Goshen Central High School - Yearbook (Goshen, NY)

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THE PIONEER. 13 squarely in the summer of 1940 and I saw things as they really will be in that year. I found myself sitting on the Court House steps in Goshen. The old Court House had not changed much, indicating that justice was not so much dis- 1 pensed then as now. The jail, too, seemed to have shrunken. I thought immediately that I would like to see how the old High School looked so I determined to take a stroll in that direction. As I neared the school I noticed a very decided change. How I missed those basso profundo 1 bull-frog solos with a full chorus of bass and baritone voices. The swamps had disappeared and their place taken by a magnificent campus of emerald green. The High School was changed the | most of any institution in town. It consisted of a group of ten beautiful buildings each three times as large as the present High School. Persons of all ages seemed to be coming and going as if the school provided courses of instruction for the very oldest persons in Goshen. Imagine my surprise when I turned down the street to get a good view of the buildings and saw j a banner suspended across the street upon which was the name of Carlton Smith for a member of Congress. I recalled one of my classmates as I remembered him, a promising youth usually shaking with laughter. This banner, with its familiar device, brought me to a standstill and while admiring it and thinking of the past, I saw a neatly dressed, nicely appearing—I meant to say young—woman cross the street and aim directly for me. I spread both arms wide, for this happy creature was none other than my dear school friend, Florence Robbins. After such a demonstration as ladies usually give, j we, by a common impulse, made straight for an easy settee upon the high school campus. Florence had changed very little. She had not grown the smallest fraction of an inch. Her form ■ was well rounded out giving every indication that nature had been generous with its food. Her hair was parted nicely in the middle, smoothed down at the sides with a somewhat careless bunch at the back of the head and a winning little curl at each ear. With the exception of small crow’s feet at the outer angle of each eye and a dimple carried lightly on each cheek, her face was as smooth as if it had been polished. Florence promised to tell me all she could of what had occurred since we had last seen each other. Today she said we will confine our talk to the members of our class with one digression to start with. You will notice the jail and the court house have not been enlarged in twenty-five years, while the high school is many times as large. The people of Goshen in common with the people all over this land found that as they provided instruction for all ages crime gradually disappeared. The school is open every day in the year and every known subject is taught. Classes are arranged for all ages and the work becomes more delightful as the age advances. Seeing I was anxious to hear of my classmates, Florence promised to commence at once, herself first. She began by telling me that our class proved to be of better physique than any other previous class as all were still alive and well. After graduating she had taken a course at Syracuse University and then had gone into society. She had a host of friends and—this was not for publication—she had had many proposals for a life partnership but the older she grew the less she cared for such long terms. Finally she decided not to marry at all and had established herself on the avenue in a very comfortable and unpretentious way. Here she has become the little mother of the neighborhood, dispersing loving service and good cheer to every one instead of two or three. You will notice that banner down the street said Florence, well Carlton has represented this district in Congress for the past twenty-seven years and for the past nineteen years no one would accept a nomination against him. Carlton does excellent literary work and is considered one of the leading authors of the day. This with his political engagements make of him a busy man. As we were talking of Congressman Smith there passed us a man with curious looking glass pearls placed in the position usually occupied by the eyes. I could not help asking abruptly “ what is the odd contrivance that man wears to replace his eyes ? ’ ’ Florence said that will interest

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12 THE PIONEER. For he hurled it so far That when they laid down the tape The scorer near fainted. For it was one hundred thirty-eight. V. The next lad is one Whom you would know by his looks Was not a bad student Or a friend of his books. His mind he doth ruin. And his time he employs In reading of red-skins and dauntless cowboys. VI. From a one horse town Just out of the state, There came to this school, I am glad to relate, A lad who, if we believe the report. Has a wish to be known As a regular sport. VII. But now we must turn. And before the world bring The lad who has all the girls on a string. But though he smiles sweetly, I say “ Girls beware,” For he has a steady That resides in Montclair. VIII. This member that follows I need never name, For there is not one But has heard of his fame ; He abhors Math., Greek, Latin and all. But shows at his best When he twirls a baseball. IX. Fifth is a student of classical mind. For his equal in learning It would be hard to find. He studies with diligence And advances so fast That he now has in possession The honors of the Class. Alas ! Now we sadly mourn for one Who was forced to leave before his time, Without giving any reason, Or committing any crime. Except that he practised pugilism At an inappropriate time. XI. We must not forget our athlete. Who has returned to us again, Resolved to quit the noisy city. And the haunts of Wall Street men. Just to enter on May thirtieth, And by a smile from------win. XII. And possibly some future day, When chips are all cashed in, These lads who did their level best Will find they stand to win. C. I. SMITH, ’04. PROPHECY. YOU will remember near the northern end of Lake George on the west side of the lake, i is a large rock, called Roger’s Slide, which ap-; proaches the lake from the height of about seventy-five or a hundred feet. The approach is first a steep incline ending in an abrupt precipice which extends deep down below the surface of the lake. Last summer while visiting this lake with some friends, just at the top of the rock my foot slipped and I fell, striking the back of my head. I rolled down the incline and dropped into the lake. Being of about the same percentage of purity as a certain well-known article of merchandise, I did not sink, much to the surprise of my friends. I am told I was soon fished out of the water by a boat from the lake steamer which happened to be passing, but I was unconscious. You know that if you mix fluids of different degrees of density and then throw them from the container, the heaviest goes farthest. My feet were never far from the present, my appetite returned in just two weeks, ; but the results of activity of my gray matter landed

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14 THE PIONEER. you. You remember William Rumsey and that his eyes were not normal. After our graduation his eyes continued to fail and within a few years he was blind. Will was blind for five long years during which time he worked incessantly to invent something which would enable him to see. His efforts were crowned with success and after eight years of work he invented these pearls. The pearls contains a small quantity of radium. The difficult problem was to invent a transparent capsule which would permit the radium ray to pass but rob it of its destructive properties. This Will succeeded in doing and handsomely has he been rewarded. He has cleared a nice thiny million from his patents. The person using the radium capsule possesses great advantages over a person with a normal eye. With the capsule it is just as easy to see inside as out and a person can watch carefully the operation of his gray matter and can tell exactly when it should rest and when work. As a result never has a person using the radium capsule become insane. The digestive system as well as every other system can be perfectly regulated. You can readily imagine the many advantages of this arrangement. Indeed many persons have had their eyes put out in order to use the radium capsule. May Bassett was converted and went as a missionary to Japan. May found she was in turn teacher and pupil, that the Japanese were not entirely ignorant of the revelation of love taught us by the Nazarene. When I hear May tell of her experience, said Florence, she makes me feel the God in the song of the bird, the music of the brook and the harmony of nature to her minutest details. Admiral Togo who played such a prominent part in Russo-Japan War returned to his native country shortly after the war ceased. He had heard of the renowned American missionary. Upon meeting her he was at once fascinated with her quiet and unobtrusive manner. I was much surprised when Florence told me that the fascination was mutual, for I never imagined May Bassett an “old man's darling.” It was about noon and Florence urged me to lunch with her so we went directly to her home. I could not help noticing the picturesque cottage next the one occupied by Florence. Imagine my j surprise when I saw a lady, a little more portly 1 than I remembered her, with a few gray hairs, the same air of self-possession and none other than I Elizabeth Mould occupying an easy chair upon the porch. Florence told me that after completing her sophomore year at college, Elizabeth had been attracted by the hustle and bustle of stage life. At once she began to prepare for this line of work, i Her genius in this direction was so marked that after a few years of hard work she joined one of the leading dramatic companies of this country. [ Since she has starred in all the principal cities of j Europe. She has and is yet enjoying a brilliant career. Whenever possible, Elizabeth spends her summers in Goshen, as she enjoys the quietness of the old town. Elizabeth, seeing me, came to where we were and the two pressed me to tell them the story of my life. Justas we had arranged comfortably for it the gong of the Sagamore House sounded for dinner and I went down, for I was hungry. A. CLARA DEYOE, '04. It is strange how two souls will take little excursions together off into space, but wonderful things are liable to happen in this most wonderful world. One warm morning while dozing on the bank of a small stream which beautifies the campus of Goshen High School, I had a peculiar dream which coincided singularly with the vision which Clara had during her state of unconsciousness. As plainly, as if it was reflected in the stream, I could see some one approaching who seemed familiar but greatly changed. I soon recognized this figure as one of the members of the gifted class of '04. It was Clara, although one would scarcely recognize her for much of the old time beauty was no more, but her hair was still pretty although there were silver threads among the gold. With the exception that her figure was angular and hard study had left its trademark upon her face, she was much the same Clara of old who came from the settlement of Campbell Hall with a red ribbon in her hair. After we recovered from the surprise of meeting we strolled around the greatly altered campus of Goshen High School until we came to a rustic