Gettysburg Academy - Osoga Yearbook (Gettysburg, PA)

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19--------------H--M----------- ----------- o s o cs A ----- -M ----1--M --------f----------34 x K OSOGA LODGE In the South Mountains situated not far from the historic Pine Grove Furnace stands the Osoga Lodge, a week-end and football camp where many pleasurable leisure hours are spent. Osoga Lodge is maintained by the school, and after a week of study at school, one is glad to get away from its restrictions and out into a natural atmosphere. The environment which surrounds the camp is of unques- tionable natural beauty and historic wealth. Barely two miles from camp stands the original Pine Grove Furnace in a little settlement of the same name. Ir was here that part of the shot was made during the Revolutionary War to supply the needs of XVashington's army. The furnace has long ago been aban- doned and now stands as a memorial to its own once great production. This district was noted for the iron which was mined from its hills, the output being so great that a branch of one of the major railroads of this state was extended to the mining district. A few years ago several of the mines being dug too deeply, struck underground springs and were flooded. Thus the iron production was discontinued. The natural beauty and magnificence of the surrounding country is inspiring and is the constant theme of poets and writers. Beneath the hill on which the cabin stands lie the somber waters of Laurel Lake. Towering above the lake with the majestic grandeur stands Pole's Steeple, crowning the heights of the wooded slope which surrounds it. In the hills in the vicinity of the lodge is situated an immense group of boulders which form the apex to a mountain of no mean height. This is recognized by the National Geological Asso- ciation as one of nature's works of art and is appropriately called Hammondls Rocks. Osoga Lodge is situated on a bluff overlooking Lake Laurel. Its commanding position demands the attention of all passers-by. It is built upon the style of a Swiss chalet though the native architecture is outstanding through the fact that it was erected with logs cut from the surrounding forests. The cabin is a rather large building painstakingly constructed to Ht the needs for which it was planned. As one approaches the Lodge one notices the distinction of the wide roof and broad porches which surmount it. As one enters he is immediately conscious of the keynote of its formation-expansiveness. The large center room which is used for a dining hall, a living room, and a sleeping room is set off by a massive stone fireplace fClass ,3I gifrj while above is a sleeping balcony. There is a kitchen in the rear of the cabin which is considered to be the most important room by many. Before school starts, football camp opens under the direc- tion of Coach C. R. Wolfe and extends up to the time when school is about to begin in the autumn. Stiff workouts are given the players before their 'final debut on the gridiron. If one might be there some cool autumn morning he would per- haps see Hips' boysy' doing Poleas Steeple or pounding the road toward town. Later the week-end camp opens and a certain number of the students are allowed to go there accompanied by a master who cooks the food, gets the water, etc., etc. Nlany hikes are made by the fellows, one of the best being to Tumbling Run, a dis- tance of about seven miles. Another to Hammond,s Rocks, which leads through mountain trails especially beautiful in autumn, to the summit of a veritable castle of stone surmount- ing a precipitous ridge. For those who like canoeing there is Laurel Lake and a decent sized canoe at request. In back of the camp is the State Forest Reservation and at times nearing dusk many diminutive deer will steal out into the clearing in which the camp is situated. Those who like swimming should go to Fuller,s Lake, formerly an abandoned mine, which serves its purpose to the greatest extent. U51

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o s o G A --H- I-IAPPY HOURS RECREATION ROOM I 54 I

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wet- - 1- - -2 --------- H o s o cs A ----------- - -M-64 QF is Q NW THE FOOL Poughkeepsie . . . bellowed the porter of the New York Central Express. Poughkeepsie.w He shouted again, at the same time peering through the blue haze of the smoker. mAh, heyah you is sah,', he exclaimed, eagerly waking the bewhiskered man with the brown derby out of a sound sleep. I-Ieyah you is. This hcyah is Poughkeepsie, sah. Ainit that wha you git off, sah? The bewhiskered man grunted disgustedly. No, you fool, I get og at Hudson. Get out of here. Across the aisle four men were playing a hand of poker and sympathetically observing the incident. These porters certainly do take the cake for being foolsf' snorted the drummer. Ushow me a better example of Mr. Fool A-I and I'lI eat my shoes. Oh, I don't know, mused the college man, Ir all depends upon a man's viewpoint. Now do you fellows really know what a fool is?U Do I . . U burst in the drummer indignantly. Well, say, if it werenit for fools, whereid I be . . If I didn't know a fool when I saw him, how could I rake in a 200 per cent profit on this stuff I'm selling? Yes sir, you bet, I know a foolf, The man of leisure lit a twenty-five cent cigar and did not offer his companions a smoke. l'Yes, Iive seen a fool, too,', he said. 'QI know a man who is rich. Yet he works day in and day out, accumulating money he never enjoys. That man is a fool.', Wal,', remarked the farmer, reflectively, spitting out of the window, reckon I know what a fool is, tew. Last time I was in town, one of them there gold-brick fellows tried to catch me up on one of his bunco games. But I wanit no fool, by gosh. . 'i The college man smiled. Q'Gentlemen,', he said, gif you will allow me, I will tell a little story. Ir is of a fool I once knew. The tale is old but a true one, and it may be that you never heard of just this kind of a fool. It was several years ago that the incident occurred, although I can remember it as though it were yesterday. It was at old Columbia. I know the story as an eye witness. uThe Fool, for as such he had earned his name, was a great, mammoth, awkward, young giant. He was a titan, a perfect mountain of solid beef and musclegbut that was all. He was a physical perfection, but further than that, he had achieved nothing. Studies? Oh, yes, he was well in his studies. Fools often are, you know, -strangely inconsistent. But, nevertheless, he had no head. You see, he was a fool. He could not enter the frats. He was not disagreeable, but taci- turn-odd. He desired no company but his own. The coaches, however, could not behold two hundred pounds of solid muscular energy lying idle without dreaming of the possibilities of such energy. He was urged to try out for the various athletics. This, probably, in response to the yearnings of the great forces within him, he agreed to do. He tried baseball. You can imagine the result. When at bat, he could not hit a ball without sending it crashing through the fence,- but he had no judgment, and could seldom hit it. He was too lazy to run bases. He was never known to catch a fly. In fact, his baseball career expired, in a tremendous burst of misspent energy within six days. The track meet called for followers. The giant dreamily listened and replied. But his great, inherent laziness barred him absolutely, and he turned for new opportunities to prove the power of his superhuman strength. The coach of the crew received him with open arms: but soon dismissed him in a temper. The Fool, ever faithful to his name, confidently ignored orders, snapped oars, and swamped the boat at least every other time. No, as a member of the crew, he was not a success. Then came football. By this time his ill-fame as an athlete had reached all the coaches. Yet, his splendid physique could not be overlooked, and he was begged to try out. He did so. The coaches groaned often and feelingly. The big fellow seemed absolutely incapable of grasping the plays. He knew, always and forever, just the wrong thing to do at the wrong time-and he always did it. Still, for the sake of his powerful shoulders and two hundred pounds of iron sinews, the coach was tempted. And so the Fool, in spite of himself, became an athlete, and joined the ranks of the gridiron as a substitute. The football season was a glorious one for Columbia. Victory followed victory that year. The whole university was wild with enthusiasm. The football warriors were heroes, and even The Fool, who had not engaged in a single game, outside of the scrub issues, was held in good natured tolerance. Brint- son alone, now disputed Columbiaas right to the championship. uThe day of the great game arrived. The home city was hlled with the supporters of Brinston, automobiles and train- loads arriving in steady streams. The populace was rife with football zeal. Never before in football history had such in- tense excitement been known. Each side was absolutely and T561