Ipswich High School - Tiger Yearbook (Ipswich, MA)

Page 24 text:

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

Page 23 text:

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

Page 25 text:

Army was he ever to get the rec- ognition of having originated the game with the ball and bat. That did not come until December 1907, when the commission appointed by Albert G. Spaulding made its re- port. America needed a lively sport, full of action and yet without un- necessary roughness to appeal to the spirited people of those days. Doubleday’s innovation filled the bill in every respect. It started to prosper, slowly at first, but gath- ering strength, it superseded and even survived other games of the Civil War. In fact games were often played by the soldiers be- hind the lines. At the end of the War the soldiers carried this new sport to all parts of the ever ex- panding country. When Doubleday died in 1893, he had already seen the sport spread to all sections of the United States. He was satisfied that he had devised a sport that would not only survive but would always be the most popular game in the na- tion. Naturally many of Doubleday’s suggestions were outmoded with the passing years. There have been many changes and additions to the rules, but in essence baseball is still the same game which Doub- leday originated. Gloves were not used until 1875, but perhaps the chief difference is in the position of the umpires then and now. Today the umpires have utter security of life and limb and actual authority over the game and the players. The early umpires were always in fear of their lives, a condition which does not speak very well for the sportsmanship of the players and the fans. “Gentlemen, I was unable to see the catch. In your judgment, was it fair or foul?” Picture a modern umpire appeal- ing to the bleacherites to answer tliat question. Roars of “Kill the ump!” or “Throw the bum out!” would make his future career a nightmare. Present day fans want staccato, split-second decisions from the umpires, not the meticu- lous, cautious umpiring of the 1870’s, when spectators often de- cided doubtful catches. This con- trast is typical of the tremendous development of the game during the past sixty years. Another interesting difference is the yearly salary of the ball play- ers. In the early days a very good ball player earned about $500 for a season, while during 1930 and 1931 Babe Ruth drew a salary of $80,000 a season. Baseball has spread from Amer- ica to many parts of the world. Representative American teams have traveled to foreign lands and have spread the gospel of sports- manship and fair play which the 23