Jamestown High School - Red and Green Yearbook (Jamestown, NY)

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Since the summer school of our city is becoming a permanent institu- tion we feel that it merits a little space in our school The Summer paper. Up to the present time more pupils from the School grades have taken advantage of the work offered in summer school than have students from the high school. We believe, however, as the possibilities of this work become better known a much larger number of high school students will avail them- selves of this opportunity. The school is conducted fur three hours in the morning, five days a week for six weeks. This makes it possible for a student to complete eighteen weeks of regular high school work on the basis of one hour a day. The great difficulty in the past has been that pupils do not realize the difference between a summer school course and a regular high school course. ln the past they have been slow to realize that in order to se- cure a term's credit it was necessary for them to spend three times as much time per day cn a subject as in regular school work, and so have either attempted too much work or have not taken the work attempted seriously enough. ln order to meet the time requirements a student should elect but one subject and spend two hours in preparation and one hour in recitation work on that subject. Since there are no regents examinaticns at the end of the course, only term examinations being given, it is more desirable to elect the first term of a year subject and then, if credit in this is secured, complete the second term in the first half of the next school year and take the january examination in the subject. There is, however, another possibility that very few students have considered. Our school gives local credit in a subject if a pupil fails in that subject and then repeats it for one term and is able to maintain a G average for that term. In this way, then, it is possible to secure local credit for a subject in which a student has failed, by completing the required extra term in summer school. Students having such credit in mind, however, should realize that regular high school teachers are in charge of these classes and that it is no easier to secure a G stand- ing in summer school than in regular high school work. Classes are offered in any high schcol subject providing there are a sufficient number who elect that subject to make up a class, and pro- viding of course that a suitable teacher can be secured to take charge of the class. Owing to the extra time requirements for laboratory work in science these courses are not usually given but arrangements might be made if there was a sufficient demand. Classes are usually given in mathematics, history, modern and ancient languages, and English. Xllhile the sunnner school term extends through six weeks of hot sunnner weather the class rooms on the cool side of the building 23

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of various forms of athletics and entertainments. A central committee will have charge of arranging the season's schedule of entertainments each year, and rentals will also yield some revenue. The directors have also planned a system of membership which should produce considerable revenue from animal dues. There are four kinds of membership-an honorary permanent membership on the pay- ment of S25 or moreg a sustaining membership with ammal dues of five dollarsg a senior, or active membership with dues of one dollar a yearg and a junior membership with animal dues of twenty-five cents. The junior membership is intended for minors--especially pupils in the schools. After enough of the deht has been paid to warrant such action, the houses purchased east of College Street will be removed and the final enlargement and improvement of the Campus completed. Everybody help, please! Principal Milton j. Fletcher. ' o Q 4 Q Whenever we hear anyone discussing the present World War it is usually concerning the latest French drive or tiermany's Democracy food supply. lint behind these outside facts there are and War taking place some great and far reaching changes. As a result of the present gigantic struggle new conditions are developing, which are to prove whether monarchy or democracy is to be the future government ofthe world. Now. how do these two forms of government show up under this acid test ? l can point out nothing new and startling. You, yourselves. have seen and are seeing the results of this test. You know that in a short time great changes have taken place in the most unthought of quarters, for has not Russia, that supposed stronghold of imperialism, resounded with the tread of the revolution- ists? There, democracy has now the upperhaud while monarchy lies crushed. A people, believed to be subject and bound down under the stern hand of an autocracy, have broke-n their fetters in the struggle for more liberty and more light. Under a democracy what may not this contry with all its marvelous recources accomplish? Over sixty per cent of the Russian people are illiterate and here indeed. is a tremendous task for the leaders of the new government, for the corner stone of democracy is education. But let us ask what is happening in Germany. liven in that systematized. efficient mcnarehy the people clamor for more freedom. livents are daily happening whch tend toward democracy and which seem to show that monarchy is not the most satisfactory form of govern- ment. The people there are educated. it is true, but only to the one end. militarism. Thus, out of this great conflict in Europe today, there seems to he a movement which, slowly but surely, is hostile to monarchy, and that movement is democracy. C. H. Hugo Nicholson, '18. 22

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are used and the work all completed in the morning hours, and so very little discomfort is encountered in the work. Howard Steere. 4 Q 0 Q 1 advice every one of you to provide yourself with an up-to-date dic- tionary, a first-class reference grammar, a rhetoric, and Why Read to become a regular reader of at least one weekly Magazines? magazine, such as the Outlook, or the lndependent. lf you make constant companions of your dictionary, grammar, and rhetoric, you will gradually perfect your command of language, and if you read your magazine consistently you will in a few years become informed upon nearly every subject of hmnau interest to such a degree that you can pass in almost any society as having had a fairly liberal education. It would be unfair for me, in beginning this little article, to omit this oft reiterated utterance of Mr. XVhite, the Head of our English De- partment. lt has been often heard, and probably Miss Green, our worthy Librarian, could tell us its effect has been seen, many times since Mr. Whitc's advent here last fall. In fact, I know that this one little state- ment has spurred many of us on to delving more earnestly into the vast quantities of good reading lying close at hand. The dictionary, NVebster's monumental work, has never been con- sidered a highly interesting or thrilling book, but that does not prevent it from giving us what at some time or another we have wished for, a larger vocabulary, with the correct pronunciation of each word, and with just its right shade of meaning. This our dictionary will give us for the asking,--it would be foolish not to ask. Passing the words, bricks one might call them, we should look for the methods of arranging them into the rugged foundations of our literary building. These are found in our grammar. Front it we can learn what so many people never learn,-the fundamental rules governing all speak- ing and writing, the lack of which no amount of words nor multitude of rhetcrical figures can conceal. , When we have the more solid material for our structure, we must lcok for the embellishments with which to beautify it. the pillars, cornices, cupolas, and other ornaments which are a part of the finished strength and beauty of a building. Here we use our rhetorics. To be- come thoroughly familiar with the rules of rhetoric is important. just for one example, what is more ridiculous or brings a laugh more quickly than to hear an orator bellowing, A sea of faces lay before me, thunder- ing approval to the sentiments I had expressed? No writer or speaker is as uninteresting as he who lacks the ability to use figures of speech properly. 24