Greenfield High School - Evergreen / Exponent Yearbook (Greenfield, MA)

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10 THE EXPONENT may not be blessed with perfect features—but that does not matter— if you make yourself possess a worthwhile smile. Abraham Lincoln, as you all know, was not a beauti¬ fully featured man, but it has been said that when he smiled or laughed he was actually beautiful. Not beau¬ tiful in the sense that his face or body was without a blemish, but beautiful in the expression of his true laugh. Laughter is a wonder medicine. Some doctors prescribe nothing ex¬ cept laughter for their patients. A half hour of laughter will cure a cold and there is no reaction as there is in many drugs. A good laugh relieves our minds from fear and wor . When we laugh we forget our worries of the daily humdrum life. There is a story told of a passenger ship which was torpedoed while crossing the English Channel. When the people on board learned that their ship was sinking, men, women, and children made a wild dash for the life-boats. This re¬ sulted in a panic. Above the noise a laugh rang out. The passengers turned and saw upon the bridge of the ship a boy convulsed with laugh¬ ter. He laughed and pointed at them, who now being shamed by the courage of the lad,, stopped crowd¬ ing and pushing, thus giving the crew time to restore order once more on the ship. The most successful men and women are those who know how to get along with their fellow beings. In fact, the biggest problem in busi¬ ness and society is in making people like you and making people feel kindly towards each other. Nothing oils the wheels of human relationships so nicely as humor. Abraham Lincoln understood! this when he saved many a critical situa¬ tion by the introduction of one of his famous anecdotes. Humor has its place in serious business life, and in social life it is a universal pass¬ port to popularity. No one can succeed over his first failure in life unless he can see the humorous situations in it. When the novice takes his first lesson in skating and succeeds in sprawling over the ice in m.ost ungentlemanlv ways, he never could succeed at all if he were not able to laugh off the preliminary “bumps’ ' . In business it is the same. In fact in every path of life the novice must learn to take the tumbles and “laugh them off” if he ever wishes to be a success. The actor and speaker know the true value of the laugh if we do not. Some men would give their fortunes to be able to control the laughter of their audiences. Good comedians have been frequently paid more than the president of the United States. Millions have been given for one good laugh in a play or scenario. What is laughter? This question has puzzled philosophers and sages for centuries. A great many types of answers have been given. Curry says “True laughter results from imagination, sympathy, courage, originality, incongruity, and a re¬ alization that error is absolutely ridiculous.” Irving Cobb says “We do not laugh to grow fat but laugh at other peo¬ ple growing fat.” We usually see a great deal of humor in the ill luck of another. A great many people do things be¬ cause they fear that they will appear queer if they do otherwise. When some one remarks “He’s a better man than I am” and another re¬ taliates with Gunga Din everyone begins to laugh, although most of them could not tell you whether Gunga Din was a new brand of shoe- polish or an Arctic explorer. The straw hat wearer is another one who so fears ridicule that he will not cover his head with a straw hat until May the fifteenth, no matter how hot the weather may be. Among the organizations which have been formed this century for the betterment of the world, is the Morning League of the School of Ex¬ pression. This is a band of students and friends of the School of Expres¬ sion who try to keep their faces toward the morning. The condition under which one may join is “to get up out of the right side of the bed, that is, stretch, expand, breathe deeply and laugh. Note the effect and consider yourself initiated.” The realities of life are deep. Only great length of time can shadow memories. Life would not be worth while if only the sad and unhappy

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THE EXPONENT 9 Father: The Springtime Fete in which so many Seniors took part was a decided hit. St. Anne: They surely enjoyed the Junior Prom. Didn’t they? Father: The History of ’26 after four years of hard toil under the careful guidance of Mr. Smith and their teachers, now comes to a close at the last nage of my records. St. Anne: For all their light¬ heartedness and carefree spirits, they are sad today at the thought of leav¬ ing their beloved G. H. S. May their future history be so renowned that their names will again appear on other records of Father Time. Father: So I, St. Anne, and I, Father Time, to the class of, 1926 bid farewell. May your future be a happy climb. May your fame, the Future ages tell. ANNE CROWLEY, ’26. EDWARD PULASKI, ’26. CLASS ORATION LAUGH! WHY NOT? What really counts in life? Is happiness alone sought? Health alone? No. As Americans we ask for all. Life means to us—as it did to the Knights of the Round Table —to live pure, to speak true, to right wrong, to have faith, to be true to our country and our flag. What keeps true the ideals of life? There is but one answer—laughter —and its shadow—the smile. Among the many things which the modern world owes to the earlier civilization is a Greek definition which says—“Man is that animal that laughs.” Since that time many in¬ vestigations have been made to prove the truth or falsity of this ancient supposition. Mr. Curry, founder of the Morn¬ ing League of the School of Expres¬ sion, gives an account of the time when he tried to prove that the art of , laughter was the distinguishing characteristic between man and beast. He tells how he locked him¬ self into a cage with a monkey; then he tried his best to make that animal laugh. He made faces, laughed at it, and attempted to do all kinds of crazy antics before it, for all of which he received a few sly winks; but never the slightest trace of a laugh, grin, or smile from friend monkey. Thus far it has seemed to be im¬ possible to find an animal with a sense of humor, or at least one which expresses itself through the laugh. Therefore mankind should show his gratitude for this great gift and over¬ throw the theory held by many writ¬ ers that “most neople look as though they were thinking of all the terrors of the past and contemplating worse horrors in the future.” Some people may believe that we are men; let’s learn to laugh and remove all doubt. The laugh is more than a mark of distinction between man and beast, however. It helps us make fpiends; it assists in serving our fellowmen; it helps us to forget our worries; it is a good medicine and it pays big financial dividends. The world longs for the person with the true smile and the true laugh. Mr. Oliver Wendell Holmes was a man of this type. It has. been said of him by men who knew him well that “he was one animated smile from the crown of his head to the soles of his feet.” Would it not be well if we might leave some such impression upon eonle with whom we come in contact? Miss Ann Low says “In this world you will find that laughter will make you more friends than tears.” Two of the most serious thinkers of our time say that it is impossible to teach the world anything except through laughter. And their results prove this to be correct, for Gilbert Chesterton and George Bernard Shaw have done more to teach a moral to the world than any other men of letters, but their morals have always been hidden in gales of humor. Laugh with men and you will gain friends; smile a cheerful greeting and children will cluster about your knees. Live, love, suf¬ fer, when you must—all with laugh¬ ter—and the world will be finer and a happier place because you have lived in it. The laugh beautifies a person. You

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THE EXPONENT 11 memories returned to us. The thoughts which make us smile and laugh are the guiding factors of life, since The man who frets at worldly strife, Grows sallow, sour, and thin; Give us the lad whose happy life Is one perpetual grin: He, Midas-like, turns all to gold— He smiles when others sigh. Enjoys alike the hot and cold. And laughs though wet or dry. There’s fun in everything we meet. The greatest, worst, and best; Existence is a merry treat. And every speech a jest: So, come what may, the man’s in luck Who turns it all to glee. And laughing cries, with honest Puck, “Good Lord! What fools ye be.’ —Joseph Drake. CHESTER OSGOOD, ’26. PROPHECY OF THE CLASS OF 1926 Scene: World Exposition at Paris, France, in 1935. The division of Mental Philosophy. Properties: A tent with a placard reading, “Madame Atwood of the United States—Specializing in Mental Philosophy.” In Paris on business is Bob Bur- rage. He sees the tent, wonders if this “Madame Atwood” is the Atwood person that he used to know and de¬ cides to investigate. He hands his card to the Secretary, who in turn shows it to Madame Atwood. Atwood: Taking card, reads: Burrage Tailoring Company, Creators of Distinctive Dress for Fastidious Men Offices in Turners Falls, Shutesbury, Paris. Atwood: Can it be Bob Burrage that I went to school with back in Greenfield? (This to herself before Bob comes in.) Burrage: Well, if it isn’t little Rae Atwood. Say, you haven’t grown much since High School days have you? Just think! Does it seem pos¬ sible that we have been out of school all these years? Atwood: Do you mean to tell me that you are in the tailoring business. Bob? I thought you would follow in the steps of Paderewski, the way you used to hammer the piano in G. H. S. Just think only a few years ago we were loyal rooters and mem¬ bers of Greenfield High School. See¬ ing that you have offices in Turners Falls you ought to be able to give me some news of the old crowd. Burrage: (Snatching Recorder from, his pocket, turns to the “Local Field” and reads.) “Miss Ethel Roby, formerly of this town, will make a personal anpearance at Pryz- by’s Theatre, at the showing of her latest picture in which she plays op¬ posite ‘Hoot’ Gibson.” (Lays paper aside). By the way—You remem¬ ber “Lum” Brest, our banjo shark? He’s leading a band at Shattuck Park. Frank Merriam and Clyde Galbraith run this famous hall, which is known as “Clydie’s Crystal Ball.” Every - dance must have its “Cop” and at ' that job “Bud” Hartwell is tip-top. Atwood: Through my various friends and as my work takes me to many different places I, too, know some G. H. S. gossip. “Jack” Des¬ mond, our athletic hero of many a game, is now the Coach at Notre Dame. He has not grown in stature yet but he is some coach, you bet. I can see Dot Moore so fair, with her kindergarten class gathered around her there. When these grow un and go to school, to them Annette Lynch will lay down the physical training rule. Annette, you know, took up this game because of suggestions from the coach at Notre Dame. Burrage: Speaking of school, Ree, makes me think of the revised facul¬ ty now in force at G. H. S. Isabel Morgan is Dean of Girls—Miss Childs having retired. Louise McCarthy in Room 28. is opening the “Spanish Gate.” In Room 17, “Ed.” Lamb is king of dates and laws supreme. Bernice Sargent in Room 5 is trving hard to keen English alive. While down stairs in Room 15 Agnes Wait is Latin queen. Harriet Salway in