Hartford Public High School - Classbook Yearbook (Hartford, CT)

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THE CHRONICLE 273 slightest tinge of disloyalty. VVhen we shall have graduated and passed on into the vicissitudes of life, it will be loyal friends that we meet who will bring back the pleasantest memories of High School days. History, language, science-yes, we have studied all these during the past four years, yet you will agree with me that we have learned many a lesson not directly associated with the courses displayed in the catalogue. Are we proficient in all these extra branches? If not, whose is the fault? Not the teachers' by any means! Deference, in- dustry, self-reliance, loyalty-these are qualities, or habits of mind, gained only through personal effort-effort which is not confined to classroom, nor to school, nor to school years. This is Class Day. Soon it will be Graduation Day. VVe are laying aside text-books, yet let us bear in mind that our education is but barely begun. H. LOUISE BLAIR. HISTORY OF THE CLASS OF 1916 s. ESTERDAY morning, as I was sitting beside my window with a copy of Dante in my hands, a most miraculous scene and occurrence was revealed to me: The day was calm and clearg liquid fragrance floated and eddied around me. Suddenly the type on the page began to grow dimg my eyes closed languidlyg in my ears I heard the soft, dreamy twanging of Orpheus' lyreg to my nostrils came an odor of divine aetherial fragrance-my memory left me and I seemed to Hoat lightly upward. The air grew cool and the light winds played gently with the folds of my long robe-Zephyr whipped about my temples and with light lingers moulded my hair into wavy sculptures. I passed lightly through the silken fleece of the great clouds and continued my heaven- ly journey-ever upward, higher and higher. There came a sudden dazzling glare of light, I felt around me the bustle of a royal multitude: I opened my eyes and-behold! I was standing in an enormous hall-great marble pillars rose majestically and supported the gracefully curved canopy oyerheadg great arched windows sparkled and gleamed with the blinding. bril- liance of a thousand colors, rich hangings of royal purple studded

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272 THE CHRONICLE of industry, and is now about to graduate from the Hartford High School? WOl'k, we have found, will bring anything within reach. Deference, a fuller realization of the value of industry,-what else have we gained? For the past year we have gained greatly in one thing, namely, self-reliance. There was a time when we entered our classes in fear and trembling. In such a state were we, that it was impossible to express our rightful opinions. Our teachers may have thought it was because we had failed to learn our lessons, when, in many cases, it was due to the fact that we lacked courage or self- reliance that we failed. What a difference it makes whether we state our views in a self-reliant manner or in a mincing, hesitating way! Let us not forget that self-reliance counts for much in the big world, even as it does in school. There have been many failures because of the lack of courage to go on when we were disheartened, because some one made fun of us, or on account of the numerous hard knocks that we have had to endure. But we must be brave, strong, self-reliant, and have courage to go on, as many have already done. Finally, there is something which I think is the most important thing of all that we have acquired during the four years--our sense of the value of loyalty. NVhat kind of class would we have been, had we not been loyal? A class without a spark of school-spirit is like a man without a country. The individual who knows not the meaning of loyalty is cursed. If we are not loyal, people will not trust usg and to be unworthy of trust is to be almost beyond reclamation. Loyalty! Vlfhat field of business, of social activity, of school life, of friendship, of play, even, but demands it! In business? Wliy, the business world wouldn't exist, if it were not for loyalty. Those of us who are entering into such a sphere will especially realize the force of the word in such a sense. In social activities we must show our loyalty as well. For what spirit would we show in a club, say, the meetings of which we did not attend simply because we didn't want to go? Certainly not the spirit of loyalty! In school life, who doesn't know what it is? Here we oftener call it school-spirit, and we all know what school-spirit is-especially if we have attended one of our school games. Of all our loyalty, though, isn't it most necessary to be true to our friends? lfVe have made friends and friends and friends while in High School, but which friendships are the ones that last? You know, and I know, that they are not the ones in which there is the I

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274 THE CHRONICLE with gems and silver enhanced the grandeur of the hallg before me, on a lofty stand of wrought gold, sat a stern-countenanced personageg to my left, in a gleaming jury-box, sat twelve silent men. I looked down -I was on the witness stand. Before me was a court-the judge, the jury, the clerk, the sheriff-all were present and viewed me coldly. Oh! But the jury! Shrinking, trembling, I passed my glance from one to the other. My knees began to quake-Beethoven was there. He eyed me in disgustg Chopin sat next to him, Michel Angelo regarded me listlessly, while Rubens was sleeping. Virgil and Homer gazed at me sneeringlyg Shakespeare stroked his whiskersg Garrick eyed me with contempt. Hercules towered above all and the stand creaked beneath his weight. Homely Socrates seemed, as always, ready to be convinced, and graceful Phidippides beamed upon me, and I was grateful. But Demosthenes was waving his arms, although no word issued from his lips. Fear seized me anew! XVhat was I doing here? The suspense had become almost unbearable when the clerk of court rose and faced me: At the honorable supreme court of the entire universe, heavens and seas, hidden aloft, it is charged that one Elinor Corbin and one Vahe Garabedian did wilfully and feloniously, and of their own deliberate, premeditated, malice aforethought make a statement re- garding one certain H. P. H. S. Class of Nineteen Sixteen, claiming said Class of Nineteen Sixteen to be the most renowned and illustrious to have been graduated from any institution. And that then and there, said Elinor Corbin and Vahe Garabedian did feloniously and wilfully and with premeditated malice aforethought cast into disgrace and oblivion every other class that had been graduated from any institution by proclaiming said Class of Nineteen Sixteen supreme. And so said members of said Class of Nineteen Sixteen did in man- ner and form aforesaid speak the most monstrous fabrication capable in the lips of mortal, contrary to statute in such case made and pro- vided. My eyes Hashed. ' Guilty or not guilty !', shouted the sour-faced official before me. Guilty, I cried defiantly, guilty to the authorship of the words. Not guilty to the charge that it is a monstrous fabrication! Evidently it is for this I am tried, and I am glad. Nineteen Sixteen supreme? Yea! A thousand times, yea! Listen, oh learned men, and judge my plea: