Holbrook High School - Echo Yearbook (Holbrook, MA)

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THE ECHO 13 that time that it was wrong for man to destroy or alter what God had made so the plan was given up for a time. In 1814 the land was surveyed but nothing ever came of it and the undertaking was given up as long as Spain held sway over the Isthmus. When the United States finally took up the project, which had already been started by the French, she made up her mind that although there were mountains which obstructed the passes, there were minds and also hands capable of overcoming these hindrances in order to make a waterway which would have great economic value. Since then millions of dollars have been spent and thou- sands of lives lost in its construction. Many times, as soon as a cut has been cleared, tons and tons of earth have slid down the steep embank- ments and filled the cut. But in spite of these rrishaps work has gone doggedly on until now the two oceans mingle their waters in this mighty construction. There is still another branch of work which requires constant labor, this is music. There is probably not one among you to-night who does not enjoy hearing a good piano player or mu- sician of any kind. Music exerts a powerful influence over the mind of almost any person. But, in order to be effective, it must have a power behind it, a skilled touch to bring out the beauty. We are often heard to exclaim when listening to some skilled musician, “ Oh, if I could only play like that!” It is seldom that we stop to consider the hours of hard work spent by that envied one. True his talent may be partly inherited, but it is developed and per- fected only through careful, constant practice. Paderewski once said that if he stopped practis- ing for one day he noticed a deterioration in his playing; if he stopped for two days the critics noticed it, and if he stopped for a week, his whole audience noticed it. There are countless other examples showing the importance and the results of hard labor. But let us, bearing in mind o ir motto and these few examples which go to prove it, do whatever we may find to do with all oim might. Let us always endeavor to conquer the difficulties and do our best at all times. Valedictory Classmates, the time has now come when our high school life ends and we begin to regret that the days have fled so rapidly. Tonight we have come to a branching of the roads. Our life work from this time on is to be varied and each of us takes a somewhat different path. Let us hope, however, that the days spent in Sumner High, through the friendships we have formed there, will always be an inspiration to us to press forward and an incentive for conquering diffi- culties. Friends, schoolmates, teachers, one and all, we thank you for your hearty support, your kindly sympathies and your interest in our welfare and success. What you have done for us has been deeply appreciated. We thank you, our teachers, for the patient endeavor on your parts to show us what we ought to be in life and for aiding us to become successful men and women. We hope to prove to you in the future that your labors have not been in vain. And now we ask one more kindness of all of you gathered here, that, whatever may have been our failures and shortcomings, we may not be forgotten. May the class of 1915 find a place in your memories forever, although as a class, tonight we bid you farewell. Iva Higgins.

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12 THE ECHO account will be accomplished. This is tme no matter what one’s sphere in life is, or what branch of work one may take np. Wdicn a pupil enters hij h school he usually enters with one of two intentions; to make good, or merely to pass away the time until he can go to work. A boy or girl of the latter class immediately begins his high .school career by haxnng all the “ fun,” as he tenus it, that he can. He takes only the subjects actually required and if they happen to interest him he will occasionally look over a lesson or read a story assigned for study. During the time in school when he is not attending classes he amuses himself by annox-ing those xxho want to study. This type of pupil, far too common in our schools, usually has the ability to leam but is too lazy and indolent to try. It is noticeable that as the years of his school life pass, this habit, which has been forming, grows stronger and stronger, until it causes the pupil to become so careless and idle that xvhen he finally leaves school he is of little value in the xvork he decides to take up, for a xx-ell formed habit is difficult to break. The other type of pupil enters his school life xxdth a determination to make good. He feels that this is his only chance to take adx’antage of a high school training and that, to succeed in life, he must have as much education as is possible for him to obtain. This pupil takes all the studies in his department that he feels he can handle. He applies his mind to them, and no matter if they are hard, v ' orks until he has m.astcrt d them.. He finds, as the days and xvecks go by, that his schoo l life is not all drudgery. He has just as much, if not m.cre, pleasure than the indolent pupil and the addi- tional satisfaction of realizing that he knoxvs his lessons and is making a success of his high school c ' ursc. As in the case of the idle pupil he is ff.rming a habit ai d one that xxill stay by him throughout his life. He is becoming diligent, thoughtful, alert and capable of handling diffi- culties, characteristics which will help him conquer and make a success of bis life. Let us emphasize the truth of this statement by considering tlie example set by our martyred President Lincoln. He xx ' as clearly a man cf this latter type. Born of a very poor family in a tiny log cabin in Kentucky with practically no opportunities, as it outwardly seemed, to achieve success, he conquered difficulty after difficulty. The contents of every available book he could find xvcrc thoroughly assimilated by this ambitious youth and every spare moment xvas spent in cultivating his mind. He did not stop and say that because he was poor there was no use in trying to do something worth while. With a determination and a firm resolve to rise higher he struggled manfully on until at last he became, as everyone knows, one of the greatest men, politically, intellectually and morally that our nation has ever knoxvn. But it is not only in intellectual matters that labor conquers all things. It is also true as regards athletics. The man who enters sports half-heartedly and who does not exert himself frequently and vigorously never makes an athlete. It is the man who enters into the work heart and soul and, who, in spite of repeated failures, continues to work in order to master what he has undertaken, who gains fame in t he athletic world. What better example can be fotmd than that of the professional acrobat? He whirls through the air from rope to rope, balances himself in the miost perilous positions and docs all sorts of feats which leave us breathless But how does he do them? By careful, persistent, training he has put every muscle under the control of his xxill. He has trained his nerves to be steady. It is only through repeated attempts and failures that he has miastcrcd his art. The same is true whatever branch of athletics is pursued. Basket-ball, base-ball, foot-ball, tennis, golf, roxxing, swimming and every other sport require true, faithful, hard work if one wishes to become a master cf his sport. Again when any great enterprise is undertaken it is only through hard labor and rigid endurance and determination that it is carried out and made a success. Let us consider that mammoth feat of engineering, the Panama canal. In very early times explorers of Panama thought that there existed a natural waterway from ocean to ocean. When this idea was given up it xvas suggested to Philip II, king of Spain in 1570, that a passage be made through the mountains. But there was a belief common at

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Of all sad words from tonj ue or pen. The saddest are these “Tve flunked again.” Teacher: ‘‘How was ‘iron discovered?” Pupil: ‘‘I heard they smelt it.” Miss M — dy to bookkeeping class: ‘‘Are you buying goods of this man, oris he selling goods to you?” Singing with the school orchestra makes music periods more popular. It certainly is no wonder that M itchell can- not talk, He uses up his energy for his bold swinging walk. French Translations: ‘‘I would not give a fig of a skin for the mayor” ‘‘Colombahad eyes like enamel.” ‘‘She had a little horse with a strong tail.” The domestic science class conducted after school by Miss Moody has become highly efficient after much training in the art of clean- ing floors and washing boards. We think cer- tain members should receive points of credit for their daily work in this subject. When B — 1-y is painted up, he’s as black as coal ‘‘Cole” can make him. POPULAR SAYINGS ‘‘Fine feathers make fine birds.” W — te ‘‘As merry as a cricket.” E. H-ye ‘‘‘As quiet as a mouse.” S. McK-y ‘‘By and by is easily said.” D — c-1 ‘‘Every horse thinks his own pack heaviest.” K — p-n ‘‘Beware of no man more than thyself.” M-l-s ‘‘Two heads are better than one.” G — r-s and T— b— s ‘‘The more haste, the less speed.” B — 1-y ‘‘All her fingers are thumbs.” J. T — n d ‘‘A rolling stone gathers no moss.” Cr — k-r Aceording to reports, V-n — t’s favorite jewel is a ruby, and his favorite season is winter because it brings snow. ‘‘In book or work, or healthful play, Let my first years be past, That I may give for every day Some good account at last.” Issac Watts. The weather is getting hot. And we are getting lazy. And Mr. Currier is getting shocked Because our minds are hazy. Familiar nicknames I have known: Alex, Dickie. Red, Cheat, Hanks, Gid and Mart. Marshall Mitchell rode on the wall, Marshall Mitchell had a great fall. All the Holbrook boys and men Couldn’t make Marshall do it again. Miss T — y-r’s sudden preference for a seat in the rear of the room sets us ‘‘a wondering.” It’s too bad that Reddy and Smith can’t take a trip to the equatorial regions and settle their disputes concerning the Ancient Mariner’s experiences there. Their discoveries might not be of scientific value but one of them would be happier for it, and the other more sorrowful. Query:- Is it vanity or a desire to look schol- arly that has promoted the purchase of brown tinted tortoise rimmed glasses in Sumner High? The teachers think that it is an effort to afford business for eye specialists. There’s not much lacking to make an English- man of Muzzey when he wears his monocle and commences arguing. Not all nicknames are desirable. Ask Miss Griffiths,