Holbrook High School - Echo Yearbook (Holbrook, MA)

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10 THE ECHO hard work of women of a by-gone age. We do not fully appreciate the bravery of them, who faced ridicule to bring about thi s reform ; these great people who gave up their own happiness and comfort and subjected themselves to contumely that we might be free. They should be re- garded with affectionate and grate- ful veneration by us. Even in the 20th century many battles for freedom and justice re- main to be won. An education makes a girl keen, alert, intelligent, and efficient. She will accept the duties of the community, eager to do her share. Furthermore, it trains her mind to meet great problems and fits her to serve her country, wise- ly and well. She can contribute to American life and through it to the life of the world. At no time has the future looked so bright and prosperous for the American girl as now and it is for us graduates to follow and widen the trail that the women of the last cen- tury have so effectively blazed for us, so that we might be free. Valedictory At last the time has come when the class of 1924 must part. We all must start our journey on life’s way and we well know our paths will lead in different directions. We have at last come to the fork in the road. The way to each of us is more or less unknown, but thanks to the training we have received, we feel confident that we shall walk aright. “May knowledge increase,” has been our motto here and may the knowledge that we have acquired in dear old Sumner, prove a firm foundation for the ladder of fame on which we all aspire to climb. We realize our obli- gations to all, to superintendent and teachers, for your tireless and un- failing efforts in our behalf, to the committee for your kindness and thoughtful oversight, and lastly to you, our parents, for your patience and generosity, which has enabled us to arrive at last at our goal. To you, undergraduates, we turn over the duty of upholding and advancing the standard of our school. May it never fall, but rather, in the years to come, prove a greater and greater honor to our town. And now farewell — that word that bids us pause — that word so sad that rouses happy memories — that word we dread to say, yet must be said — Farewell. DOROTHY HAYDEN, Valedictorian. Class Ode {Sung to the tune of ' ' Lovers Old Sweet Song ) School days are fading far beyond recall. School days whose memories remain with one and all. Brightly before us spread the paths of life, Enter we now upon the world of strife. New roads appear that bring to us our fame And lead us to the goal which is our aim. Chorus : Goodbye dear old Sumner, Goodbye to you. May we all remember To whom success is due. Eager steps now falter At your closing door. Classmates tear’s and laughter Are heard no more Are heard no more. Teachers and friends we bid you fond adieu. Words cannot express our grateful- ness to you. Through storm and calm you help- ed us on our way Making our darkness turn to bright- est day, And to the end we’ll keep our motto nigh With your kind helping start dear Sumner High. THELMA M. ROLLINGS, ’24.

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THE ECHO 9 life has from the beginning been dif- ferent, In fact, the boy was free, the girl was not. The prejudices of so- ciety were cruel, unjust, and unkind. Women were hemmed in by tradition- al conventions, which were quite as binding as law and made it impossi- ble for them to act freely. If they tried to scale the wall that custom had built around them, they were called unwomanly and strong-minded. Even during the Civil War, women who spoke or read addresses in pub- lic received scathing and oftentimes insulting criticism, even from people supposedly well-bred. In earlier times, the father’s only thought of his daughter, was to find her a husband with a sufficient amount of property ; while the grcom-in-question considered but the am.ount of dower that the father would bestow upon the bride. Her feelings were not considered. You can recall that this method prevailed in many of the civilized countries down to very modern times. Even now, in Germany, one of the most advanced countries in science, they do much the same thing. Yvonne Loshe, an American girl, who hiked through Germany, reports that mar- riage is quite a business-like affair in the farm districts. The parents of the young people have an inter- view, discussing such matters as the inheritance of the groom and the dowry of the bride. Very frequent- ly, preparations are made without the young peoples’ knowledge. In geneology, the mothers are made no mention of, only the fath- ers. In the Old Testament, women are mentioned only when they are mothers of notable men. In this position, women stayed un- til less than 100 years ago. If a girl owned any property, it was trans- ferred to her husband, when she mar- ried. At his death, he might will it away, although it was her’s origin- ally. However, when a few women be- came educated, they realized the ad- vantages and opportunities — not only benefiting womanhood in general, but the country — that would come with universal education. Then followed the battle for in- tellectual freedom. Their arguments were truthful and convincing. Then, there were no institutions of educa- tion, which would admit women ; now there are very few from which women are excluded. When Elizabeth Cody Stanton re- marked a few years ago that the day would soon appear when women would vote as well as men, it caused great amusement. That day has ap- peared, for on August 20, 1920, a bill was passed by Congress, granting equal suffrage. Formerly, the only profession open to women was teaching, for which they were wretchedly paid ; now, any profession is open. The World War threw open farther the door to prog- ress and freedom for them. Many positions were thereby open for trial and the world was amazed by woman’s ability. Women were forced to take the place of the men in the army and they measured up to the need of the hour. Hardly an office can be found where there are not women employees. In banks, railroad offices, and business houses of every description, you will find them, and these conditions will con- tinue permanently in this country. We have saleswomen and buyers in large stores. Some fill the pulpit, others are doctors, lawyers, writers, artists, actresses, singers and po- licewomen. There is also a well- known feminine discoverer, Mme. Curie, a really great astronimer Maria Mitchell, and many other women of distinction in the social and political world. Soon both houses of Congress will be well filled with women as well as men. They will be presidents of banks, railroads and all kinds of corporations and will share equally with the men in the manage- ment of the large business enter- prises of the world. Today, we are so accustomed to our great opportunities for work, ed- ucation and pleasure, that we do not realize that the freedom, we now en- joy, but take as a matter of course, was only won by the sacrifice and

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THE ECHO 11 Norfolk Lumber Company’s Offer to the School Draftsmen The Norfolk Lumber Company of Stoughton have offered prizes total- ing rT25.00 in gold, to the students of the h ’gh schools in this district who can prepare the best sets of plans for a house which would be suitable for construction in Massachusetts. The high schools included in this (offer) contest are those of Canton, b olbrook, Randolph, Sharon, and Stoughton. In each town there will be a prize of $20.00 in gold for the student of that high school who pre- pares the best set of plans. Thus there will be awarded in each high school, and a total of five prize win- ners in the district. In addition to these local prizes, there will be a Grand Prize of $25.00 in gold for that set of plans which is adjudged the best among the five prize winners. In this way the winner of the Grand Prize will receive a total of $45.00 in gold. The following rules govern this contest : 1. Each contestant must be a student at the local high school. 2. All plans must be submitted on or before June 2nd. 3. There are no restrictions as to the style or type of house, but each house shall contain not less than four nor more than eight rooms. Baths, Sun Parlors, and Sleeping Porches are not counted as rooms. 4. All plans shall be drawn in ink. 5. Each set of plans shall include at least a floor plan, a front elevation, and a side elevation. 6. Contestants may receive ad- vice and suggestions from their par- ents and friends, but the actual work handed in must be done by them- selves. 7. The decision will be based as follows : The House: Practicability of construction — 20 points. Beauty — 20 points. Convenience — 20 points. The Plans: Clearness — 20 points. Precision — 20 points. 8. The names of the contestants shall not appear upon the plans. Each contestant will submit his or her plans to the principal who will assign a number to each set of plans. This number, together with the contest- ant’s name, shall then be placed in an envelope of the judges. 9. The Norfolk Lumber Company shall be entitled to the use of any plan submitted in the contest, whether the plan wins a prize or not. In each town the local board of judges shall consist of three mem- bers, one of whom shall be a local constructor, another a bank director or employee, and the third a prac- tical workman. After the local prize winners have been chosen, the five winning sets of plans will be submitted to the Judges of the Grand Prize. This board of judges will consist of three archi- tects, one shall be Mr. Edgar F. Hall of the Norfolk Lumber Company. The boys of the mechanical draw- ing class are now busy drawing and perfecting plans for this contest.