Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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that Ipswich claimed so many ar- tists. It is no wonder artists are attracted to this historic and beau- tiful town, for there are natural beauties here which must appeal strongly to a person of artistic tem- perament. Our Puritan forefathers, strug- gling to gain independence, had lit- tle time to think of art. Their seeming neglect of the fine arts is often attributed to the harshness and austerity of Puritan nature ; yet as a matter of fact they did not ne- glect art. They were lovers and creators of beauty. Within their old homes we find beauty every- where in such things as the hand- hewn beams, the paneled walls, the simple beauty of the staircase, and even in the slope of the roof. They might not have recognized art as we understand it, yet all these things they did prove our forefath- ers were lovers of beauty. Art as art, however, was some- thing entirely new to the Ipswich tradition, appearing for the first time in the latter part of the 19th century. As late as 1850 house painters also did portrait painting. It is reported that when artists first started painting, the assessors tried to levy taxes on the artists’ sketches, asserting their work was a trade. The French art schools learning of this thought Ipswich a survival of the Da rk Ages, for they did not know a community could live with- out knowledge of the fine arts. Professor Arthur Wesley Dow was the first in Ipswich to adopt art as a profession. After several years of study in the French schools, successful exhibits in the Paris Sa- lon, where he received honorable mention in competition with such men as John Singer Sargent and James McNeil Whistler, and this followed by several years of suc- cessful teaching in colleges and uni- versities, he returned to his native Ipswich and here began his summer school of art. Professor Dow was fortunate in possessing the art of teaching art. Thus his influence was greatest in training teachers of art, and his methods have done much to revolutionize the teaching of art in schools and colleges. For several years his summer school was conducted with great success, pu- pils — both students and teachers of art — coming from all parts of the country. There are still several hundred art teachers who received their training in Ipswich. Mr. Dow’s first classes were held in a little studio in the Caldwell Block, and his pupils were taken in an omnibus to the outlying dis- tricts to sketch. Mrs. MacArthur, late wife of Dr. MacArthur, was a member of this original group. She became an artist of considerable merit. Before her marriage Mrs. Henry Kenyon also studied at the summer school. She has since done excellent work as a painter of por- traits, especially of children. The Misses Bates were also pupils of Professor Dow. They settled in Ips- wich and built their home, “Red- ledge.” Also of this group is Miss Harriet Condon, who has devoted her life to art. Later as the classes increased Mr. Dow took up his quarters in the Old Emerson House on Turkey Shore Road. One year ago the late Mrs. Dow conveyed this property to the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities. It was in that quaint old house that the classes were continued until finally Mr. Dow built his studio on Bayberry Hill. A group of artists not Ipswich - 26

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Handel, Mozart, Beethoven, Schu- bert, Mendelssohn, Wagner, and many others. I wonder if there is any other country that can equal Germany in producing the most wonderful music that has ever been heard. Scientifically, Germany gave to the world Leibnitz, who invented calculus; Schieiden and Schwann, who established the cell theory in plants and animals; Pander and Von Baer, who worked out the his- tory of mammalian embryo: and the most recent of the scientists, who has recently visited this country, is Ein tein, about whom we all know. There are also many chemists, phy- sicists, and philosophers of the first rank who are Germans. Germany’s rich literary contribu- tion is almost a hidden treasure to some. The popular epic of medie- val times, the “Nibelungenlied,” which portrays Teutonic life, is still, however, a favorite classic among us today. More recently the name of Goethe, one of Germany’s most distinguished poets, and also that of Schiller have thrilled the world. Among her educators may be mentioned Von Holst, professor of American history in the University of Chicago, who has left an endur- ing monument in his “Constitutional History of the United States.” A very recent development in education should not fail to receive mention, that of the interchange of professors, a practise greatly en- couraged by Emperor William of Germany. This has led to the ex- change of teachers and students as well and is being todav advocated as a means of promoting interna- tional peace. Passing from the highest grade of education to the lowest, but by no means the least in importance, we come to the kindergarten, a German institution, founded by a lover of the young, Friedrick Froe- bel. The first kindergarten at- tempted in this country was in Wis- consin by a German woman in 1855. Now there is a kindergarten in al- most every town and state. Gymnastics were introduced in Germany in the first quarter of the eighteenth century by Friedrich Ludwig Jahn. He wished to see men independent and vigorous in body and in mind. Beck, one of his followers, having been exiled from his country, arrived in Ameri- ca and was appointed a teacher in Northampton, Massachusetts, and under his direction there was erect- ed at once the Round Hill Gymna- sium at Harvard. Now every col- lege requires that a student take physical exercise for at least one semester. Thus the beginning of gymnastic work in America was by a German. Thus the German traits have united the various formative ele- ments of the people more securely and more harmoniously. As one writer states, “In common with Eng- lish stock of England and America, ism, the origin of education, music and art; he shares with the Scot a keen sense of duty: he touches the Irish with his emotional nature, his joy of living, and his sense of hu- mor; and thus linking the great na- tional elements together, the Ger- man provides genuineness, virility, and aspiration.” ART IN OLD IPSWICH Ruth W. Beals Many of those persons who vis- ited the new Burnham Art Galleries last summer were surprised to learn 25

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born but residents for many years did much to carry on the traditions of the Ipswich art colony. Mr. Henry Kenyon was one of these. He studied in Paris with Mr. Dow and also exhibited his work in the Paris Salon. When he returned to America after having spent a few years in France and Italy, he was attracted to Ipswich and settled here. Mr. Kenyon’s beautiful oil paintings of landscape and sky when once seen are never forgotten. Another artist of this same group is Mr. John W. Mansfield. After four years of study at Paris in L’Ecole des Beaux-Arts, he came to Ipswich. Every native of this town should be familiar with Mr. Mans- field’s beautiful paintings of Ips- wich marshes and dunes. Residing in Ipswich for several years has been an artist of nation- wide distinction, Theodore Wendel, who likewise studied in Paris and later in Florence and Venice. He has received many prizes and med- als for his fine work. We should indeed consider ourselves fortunate in being able to see an exhibit of his work last summer. Mr. Francis H. Richardson is also of this group. He also studied abroad and received honorable men- tion when exhibiting in the Paris Salon. Miss Elsie Heard, a native daughter of a distinguished Ips- wich family, took up the study of the fine arts, and has done admir- able work as a painter of portraits. Although the Ipswich art colony has diminished since Professor Dow’s time, we still have a few ar- tists who carry on the old tradition. Among the contemporarv artists dwelling in Ipswich are Professor Kimball, a lover of music as well as painting; Mrs. Baylor, a painter of still life ; Mrs. Consuelo Hills, sculptress; Mr. Leon Bracker, a na- tionally-known illustrator; and Mr. Mark Hayes, a recent graduate of Manning High, who took a prize in a Boston competition. Now it is for us, of this genera- tion, to carry on the work so well begun, to observe the beauty which surrounds us, and to love and cre- ate the beautiful ! “NON SCHOLAE SED VITAE DISCIMUS” Gladys Durham “Non Scholae Sed Vitae Disci- mus” — we learn not for school but for life. These years spent in study have been but a background for life. The ability to express oneself comes through the study of lan- guages. History and civics enable one to understand present-day con- ditions. Mathematics is provocative of concentration and mental disci- pline. Athletics and social activi- ties as well are important in that they train youth to cope with what- ever emergencies and situations that may arise throughout life. One learns how to judge his fellow men and to recognize leaders who can be depended upon. Youth of today, perhaps more than ever before, is awake to its responsibilities and the importance of playing worthwhile parts in the age-old game of living successfully. And so, tonight, we, the class of 1931, have come to the turning point of our lives, reaching a crisis which will decide whether or not all the golden dreams of childhood are to be realized. We find our- selves faced with the obligation of carrying on and of realizing not only our own visions, but also those of former generations. It is for us 27