Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

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The country felt, and to a certain extent, acted like the fellow with his first long pants. We were the leaders in diplomatic relations among European countries, we were gaining new possessions, and business at home was triumphant and prosperous. The Panama Pacific Exposition in 1915 celebrated the opening of the Panama Canal. The construc- tion of the canal was one of the most spectacular feats in the his- tory of the United States. Thanks to the persistent efforts of scien- tists and doctors, a death trap was transformed into a highly livable area, and that section now is near- ly as healthful to live in as our own. Furthermore, the quicksands, a hitherto unconquerable obstacle, were conquered by steel locks. This canal, moreover, cut from six to eight thousand miles from the voy- age of freighters. This short route was particularly favorable to us because of our newly acquired pos- sessions in the Pacific. At this time we became very much interested in land projects. Conservation of forests, irrigation of arid areas, and improving of waterways were major issues of the day. It was not until then that we realized that the resources of nature could be exhausted, and that we must do something to conserve her energies. Woman’s suffrage again came in- to the limelight. No doubt the la- dies proved their worth on the platforms at the fair, for in 1919 the vote was granted to them. Much was done to prevent fraud in politics, and the vote was placed more directly in the hands of the people. Fairs were interrupted for a time by the World War and the period of reconstruction that inevi- tably follows. However, in 1933, Chicago took the lead and planned a fair to celebrate her hundredth anniversary. This was an age of science, and the Chicago Fair dis- played such novelties as prefabri- cated materials and windowless buildings with uniform lighting and air conditioning. It was a rather panicky country at this time. The crash of 1929 still haunted us (or should 1 say is haunting us yet?). Chicago, however, did her share in bringing back prosperity. Her fair succeeded financially, the city itself received millions of dollars worth of trade, and thousands of families were taken off the relief lists by the employment of laborers in the construction of the fair. Art exhibits played a dominant part at the fair and a new inter- est in both ancient and modern art was awakened. The Century of Progress Exposition truly depicted an era in which gigantic strides for 21

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1870, their wages were lower than men’s, they were not admittetd to trade unions, and they were regard- ed as intruders by all men. Transportation to this exposi- tion was aided by the new steam locomotive. Only those who pos- sessed strong constitutions and were not of timorous natui-e, how- ever, dared to ride on them, al- though they had been greatly im- proved since their advent in 1830. The Chicago Columbian Exposi- tion which was held in 1893 was a booming success financially. About this time there was a great western land boom, and out of our still sparsely settled frontier rose great cities and new states. Good times, after the panic of the 1870’s, created a class of “nouveau riche” ; and this class speculated widely in land, railroads, and build- ing projects. This was the period of the gay nineties, and the Colum- bian Exposition truly depicted the spirit of the age. The architec- ture was pompous and almost gro- tesque. Strangely enough, it was widely copied by the whole coun- try. The ladies with their padded figures and false curls gazed with wonder and admiration at the rows of electric light bulbs, a house run entirely by electricity, but still primitive when compared with the electrically equipped home of to- day. A very popular phonograph, the Pullman Train, the linotype. the expansion engine, and artificial ice also brought forth awe-stricken gasps. The ferris wheel, however, stole the show, and many an im- portant lecture and exhibit was ne- glected for a ride on this fright- ful contraption. This fair is said to have created a false impression of prosperity, and many people, after having visited the fair, specu- lated wildly and lost their fortunes in building projects. The western farmer and the eastern factory worker fought hard battles at the elections to gain their just de- mands, and the age became more advanced socially. The Louisiana Purchase Exposi- tion in 1904 brought that miracle of miracles, the automobile, before our eyes. A horseless carriage ac- tually covered the distance from New York to St. Louis without a catastrophe, though the driver did look a trifle the worse for wear. Another spectacular invention was the Wright airplane which, how- ever, was rather cynically received, as it had been tested only the pre- vious year, and the automobile was hugging th.e spotlight. Then, too, very important was the wireless message sent from Cornwall, Eng- land, to Cape Cod. We were feel- ing very important about this time, for we had just emerged from the Spanish War and could now boast an outside colony which was, inci- dentally, aiding our prosperity. 20

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more modern, comfortable, and in- tellectual living had been made. Today we hail the greatest fairs of any age ; the greatest fairs which have ever taken place in America certainly. The most ex- citing and original circumstance about these two fairs is that they are held upon land that man had formerly regarded as waste land. Flushing Meadows, the site upon which New York holds her fair, was the dwelling place of rats and a dumping ground for undesirable refuse. From this land has been created perhaps one of the most beautiful spots in New York City; and after the fair is over, it will be a permanent recreation park. Treasure Island in San Francisco had no previous existence but was raised from the ocean by the me- chanical geniuses of this age and its machinery. At the expiration of this fair. Treasure Island will be an airport and a base for Trans- pacific clippers — certainly an as- set to the country. The scientific accomplishments of this age are too numerous for mention here, and we are perhaps familiar vdth most of them any- way, but certainly we should be a most indignant people if we thought that the succeeding gener- ations would be inclined to smile at our ’39 fairs as we have a tendency to do at the first leaky Crystal Pal- ace of 1853. Yet we may live long enough ourselves to think these fairs a bit old-fashioned — so rapid is the advancement and progress of this modern era. Nevertheless, I don’t think we need wonder today what keeps “Johnny so long at the fair.’’ Baseball 1839-1939 by Delbert Matheson O NE hundred years ago Martin Van Buren was President of the United States and had had only seven predecessors. Wisconsin and Minnesota as well as California and Florida had not yet been ad- mitted to the Union. The last re- maining signer of the Declaration of Independence had been laid to rest only seven years before. Texas was an independent nation. The banking system and slavery were the chief political issues, and Abra- ham Lincoln was a struggling law- yer of thirty. That was the setting when in 1839 at Cooperstown, New York, Abner Doubleday, a cadet at West Point and a fellow tov nsman, traced the pattern of the first base- ball diamond. And it is interest- to note that though the game has undergone many changes, the measurements set forth bv Double- day have always been retained. At no time during his useful life as a general in the United States 22