Fort Wayne Normal School - Annual Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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I CLASS GROUPS

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22 OUR YIESTERDAYS up for a game or two.'l NVhereupon two Flipper Flappers sat down with the ancients and began gesticulating and throwing the pieces of pasteboard rudely on a flat stone. Pretty soon all the ancients were sitting around in groups apparently absorbed in laying down these bits of pasteboard, matching the colors and chuckling quite audibly. Such a thing never hap- pened before. It was disgraceful. I remonstrated with them but it was useless. Tsme-But that is quite a harmless game, Old Timer. VVe call it pinochle, and all the old gents here on earth play it. You ought to learn it yourself. Father Time-I haven't time any more for such indulgences. But that is not the worst thing these horrible creatures did. They soon discovered the River Styx and the younger generation. You see you just cannot keep anything away from them. They looked at the Shades and then looked away again but all the younger generation started toward them. One of the creatures said, Here, you guys, I'll show you how to rook that old row-boatman out of the dead men's penniesfl Then they took something they called bones out of their pockets. But they looked very much to me like little white squares with black dots on their sides. Then the Flippers- Tsme-Fl A ppers! Father Time-Flappers would throw them down, then decide they wanted them again and would pick them up. All the time they kept saying, Seven, hurry up eleven, My child needs a new pair of sandals, And I can't supply them if I lose. VVhen I came around again all the young men were doing that and singing and making queer noises with their thumbs and index fingers. Tsme-Shooting craps. I must say you are to be congratulated on your gay young Flappers. They are there with the goods, Father Time-But they have done more than that. It makes me feel ten centuries older to think of it, These unspeakable Flappers went back to my harpists whom I have trained these ten thousand years and said to them, oh it grieves me to think of it. They said to them, That sounds like the tune the old cow died on. Such a gross insult. Imagine any- thing like that in the Beyond the Beyond. Anyway they took the harps and slapped them with their fingers so fast that you could hardly see their hands. They must be imps of the devil for everyone began to move in a sort of horizontal fashion from head to foot. As I came nearer I even found it diliicult to keep a steady step and my whiskers began to curl a little at the ends. It scared me so that I made them stop. Tsxne-Ha, ha, ha! So you learned how to shimmie. You want to watch your step or they will have you down here in the Follies. Father Time-I thought surely that would be the end of their trouble-making, so I set- tled down to take my centennial nap. Just as I got into my nrst doze one of my messengers came running up and said there was trouble in one of the schools. I Went as quickly as I could. just as I had expected, there were the Flippers- Tsme-FLAPPERS !! Father Time-Flappers arguing with Socrates. The conversation was: Flapper-VVhat do you mean by keeping these children sitting there listening to you? Let them do what they want to dog they don't want to listen to you. Socrates-How else can I teach them? Flapper-Listen at the Old Boy, how can he teach them? Why you dear, old, stupid, children aren't taught anymore. Socrates-How shall they learn? Flapperflsearn! They don't. Socrates-Do they have teachers? Flappers-Oh, yes, I suppose that is what you would call them. There is always someone sticking around to answer questions and to pick the stuff up that they leave laying around. Socrates-What kind of products do the schools have? Flappers-Look us over, Old Dear. Socrates-Oh, Death, where is thy sting? Father Time-All this that I have told you is the reason for my coming to see you. You must help me. Tsme-Of course, I'll try to help you. Things are in a bad way I'll agree, but what can I do? Father Time-I have brought one of our greatest scholars with meg Gargantua is his name. He is very used to traveling so I want you to take him with you to the schools and colleges and every place, tell him the truth about them, and explain everything to him. Then he can help us to decide whether to do as the Flappers want us to or not.