Lansing Central High School - Oracle Yearbook (Lansing, MI)

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ignored them, while those august personages, the Seniors, seemed unaware of their existence until it suddenly occurred to the ORACLE Board that it would be an exceedingly wise plan to persuade the Freshmen to have printed, in the ORACLE, at their own expense, of course, a cut of their class officers whom they had elected only a few months before and of whom they were justly proud. Owing to the efforts of the worthy business manager and the sus- ceptibility of Freshmen to tlattery, this plan succeeded and, as a result, this department of the fJRACLl-I was made much more attractive QQ and the Board became reasonably sure of selling at least jbur CJRACLES to the Freshmen. Of course, under these circumstances, the Seniors could well afford to be very gracious toward the ambitious Class of 'SW and the spirits of the latter rose accordingly for, at last, the value of their beauty if not of their true worth had been recognized and-by the Seniors. Under their patronage, the Freshmen daily waxed more bold and confident of their own superior ability, and many a time were the worthy Seniors sorely tempted to treat them somewhat coolly and, moreover, would have yielded to the temptation had it not been for the haunting fear that, did they do so, those highly indignant young people, without waiting to consider the justice of their treatment, would immediately announce the contract, between themselves and the ClRACLE Board, Q' null and void. Freshmen are so jfclrle. Accordingly, the Seniors suffered patiently and said nothing. There was no alternative. N ow, however. the cut is printed and paid for, those egotistical Freshmen have become still more egotistical Sophomores and the Seniors are Seniors no longer, but before '96 yields her place to her successors, she would like to give to the Class of 799, a few words of friendly advice which she hopes they will receive kindly, although it must be admitted that her advice has been bestowed a little freely, although with the best intentions upon this unappreciative class during the past year. It is this she would say: ft O class of 799 you are now entering upon the second year of your sojourn in these halls of learning. You 1115

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ample time to retlect upon her misdeeds and mend her ways, and which, on account of the crowded condition of the 4' atticll has since been devoted solely to the use of succeeding Freshmen, a highly amusing and interesting result would have been obtained. Pride, in the thought that, at last. they had surmounted all diffi- culties such as passing the necessary examinations, etc.. etc., and had entered upon their lligh School course, would have been the principal thing revealed by the plate in many cases, while in others there would have been an inexpressible dread of those Sophomores who are, if an arithmetical proposition is allowable, the High School minus the Freshmen, minus the Seniors, minus the Juniors. In still other cases there would have been reproduced, upon the plate, dire misgivings concerning those inevitable examinations, for why should not innocent Freshmen suppose that such things as 'fpoizz'vs would be an utter impossibility in examinations presided over by sharp-eyed lfigh School teachers. The heart-aches caused by this last morbid fancy could. however, have been avoided had they only consulted the Sopohmores, or, better still, the Juniors who, on account of their greater amount of experi- ence, could have given them several very useful hints as to the proper care of these ponies, especially at such times as when a certain sharp-eyed teacher-he who presides over the Hattie -should be present. To have consulted the Seniors would have been worse than useless for they never used them. lVhy should they when they always had their lessons so they could recite them backwards if necessary ? After two or three weeks, however. the Freshmen found out several things, not the least of these being that their previous ideas concerning the impossibility of ponies were entirely at fault. This mistake they rectified quickly while some of the others they did not. They soon discovered that their superior t?i ability was not recog- nized, that the Sophoinores looked down upon them and called them Freshies, ncitwithstanding the fact that they themselves had under- gone the same humiliations only the year before: the Juniors simply llll ,

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are Freshmen no longer. but Sophomores. and we, the Class of '96. sadder and Wiser than we were four years ago-such is the inevitable fate of the graduates of the Lansing High School-would thus advise you: Be charitable, i. e., put your hands in your pockets and delight the heart of Miss Young by purchasing a picture or two to adorn the somewhat bare walls of the Senior room, be modest and unassuming, and. above all. do not ill-use the Freshmen and make them miserable by ridiculing them, but remember that you. yourselves, were once in their place, and no mutter how green they may appear, they can be no worse than were youf, HIS