Holbrook High School - Echo Yearbook (Holbrook, MA)

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THE ECHO 11 He had formed one of a group of tough young men, and through cir- circumstantial evidence was convict- ed for murder of a man who had in- curred anger of this rough gang by furnishing evidence of a theft. The day of the convicted man’s death fell upon a bright morning. As he climbed the stairs which led to the gallows his face was calm and his step firm. A hush fell upon the crowd. Gazing upon the crowd that always assembled to witness a hang- ing (for many came before daylight to get a good place to view this ter- rible spectacle), and raising his hand pleadingly he said, “Young boys, it is to you I make my last plea. Look up- on me and always remember it is the company I kept that brought me here. Shun evil companions and avoid crooked ways. With my last breath I declare my innocence and pray God to send some omen to prove to you the truth of my words, and I will not have died in vain if some that are here today are drawn back to a cleaner living.” He bowed his head and the hangman placed the noose around his neck and the black cloth over his head. (This being to obscure the agony of death). As the gallows fell and his body shot through the trap opening, for the space of two seconds, the sun disappeared and the sky darkened and many of the people of Mobile took this as a sign of his innocence. Fifteen years later a man lay dy- ing in a small town in California. Receiving the last rites of his church he confessed to the murder for which Ned Gaylord had been hanged, by saying he had held a hatred in his heart for William Pickett (the mur- dered man) through the three years he had spent in the Atlanta Peniten- tiary for the theft. Upon his re- lease he had returned immediately to Mobile with the intention of giv- ing Mr. Pickett a severe beating but lost control of his temper and struck him too hard. T. M. R., ’24. The Duties of an American. America gives her citizens more than any other country in the world znd she expects more from them. That is a general rule of life. You cannot get something for nothing in the world, either in government or in anything else. The five great duties that every American must do for his country are these : 1. Vote. 2. Pay taxes. 3. Do jury duty. 4. Fight. 5. Obey the laws. The Vote: The first duty of every American over twenty-one is to vote. The actual voting takes only a few minutes on e’ection day, which comes the first Tuesday after the first Mon- day in November. But the duty is much more than that. One must vote wisely, and that means that one must read the newspapers and keep track of what is going on. One must discuss it with all of one’s friends and neighbors. One must attend political meetings and hear the candidates, that is the men running for office, tell what they intend to do. It takes a person with a keen and wide awake mind who can read and talk English to vote intelligently. Moreover, voting is more than just the few minutes’ work once a year. In order to vote one must first regis- ter, which means going on a certain day and putting your name down on the voting list. Taxes: A tax is exactly like a col- lection or offering in church or the sum you pay when every member of your team chips in to by a new ball or bat. Government costs much. Your President, your judges, your legislators, your firemen, your police- men, must be paid for. Your streets must be paved, your street lamps lit, and your public schools run. All this

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10 THE Bob Remembered. The conductor on the train had just entered and announced the next stop to be Graftonville. Bob Meredith picked up his suitcase and was among the first to alight from the train. Old Mr. Morris was just about ready to start off with his sleigh when he saw Bob. ‘‘Hello, Mr. Mere- dith, how be ye? Ain’t seen you for a long time. Be ye going up by Meadowdale?” Bob was only too glad of the offer, so promptly replied, “Thank you, Mr. Morris. I’m going right up to the old homestead.” They both were seated comfortably in the sleigh with a large blanket over their feet. The ride was over a mile and the air was bitter cold. The conversation consisted mostly of questions asked by Mr. Morris and replies by Bob. Mr. Morris brought him up to his old home and after re- minding him not to forget to come and see Miranda and himself, he de- parted. Bob took the suitcase and ran up the long path leading to the little colonial house. He opened the door and was met by a little old woman all in gray. Her hair was gray and her eyes had a twinkle of supreme happiness in them. “Hello, Mother,” and with a sweep she was off her feet and in his arms. The suitcase was thrown neglected into the corner. When he had em- braced her quite enough they went arm in arm into the cheerful little living room. Soon they were both seated com- fortably in front of the fireplace. Mrs. Meredith was taken by surprise at her son’s arrival and was more or less excited over the event. She hadn’t seen her son for some time so was naturally very happy. The next few days were spent in renewed exploration of the old farm and its surroundings. Bob enjoyed every moment at “home.” One morning he was going to get the mail at the postoffice. On his way he met a red haired girl about his own age, walking along. “Well, well, if it isn’t Mary!” ejac- ulated Bob. “How are you?” Mary blushed as she thought of the time she had cried in school because the teacher had made her sit nex t to Bob and he insisted upon calling her “Car- rot Top.” “Hello, Robert,” she re- plied, “I am pretty well, thank you.” They talked for some time about what had happened during one anoth- er’s absence. After conversing for half an hour Bob remembered his mother waiting for the mail, so he said, “Good bye, Mary. Don’t forget you are going with me on the sleigh party tonight. I’ll be up at the house at eight.” When Bob got home he hustled around, keeping a good watch of the large clock in the kitchen. At quar- ter of eight he left the house and climbed the hill to Mary’s house. Reaching the house he heard the sound of the sleigh bells so quickly ran up the shovelled path and knock- ed on the door. Mary was all ready and looked very pretty that night. They had a jolly good time at the s’eigh party. Bob was just about to say Good Night to her when he heard someone say, “Say, Bob, lights off in the dormitory at 11.” Bob sat up in the chair and rubbed his eyes. He thought to himself, “Why didn’t I work harder in school so that I could go home during my Christmas vacation to see Mary?” Before go- ing to bed that night Bob wrote a long letter to Mary, wishing her a Merry Christmas and then went to sleep relieved. A. G., ’24. The Company We Keep. Being a reporter for the “New Or- leans Times Democrat,” John Jones was assigned to write up a story of Ned Gaylord, a young man who was to pay the penalty with his life for a crime of which he declared his in- nocence.

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12 THE ECHO runs up to a tremendous sum as you can imagine. But it is divided among everybody and nobody has to pay a very large sum, except the very rich. Taxes are not easy or pleasant to pay. In war time when there is a great army to feed and equip and a great navy to build and supply taxes are a heavy burden. But every loyal American puts his share fairly and gladly, for he knows tha t without an army and navy we should be con- quered and lose all the blessings America gives us. The man who tries to dodge his tax does not deserve to be an American. Jury Duty: We know that trial by jury was one of the great blessings of American liberty. Now you can- not have juries without men to serve on them. Therefore every American must take his turn when the Court summonses him to act as a juror. It means the loss of some time from bus- iness or work, but that is part of the price we gladly pay for the benefit of safe, fair and humane trials. Fighting : The duty of every American to fight for his country when she is in peril is as old as the nations. Our country with all its wonderful liberties was born of he- roic fighting. Without the glorious courage of the Revolution the years of hard bitter fighting against heavy odds, there would be no America to- day. In 1812 and again in 1861 the nation was preserved from destruc- tion by the sword. In 1917 we en- tered the great war, “to make the world safe for Democracy ’ as Pres- ident Wilson declared. Our ships had been torpedoed at sea and our citizens drowned. The German threat of conquest was arrived not only against Belgium, France, Italy, Russia, and England, but against the United States; also every other free people. Once more we had to fight for the liberties of the world as well. Conscription, the call of every fighting man to the colors, was a magnificent success in America be- cause this duty of the citizens was universally felt. There was practi- cally no opposition, no holding back. All America went to war gladly to defend those liberties which are more precious than life itself. Obey the Lews: Boys and girls with the right idea of sport and fail- play do not try to cheat their oppo- nents. Whether the umpire is look- ing or not they play fair. They feel that it is dishonorable to win by cheating. They feel that a game, if played by cheats is about as unpleas- ant as a game can be. Therefore, every American is in honor bound to obey the laws. Arrest and punishments may or may not be around the corner if he breaks the laws. But the Good American obeys the law because that is his duty. D. C,, ’26. The Turkey’s Complaint. “Turkey! Turkey! what’s the matter? Every day you’re getting fatter!” Said our Albert, gazing hard At the turkey in the yard. “Ah,” replied the turkey, blinking, “Albert, I am sadly thinking, Men give thanks I well remember The last Thursday in November.” And if I’m not fat and tender, How can they their praises render? And I can but drop a tear, When I think that day so near.” Then the turkey with his claw Wiped a tear from either jaw, And with a sigh that seemed deep drawn Turned, and went to eating corn. R. M. H., ’27.