by her purchaser, and that her arms were not broken till after she was found. Some people do not believe this, although the paper also says that her arms, iii several pieces, were taken with her to the Louvre, and that they are there now. Venus de Milo is the most beautiful female statue in the world. The graceful outline and simple modeling have never been equaled, and probably never will be. Besides the Venus de Milo you will find a copy of the bust of Venus in room 102, and another full length figure, holding an apple, in 109. You all know the story of Venus and the apple. This story is probably the history of the first beauty contest! The plaster face hanging.from the wall of 109 is that of an unknown Roman maiden. What a tiresome position that must be! You will find the bust of the statue of Apollo Belvedere in the library on top of the bookcase. Some people think his is the most perfect male figure, others think his position keeps him from perfection, for he has both arms outfiung. The original was probably made by the sculptor Leo- chares in the first or second century B. C. The original, or rather the Roman copy of the Greek original, stands in the Belvedere Gallery of the Vatican at Rome. He gets his name from this Page 2 5 room, Belvedere,' means beautiful view. He was first owned by Pope Julius II, and was the first piece in the Vatican collection of sculptures. The large relief, in the library also, is called Bacchantes, Dancing. You all know about Bacchus, the god of wine and revelry, who held his orgies every few years, these are his female followers, or at least some of them, for when Bacchus started reveling, everyone reveled with him. The real antique original, not a Roman copy, is in the Louvre at Paris. It was made in the fourth century B. C. The statues of Venus de Milo and Venus with the apple, and the busts of Venus, Ajax, the Greek hero in the Trojan War, the poet Virgil, and the head of the Roman Maiden belong to the S. P. Q. R. See if you can find Virgil and Ajax, they aren't hard to locate! We have three copies of the same bust of Shakespeare, one in l0l, the second in the of- fice, and the third in the library. The one in 101 has a history, for he came from the old East- ern High. You may find out something of this history from Miss Buchholz. The bust of the poet Dante is to be found in 302, Look at him closely before forming an opinion, for at first glance he looks a little like an Indian. There is another member of the stafi' of the Echo who will tell you that. It was her im- pression, not mine! Although the sculptor is un- known, the bust is believed to have been made from nature. The original is in the Naples Mu- seum. Of an entirely different style of sculpture are the two pieces in the Assembly Hall. They are Mother and Child by Charles Agusta Fraican and Precious Time, also thought to be by him, but his name is not on it. They were made in the period in which baroque sculpture was popu- lar, that is, the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. In room 309 are several small plaster casts rescued from the basement. Among them is a little copy of a Barye Lion. You know of the fine collection of original Barye pieces in the Walters' Art Gallery, I'm sure. Also in 309 is a collection of originals, all of them animals, I think. If you have made one of these yourself, you know that I am referring to the things known as soap sculps, made by some of the first-year classes. If you haven't made one, you've missed lots of fun, for what joy is greater than that of a creator? You see your lump of soap pass from one thing to an- fC0ntinued on Page 1151

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o F7 S . I Q N Sculpture rlllullll in f lifts e ,iflgj ' os' 1 o eq . ' I Ei f any ' 5 I 2 f .f x School W ill! l f ll 'll I-We 'M SURE that almost all you Easternites have noticed the many pieces of line sculpture in our school, but I'm also sure that very few of you know anything about them. I didn't either until I discovered that it is as interesting as it is worthwhile to get acquainted with them. Let me tell you some of the things I have recently learned. Two of the best statues in the school are those in the lobby. They are Minerva, also known as Pallas or Athene, the goddess of iwisdom and de- fensive warfare, and Augustus, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, who became emperor of Rome. The original of the statue of Minerva was made by a Greek sculptor, probably in the fifth century B. C. in the time of the great Phidias. Several copies were made by the Romans, and later dug up by excavators. One of them is in the Vatican at :Rome Another is here in our own city, in the Walters' Art Gallery. Both Minerva and Augustus in our lobby are plaster casts made by P. P. Caproni and Brother, of Boston, and were presented to us by the Mu- nicipal Art Society. By Minerva's side is a snake, a representative of wisdom in ancient times. Her breastplate, called Aegis, she borrowed from her father, jupiter, when she wanted to go to war. The head in the middle of the shield is the Gorgon's head, a ghastly sight, Deformed and dreadful, and a sign of woe. So Homer describes it. The curls on the edge of the shield are the snakes of the Gorgon's head, the whole shield was supposed to inspire fear. The helmet is a kind worn by the Greeks for many centuries before and after the statue was made and is called a corinthian helmet. You should particularly notice the purity of line and the perfect representation of folds in her robe, for the sculpture of the period in which the statue was made is considered best of all times. The statue of Augustus Caesar was made in a somewhat later period, for he was emperor at the time of the birth of Christ. This particular statue of Augustus is known as Augustus Prima Porta,', for the original, now in the Vatican, was found by the excavators of a place called Prima Porta or First Gate. Augustus is here somewhat idealizedffor his face, although it looks like him, is done in the Greek style. The cupid and the dolphin represent his descent from Venus, who was thought either to be the daughter of jupiter and Dione, the goddess of moisture, or to have sprung from the sea. Cupid was her son. Finest of all our sculpture is the piece on the north wall of the first floor corridor-a repro- duction of the western frieze of the Parthenon. It, also, was given to us by the Municipal Art Society, and was cast by P. P. Caproni and Brother. The original frieze is of marble and was made by the sculptor Phidias, and perhaps by some of his pupils. Phidias, who belongs in the time of Pericles, is considered the greatest sculptor the world has ever seen. The frieze is in bas, or low, relief, for it is no more than two inches high at any place. The western part is still on the Parthenon, although most of the other sections have been carried away. All of it was injured when the gunpowder stored in the tem- ple by the Turks, who held Athens at that time, exploded. You can see on our reproduction where a leg or a head or an arm is missing. The Par- thenon was a temple built in honor of Athene fit was called this from the Greek word Parthe- nos meaning virgin goddessuj. The frieze rep- resents the Parthenaic procession, held every four years by the Athenians, when a new robe, or peplos, gorgeously embroidered, was given to the great statue of Athene in the Parthenon. Our section of the frieze shows the beginning of the procession. You will notice that every horse and every man is in a different position, Page Z4

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A Perfect Period MARGARET HowsER '29 ERHAPS SOME OF You feel that you have never had a perfect period. Ah! you mis- erable unfortunates! What you have missed! It is for your benefit that I am now declaiming on this subject. Therefore, heed well-and envy not, for you too may some day experience a per- fect period. I shall tell you, for example, about a perfect English period. The very brightest class in E. H. S. had assem- bled and immediately become quiet. Books were opened noiselesslyg pens were poised for action. The teacher gave a little ahem.', Suddenly loud talking was heard in the corridor. Girls,,' said the teacher, your assignment for tomorrow -more noise from without-louder- your assignment for tomorrow-pardon me, but will you close the door, Mary? A draft swept down the corridor and the door closed with a resounding bang! The class jumped. To continue, observed Miss --, who had jumped along with the class, your assignment will be -The door opened and a sweet-faced little teacher entered. Pardon me, Miss--, but I left my roll book on your desk. Thank you so much. She tripped out and the door closed softly. Well, continued the teacher, your assign- ment, as I previously started to say, will be to take the nextu- Again the portal opened and a fat, genial old man peered inside, a puzzled expression in his bespectacled eyes. The teacher went to his assistance. Excuse me,', he was heard to say, but where may I find the principal?,' He was told and the class once more awaited the verdict. Girls, -the teacher spoke a bit hurriedly- before another thing interrupts us',- The class again poised pens joyfully. Suddenly, loud coughing came from the rear of the room. Miss -, may I get some water P Barely waiting for an assenting nod, the victim of the cough made her exit, allowing the door to swing to according to its will, which was very strong just then. 'fThe assignment, said the resolute teacher, will be - The door was flung wide and this time a solemn black face appeared. A dark gen- tleman entered, his arms full of crockery. 'Scuse me, Ma'am,', he explained, but can you all tell me wheh all dis is to go F With a touch of dramatic irony, Miss 1- sent him on his way. Then, turning to the class, For tomorrow, she began. Yet again the wooden panels moved and a smiling miss stepped daintily into the room and deposited a long sheet of paper on the desk. Then she daintily tripped out again, smiling graciously. To proceed, said Miss -. A sudden en- trance was made into the room by an excited figure. Miss 1, youire wanted on the phone ! Pardon me, girls. Go right on with the dis- cussionf' A student council member detached herself from the group. Girls, I think Miss - was trying to say thatU-- Once more the door opened, this time to admit two men who stood with folded arms in the doorway and gazed at the ceiling. I-Im-m, said one. A-hem, said the other. Still they 'gazed at the ceiling, then abruptly about-faced and de- parted, leaving the door ajar. Around this ap- peared the teacher. I'm sorry, girls. Now where was I? Oh, yes! Tomorrow's assignment will be to take -- Another figure appeared on the scene and prof- fered the teacher a paper and pencil. Hastily reading it, she scribbled an answer. Then she resumed speaking. As I was saying --a loud clang-Miss -- hurried thru the nearest doorway, and the students jumped hastily to their feet and followed. Returning from the fire drill, the brightest class in Eastern found Miss i awaiting them. For to-morrow, she began.-An overalled figure entered, carrying a ladder which he propped against the wall. Then, offering some slight apologies as he moved chairs and upset the waste-paper basket, he proceeded to fix the clock. Miss - looked smilingly at the class. The class nodded happily. The clock-man began his exit, in the course of which he backed into a stack of books coming in the door. With re- sounding thwacks the books crashed to the floor. revealing a perturbed janitor behind them. The clockman and the janitor collected books. The front bench squeaked as the books were thrust in piles upon it. , There was not the 'slightest touch of despera- fC,ontinued on Page 115D Page Z 6