Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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ing- opportunities. Only recently a wom- an has been sent as an ambassador to Switzerland, and others have been elected j?overnors of their states. Think of the leadership such women have! Other women have a part in their town gov- ernment or even in their state govern- ment. Some day we may have a woman president. Some time ago I saw a poem contain- ing the words, “Beautiful child, beautiful girl, triumphant woman!” What is a woman leader but triumphant! And if through her even one person is brought into a better life, she is a woman who leads. MARY BEAI..S. BOOKS AS EDUCATORS There is hardly any phase of modern life so widely spread as the habit of read- ing. Almost everyone reads something whether it is the newspapers, fiction, dime novels, good literature, or fairy stories. Reading is certainly a good habit, too, if cairied on in the right way. The point is that we should make the best selections from the great variety of material from which we have to choose. We can’t read everything in a life time; so we should read what is worth while. We should choose what books to read with carefulness and consideration. Some books may not be actually bad for us to read, but they are a waste of time if they do not set the mind to thinking, the imagination working, and the whole mental mechanism in motion. Of cours ' there are times when we are too tired to concentrate on Shakespeare or Burke, and a little light reading is restful, but on the whole we are lazy if we do not read those books which at first offer some resistance but which later become valuable parts of our experience. A book that is worth reading should be read slowly and conscientiously. We should not skip some passages of a poem because they are so imaginative that they are at first hard to understand, noi should we skip part of a book because it is involved, but we should take the time to picture the descriptions of th“ poet and reason out the statements of the author. Careless reading does more harm than no reading at all. As we read a book the question to ask ourselves is: “Does this book leave any kind of wholesome a d kind feeling in my mind after I read it?” If the answer is nega- tive, we must at once discontinue read- ing books of this kind. If the answer is affirmative, we should continue to read the books with great earnestness, for we are gaining some valuable knowl- edge from them. Books are educators. This is a well proved fact, for the well-i ' ead man is the successful man whether in business, politics, law, or science. Almost all of us realize that anything which is worth having must be earned and all may earn an education through the study of the great poets and writers. Fiction teaches us habits of life and true morals which should influence our lives. Through Dickens and Thackeray we learn the customs and manners of the English people in all walks of life. Kipling teaches us of India and the odd habits of the natives. Through George Eliot’s “Silas Marner” we are taught that sin brings retribution in proportion to the crime committed. Surely, to gain an education in such a way is the most enjoyable thing possible. History, in informing us of the past, reveals to us the present and the future. We cannot hope to discuss the politics of our time if we do not know the events of the past. If is very interesting to observe the characteristics of the differ- ent men in Roman, European, and American history, and to notice the qualities peculiar to each. Some of us have the impression that Washington was immortal because he was not able to prevaricate as easily as some of us. However, when we e ' ter into an actual study of his life we learn that he was as brave and manlv an American as we have ever had. Gibbons in his “Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire” has gi’’’- US the most complete account of Roman history that we have, and Car- Ivle through his “Heroes ard Hero Wor- ship” acquaints us with the lives of some of the world’s greatest leaders. Biography also can help us to guide our own lives through the actions of others. From the “Life of Abigail Adams” we learn that during the Revo- lutionary War John Adams did all he could to promote the cause of liberty a’ d his whole life was spent in help- i’ g his country. In reading “Remi- niscences of Julia Ward Howe” we learn t at when the soldiers of the Civil War were tired and discouraged, she eom- posed the “Battle Hymn of the Republ’c” which aroused new courage in them and mspired them on to victorv. After studying White’s “Woodrow Wilson” we know that he did all in his power to 24

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DUX FEiMINA FACTI— A WOMAN WAS THE LEADER OF THE DEED Centuries ago Virgil in his great “Aeneid” told how Dido, though a wom- an, was a leader of great deeds. Warned by the ghost of her murdered husband Sychaeus, the queen fled by night from her wicked, jealous brother Pygmalion, With a small band of followers she sailed from Tyre to northern Africa, where she bought land find founded Carthage. There she continued to be a leader of her people, ruling wisely and well. Since the time when Virgil coined the phrase, “dux femina facti,” it has been applicable to other women. Joan of Arc was a great leader, who at the head of an army turned defeat into victory and mourning into rejoicing. Her life story is familiar to everyone. We all know how the heavenly voices sent her to King Charles, who finally consented to let her lead the army; how she was victorious at Orleans; and how she saved the P’rench from slaughter, only to be captured and killed, a martyr for her country. She was truly a woman leader. h’lorence Nightingale may also be called a leader. She, as well as Joan of Arc, was on the battlefield, though not as a warrior. Even as a child sne had been a nurse, caring for friendless kit- tens and wounded dogs. Now her ten- derness w ' as lavished on the sick and suffering soldiers. The men waited eagerly for her to come, like an angel of mercy, to care for them. Her great ab’lity as a nurse brought her world- wide reputation, until others, following her example, formed camp hospitals such as hers had been, Alice Freeman Palmer was a leader of still another type. As a teacher at Wellesley, and afterwards as president of the college, she was able to influence the characters of many, many girls, who went out to be women leaders in their turn, fler pupils loved and admired the quiet but forceful woman who taught them, the woman under whose leader- ship the college organization was com- pleted and perfected. And her pupils truly mourned her sudden death in Paris. Let me give just one more example. Fiancis Willard was as surely a leader in her field of work as Dido, Joan of Arc, Florence Nightingale, and Alice Free- man Palmer were in theirs. She chose to lead thousands of women in the great Temperance Union, to devote he) ' life to briiiging about a great reform. With her fine motherly soul she played the part of a mother to all humanity. But these are women of tne past. What opportunities are there for the woman of the present? The world lies before her. She may try teaching, so- cial work, business, politics, science, or medicine. In fact, she may now do near- ly everything a man may do, while some professions are peculiarly her own. Teaching and social work both offer a chance for women. A school teacher has, to my mind, a wonderful opportunity to lead others. It is a strange pupil wno is not influenced in some way by his or her teacher. While a woman can do much in a public school, she can do even more in a social settlement, for there she must teach her pupils how to live. She miust have great tact and sympathy and put her whole heart into everything she does if she would became a successful social worker. However, success will bring a great reward, for she will have led many different types of people to a better life. Science and medicine are also two re- lated subjects. A woman versed in science can find many things to do in a scientific laboratory. She may be given the work of analyzing the foods which the busy housewife buys. She may work out the formula for some new article which is to be put on the market. If she does not wish to lead others to good health by seeing that the food they buy is pure, she may wish to aid their health even more as a doctor. It is not too hard to study medicine, since other women have blazed the ti ' ail. A woman, though, is more likely to be a nurse than a doc- tor, for as a nurse she can use all her tenderness in alleviating suffering. Business, perhaps, offers the widest range of possibilities. It is said that insurance work is an excellent field for women. A woman who shows others how to buy insurance which will help them in time of need is surely leading. Another attractive phase of business life is depai ' tment stoi ' e work, A wom- an starting as a clerk can, if she does her work well, soon rise to the head of a department. In such a position she has a chance to lead others and help them to rise. A girl who acts as a pri- vate secretary or in some other posi- tion of trust has just as great an op- portunity to lead as the woman at the head of a department. Any woman, whether high or low in the business world, can lead many or few. In politics, a woman has ever increas- 23

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conduct us through the late war with the least possible suffering and struggle. We may not hope to be as great as these people or do such things as they have done, but if we pattern our lives as nearly like theirs as possible, we may achieve some degree of success. Then again if we have only five cents to our name, by reading books of travel we are taken from our own coun- try and are made familiar with the beau- ties of other lands. We can hunt with Roosevelt in the African jungles, or travel with Captain Perry in Alaska. We can enjoy the thrilling experiences of the life of a Mexican, or we can fly across the Atlantic in an aeroplane to visit Venice where we may spend some beautiful evenings in a Venetian gon- dola. Education gained in this way is an unexcelled joy. Through poetry Nature is revealed to us and we are uplifted by its pure thought and harmony. Milton takes us away from our every day thoughts to a land of imagination and beauty where we may learn the truths that he reveals, and appreciate the sublime pictures that he paints. W ' ordsworth inspires us to pursue the path of duty and tries to bring back “plain living and high think- ing.” We ought to read more poetry and take time to discover the hidden thought in each poem. When we be- come indifferent in our reading, we should think of these words which are sure to encourage us, of J. C. and A. W. Hare: “I have even gained the most profit, and the most pleasure also, from the bocks which have made me think the most; and when the difficulties have once been overcome, these are the books which have struck the deepest root, not only in my memory and understanding, but in my affections.” Since human happiness is dependent on the cultivation of the mind and because books are the best edu- cators we should gain our knowledge from them and profit by their teachings. NATALIE BROWN “ARETINT STUDTA IN MORES” Since we of the senior class of 1925 began our education we have been con- fined, more or less, to the same activities, P ' e same interests, and the same studies through practically the same circum- stances. Because of the companionship in these interests and studies, we have chosen as a motto for the Class of 1925, “Abeunt Studia in Mores” — Studies Change Into Habits. Not only does this motto serve as a guiding star for us, but it also contains a tribute deep and sincere, to those who have instructed us and planned our stud- ies so that we not only desire, but are zealously eager to change that which we have studied into our own habits. In our different courses we have studied the development and progress of mankind from books and learned of the appellations by which we could designate periods of progress or change. As we study the great men and women of the ages, they lead us to conjecture how they changed their studies into habits. For example Aristotle, by changing his studies into habits, became a highly re- spected and a remarkable teacher to be remembered down through the ages. He studied under Plato; then he himself taught, a thing which he could not have done unless he his changed his studies into habits. Then there are the great leaders in war, such as Alexander, Cae ' jar, and Napoleon. After extensive studying es- pecially in military tactics, it became a habit for them to think in military terms and to lead great armies. There is Tallyrand, the greatest diplo- mat the world has ever known. He put every minutest detail that he had studied and learned to practical use whenever he had the slightest chance, thus changing his studies into habits. Dante, Shakespeare, George Eliot, and Stevenson by studying, became writers of i-enowned fame. They studied language and — what is more important — human nature until it became a habit for them to express themselves veffectively and with truth. There are also the scientists as Galileo, Paste ur, and Edison. After much study- ing they used every opportunity to change their studies into habits, and be- cause they did this successfully, the world has profited by their discoveries and inventions and living conditions have been improved to a great extent. We may not be able in any sense to equal the greatness of these men and women, but their lives do teach us that success and greatness do not come by accMent and that only by diligent study and practice can habits be formed which are to determine our whole lives and characters. How then may we make use of those studies which we have been pursuing for the last four years? Let us consider English foj example. In our study of 25