Girard College - Corinthian Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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6 In Retrospect Too soon, many of us will be readers of the Alumini Magazine, where we shall be able to find the details of our past school life lived over again. Dur¬ ing the last term Wesley L. Hoffman and B. Davis Fenimore kept the “ex-hum¬ mers’ up-to-date with the school through their contributions to Steel and Gar¬ net. May we have later news written in the same spirit. As another class passes in review may the readers of these pages realize that we did not do this entirely alone. After all, without guidance little is ac¬ complished. The work of Dr. Stewart, Professor Foust, and Dr. Haskell can¬ not be forgotten. May their wise leadership benefit us in the years to cornel And now we assure you that the life of the editor is a happy one. His pleas¬ ures liv e on after the vain have died. The realization that his pen has accom¬ plished something in an effort to raise the standards of his school is alone a reward. And so let the rest lie with our readers and those who succeed us. Music “And the night shall be filled with music And the cares that infest the day Shall fold their tents like the Arabs And as silently steal away ' ' F ROM the days of the tom tom beating to the evenings of pleasure among the inspiring strains of great symphonies, music has lived as the chief me¬ dium of inspiring men. As children men are lulled to sleep by the mother’s lullaby. Later they appease their emotions, dispel their worries, and live in the atmosphere of ecstacy among the songs which great men and women created for their relief or enjoyment. And finally the solemn tones of the dirge accompany them to their last resting places. But music elevates; it creates ideals, and ennobles our characters. Its spir¬ itual influence cannot be estimated. Perhaps it is Nature’s greatest spiritual gift to mankind because it prevented our return to savagery. It determines our degree of culture. “’Tis the language of the soul.” And so we count it one of the most important of our numerous activities at Girard. From the first crude rendition of the class rhythm band in the old Number Seven Building to the final martial air of pomp and circumstance played when we marched to our last auditorium assembly, music has influenced our lives and con¬ duct. When we entered Girard, we lived in contact with music. Every day be¬ gan with a song. Singing produced in us a happier frame of mind, made us more capable of better work and kinder in our relations to each other. We were little

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January 1934 5 We Call at “Fleet Street” RITING has a way of exerting its influence both at home and abroad. To a great extent the student publications of Girard College form the sole basis of our appraisal by other schools; they also exert a marked influence upon the school life itself. It is the duty of the editor to keep the ideals and spirit of the school on a high plane . The Girard Magazine was long ago raised from the ranks of the mere peri¬ odical. The magazine now provides excellent enjoyment with its stories and poetry. A clearing house for the books of the day gives the readers distinctive information; but the pulse of literature is not complete unless the drama is given its place. The trail has been blazed with a review of all of Barrie’s plays together with a short biographical sketch of the dramatist’s life. Now it remains to our successors to carry on this new feature. But the content is not the only part of the magazine changed. Charles E. Good and Alexander Sanders have made unique and effective cover designs and block prints. To them goes the honor of Art Editor. Members of our class who were on the Editoral Staff are: B. Davis Feni- more, Editor-in-Chief; Robert Ross, Louis Frankau, Neil R. Gilchrist, Charles Green, VVm. E. Montgomery, Wm. Potts, Earl Price, and John Kerlin, Asso¬ ciate Editors. Their pens are responsible for much of the fine material embod¬ ied in the Girard Magazine. The editors wish to thank Dr. Stewart for his kind cooperation and keen criticisms which helped to make this last issue the best published in several years. Under the progressive leadership of Philip Bavuso the Girard News has continued to provide its readers with news and a progressive spirit. Harry P. Buckley and John A. Fuller worked together with the Editor-in-Chief assem¬ bling the news. All stories of interest were covered completely and interest¬ ingly by this trio of reporters. All of us have read with interest the red- blooded sports writeups. It still remains a question how John Fuller succeeded in getting so much action into the sporting news. He was neither partisan nor prejudiced in his accounts, and credit goes in full to him who earned it. The Girard News has carried on. In each publication of the Commencement Record the students of the Col¬ lege are enabled to get a full account of the accomplishments of the graduating class. The story of our school life is vitally interesting to us. This publica¬ tion reflects our true character. We hope that you too may feel the spirit of the Class of January 1934 as you read it. The wise planning and unusual arrangement of material is the work of Fran¬ cis A. Neibert, Editor-in-chief. His associates, Philip Bavuso, Frank DeSanto, B. Davis Fenimore, John A. Fuller, Charles Green, and John Kerlin have en¬ deavored to present to you the history of the class with accuracy and logic. Although it represents our last student activity, may it long be considered “the yard stick” of our success. Our old owl sitting so sedately on the cover should bring you the true spirit of the seriousness with which we have compiled this issue.

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January 1934 7 boys then—happy and energetic. Therefore, as singing goes hand in hand with happiness, we found ourselves naturally adapted to it. The hold that music had on us then grew stronger with each succeeding year. At last we had opportunities to display our musical talent. First there was the Junior Hundred. In this organization Antonio Caruso won first prize for posses- ing the best soprano voice in the choir. But, as we grew older, our soprano voices changed and mellowed into more mature tones. It was then that we found it necessary to leave the choir and confine our musical activities to other groups. Many of us tried for membership in the band and orchestra. The as¬ pirants for the band were either handed bugles or drums, and a bugle and drum corps grew. For awhile our enthusiasm led us far. There was the Founder’s Day parade and the Boys’ Week parade which presented us opportunities to dis¬ play ourselves before the world. But after those events were over, much of our enthusiasm died away. The bugles and drums did not seem to respond. Many of us found it necessary to leave the band and join the battalion. However, a few remained to carry on their interests in instrumental music. Thus in our last term at Girard, we find four members of our class in the band. Francis Neibert, trombonist, was elevated to the position of captain of the band in his Senior-two term. His work in raising the esprit de corps of this organization proves the inherent qualities of leadership which he possesses. He was assisted by Ernest Hall, French horn player and first lieutenant. Hall’s performance on the most difficult of all band instruments is a credit to both him and his instructors. Wesley Hoffman, second lieutenant, was solo flutist in the band. His willingness to cooperate and the skill with which he played his in¬ strument made him a valuable asset to the organization. The spirited drumming of Charles Green, second lieutenant, added the necessary color. In the orchestra our class was represented by three musicians. George Delaney, leader of the orchestra, was solo trumpeter. Few of us will forget the fine solos he rendered in the orchestral concerts. He was ably assisted by Robert Ross and Neil Gilchrist, violinists, who acted as assistant leader and manager respectively. When we entered Junior-two, many of us found our opportunity to join the Glee Club. At the end of our Senior-two term, we find that twenty-four of our members belong to that organization. The officers of the club were Frank DeSanto, president; Philip Bavuso, vice-president; Leon Brandolph, secretary, and Francis Neibert. In the tenor section we have Caruso, Delaney, Gill, Green, Hoffman, Price, R. Ross, Swavely, Wendling, Callendar, Hall, and Nichols. Among the basses the members of our class were Buckley, Kerlin, Waters, Gilchrist, Dittert, Frankau, F. Ross, Neibert, and Ziegler. We leave the College with a precious memory of those happy days spent with our leaders in these activities. When the formulas of mathematics and the lessons of the classroom have long faded away, the lingering strains of Girard music will still remain with us.