Fredericksburg High School - Rapahanoc Yearbook (Fredericksburg, VA)

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Rapahanoc ’T wenty-two Hopeful . This time we sailed from Port Elementary in a pretty ship but with little room. Our new captain was Mrs. W. N. Blake, who stood for our rights with grim determination. The pleasures aboard this ship were few, but we endured it all, for we were told that this was only a temporary one, and that a new ship was bei ng built, which was strong and comfortable, as well as beautiful, in which we could finish our voyage. Of course we grumbled and complained over our hardships, but that only made it worse, for here we were out upon the Sea of Caesar, which was the roughest one we had yet encountered, and the worst part of it yet was we had to go through this sea from 4:50 to 5:30 in the afternoons. But worst of all, we were calmly riding the Sea of Algebra when along came a big breaker in the form of Geometry, and almost swept us back to Port Frederick, but we were rescued by the worthy assistance of Captain A. P. Link. As we were nearing the end of our journey for this year we celebrated by a big party, at which the costumes shocked all officers on board, and ever since then we have been confronted by a big sign on the smoke stack, “No Dancing Allowed”. The next year, the wind having blown us back to “Port Elemen¬ tary , we sailed forth again with flags dying and with hopes of soon reaching our final destination. But we had only been sailing a few weeks when Admiral Birckhead rushed up on deck with his usual composure, saying the old boat was sinking but the long looked for new one was in sight. Of course the excitement was great until we were all landed on board the new ship, which was christened “F. H. S. The next week or two was spent in becoming familiar with our new surroundings, which were very beautiful. The only fault we could find in our new ship was the lack of a gymnasium, for the only gym. we had was Jim Johnson, the steward, who was continually warning us that this was a new boat and was not to be defaced. On September 12, 1921, we sailed forth from Port Potters Field in F. H. S. on our last voyage. Never before had we felt so great our importance, as now we were termed “Seniors . Captain Rhea 32

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History of Class of 1922 T HE voyage of the class of 1922 began with the launching of our ship, “The Adventure”, from Port Frederick, on Septem¬ ber 9, 1918. Each passenger boarded the ship with many fears and horrors of the sea, for they that had traveled the same ocean in times past brought back many startling tales of examinations and foreign languages that had to be mastered while on board the ship, and the many hours that had to be spent in the “Brig” for the least offense, such as chewing gum or being disorderly in public. But these tales did not discourage these adventurous passengers for they had planned and prepared for this voyage, and “SUCCESS” was their aim. With Prof. E. F. Birckhead as Admiral and Mrs. Courtney as the faithful Captain of our group, we sailed forth with ardent hopes into the seas of Algebra, Latin, History, English and Science, with a chance to either “Sink” or “Swim”. It required much unusually hard work on the part of the officers to keep these new passengers in order; in fact it was whispered among the officers and crew that the “Freshmen”, as we were called, were the worst that had ever been on the ship. But then at first we could not be expected to settle down because we found many conditions that were not to our liking, so we started at once to let others know we were present. Just as we were getting familiar with our surroundings everything was upset by the “Flu” epidemic among the passengers and crew; by this we were forced to anchor and leave the ship, in which we were given one month to be victorious in the battle for “Life, Liberty and the Pur suit of Happiness”. At the end of this time we were summoned to file into rank, and the rest of that part of the voyage was completed in safety. The next year we started our voyage again upon the “Adventure” with bouyant hopes, but the old ship soon became unsafe, and we were forced to land and board another, which was called “The 31

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was our guide, but she became dis -gusted and de- parted. After her departure Captain Link took command, and has guided us ever since. We thought we were experienced sailors by this time, but we had never met such billows as awaited us in our last voyage. There was one ray of hope, and that was our faithful counsellor and friend, M rs. Link, to whom we always went for advice. Many weary days were spent on deck with Mr. Manger, our physical director, taking our daily exercises, which the officers thought were positively neces¬ sary; but through his diligent training many athletes have developed. Mr. Steck, a new officer, also joined us on this voyage, to safely guide us through the Seas of Science and Math. At last our voyage is nearing its end. Come what may there will be indelibly stamped in our minds pictures of the life we led while here, and this will serve as a solace and a consolation for the bitter thought of separation. To the class as a whole I, as historian, offer my best wishes for the future, and pledge my congratulations in all successes that may come to members of the class of which I am proud to be a member, at the same time sympathizing with the failures that are inevitable in life. In the confectionary assortment of life there are bound to be some bitter sweets, and these enable us to better appreciate the real delights and pleasures of our existance on this earth. My advice is to keep on and on, in the commendable manner in which this class has at all times comported itself. 33