Lee Academy - Crescent Yearbook (Lee, ME)

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14 THECRESCENT East Winn, and have the best of success as he will be his own chef. Let'sall patronizehim, for we will get our money's worth. Fate indeed, has been kind to me, for the French Fortune Teller has revealed to me the future of my nine classmates, all well settled in lifeg and thus I will leave them. LUDA GRACE HANscoM. Trans Qdpes I st Qltzrlizr. 'I ANY of us remember the story of Han- ' nibal's march through Spain and Gaul, Af! 7h across the lofty Alps into Italy. As long as there were no difficult passages, his soldiers marched along willinglyg but in order to get his army across the mountains, he was obliged to urge and encourage them almost con- tinually. Who, in the most favorable time of year, would attempt to climb these almost per- pendicular slopes-and least of all in the chill and snow? Yet Hannibal always borein mind his purpose, and thought, not of the difficulties he must overcome in reaching Italy, but of Italy itself. Encouraging his men by verbal pictures of the wonderful country, and explaining to them that the best known method of surmount- ing a diiiiculty was persistency, he kept them on the march, and almost before anyone was aware that the task was accomplished, they were standing on the top of the Alps, the great Acropolis of Italy. The Hannibal of the great war which meant independence to our country, was George Washington. Would we have held out against the English as long as we did without his advice? We all know the answer. There was no encouragement whatever in a winter like the one at Valley Forge, yet Washington seemed to be able to see a favorable outcome and he never despaired. When at last the turning point came, he did not lose his he td over the success, but still workecl for the nation's benefit. After being elected president, he set to work to pay off the war debt and better the conditions of the people. A little more than a century and a quarter has rolled by and our nation, like a wise Hannibal, is leading all other nations. Only a few centuries ago, it took weeks and weeks to carry messages across our conti- nent. Man after man devoted his entire time to an invention by which we might communi- cate more quickly with people thousands of miles away. Many years were spent in devis- ing the electric telegraph which at first extend- ed from Washington to Baltimore. How won- derful that seemed to people in those days! Now we not only send messages across the conti- nent. but also the oceans. We must not, how- ever, think this was easily accomplished. Mill- ions of dollars were spent, and often in vain, before encouraging results were obtained. An event in which we are all intensely in- terested is the opening of the Panama Canal. As early as 1520 much talk was made about connecting the Atlantic and Pacific, butnothing of any consequence was accomplished. But how eager the United States was to get posses- sion of the rights of excavation! Roosevelt seemed to see what could be done. In 1903, he purchased the rights, and immediately sent thousands of men and all kinds of modern ma- chinery which might hasten its completion. But, on account of the climate, it has been difficult to get laborers to go there. Iiandslides have often filled in a part recently excavated and the work must be performed a second time, perhaps only to be filled by another slide. In

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THE CRESCENT 13 First came Evan: Mix Evan Cobb, very dignified, sedate, known as a fine dancer. The latest dances seem to be his particular forte. He will travel far and near, getting all the new points, until he considers himself com- petant to give lessons. Then in Sitka, Alaska, he will havea dancing school which will be very profitable, for people will come many miles to see this master of dances teach some Alaskan belle the Elaine duck.' Next came Sall and Vance. Madame must possess wonderful powers, for this is what she wrote: Miss Hathaway, a tall, slim blonde, and Mr. Lowell, a short gentleman, with a dark, reddish mustache, will be mar- ried next summer, and own an Opera House in Winn, Maine. Both will take leading parts in a.ll the important productionsf' Why, I had never thought of linking them together, had you? But evidently sitting so near each other in school worked wonders. I was not much surprised to hear about Page, for he has done almost everything from second iiddling to staying after school for Eng- lish, and surely nothing worse can happen to one. HMI: Averill, a dapper little fellow, very careful ot' his personal appearance and the lan- guage he uses. He will travel with a circus for a while doing magic tricks and acrobatic stunts, until he has learned the trade well enough to start a circus of his own. By 1920, in any of the large cities, one will see this pla- card, UCome and see Mr. Alonzo Page Averill, the Wizard, perform his magical tricksg and Ladies get your Fortunes told. We will cer- tainly go and see Page do his stunts. Thefourth one was about Josie. Hltliss O'Roak, a sweet, peaceable young lady, will be a nurse and go to the Phillipine Islandsto help the Red Cross Society to blot out a plague. One of her patients will be an officer, who, during days of convalescence, will become much attached to his pretty nurse, and win from her a promise to behis companion through life. Quite a change from our tom boy Jos! Then Mike, the happy-go-lucky: Mn Treadwell, with laughing blue eyes, and golden hair, is very persistant, for when he likes a thing he sticks to it. He will be oHered the position of sexton at Trinity Church and will accept at once. What better chance can Mikie ask for than that of ringing a bell?- The work is easy and the quietness of a church ac- cords with his nature. As I read on, I wondered what good things Madame would say of Avon. I soon found out: 'iMr. Flanders, a dark, charming gentle- man will travel for a year or two, and during a tour in Asia, will become acquainted with a millionairels daughter, and marry her. They will live in Asia, and establish a missionary school theref' I wonder if Avon will keep the back seat. ' Friends, I wish to prepare you for the great change there is to be in Helen, whom we know as a very shy young lady. Here is what Madame says of her: i'Miss Trask, a tall, ang- ular woman, will be a dashing old maid, and' have a Pressing Establishment in Boston. All who wish to have their clothes well pressed and cleaned will be pleased with results, if they send them to Miss Helen J. Trask, Milk Street, Boston, Mass. That will suit Helen all right, for she has done much of this in the past two years. First it was Page's suits, and then Karl's. She pressed and pressed, until there was hardly anything left to press. Now hear about Lester, our president: HMI: Cobb, a very talented man, especially in making soups, which requires energy and brain power,will build a Cafe on Main Street in

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THE CRESCENT 15 spite of all these ditiiculties, the Canal will be opened during the Exposition this year. How many of us could ascertain from read- ing Milton's works that he was blind? It was only by sacrifices and privations that he was able to get his education and it seems that all his life he was handicapped in some way. He had literary inclinations but, because of his poverty, he could not devotemuch time to this. His domestic relations were very unpleasant. He worked almost day and night, and at the age of forty-four he lost his sight. lt was after this that he devoted all his time to literature. Even though handicapped with this burden- some misfortune, he dictated some of his most effective and most beautiful poetry to his daughters who were exceedingly unkind to him. Do we find any hint of discouragement in his poetry? iiAlthou5h not always cheerful, he was never melancholy. Who has not heard of Helen Keller who so miraculously surmounted the greatest of mis- fortunes? ls it not wonderful to say that al- though deaf, dumb, and blind, she has, with the help of Mrs. Macy, succeeded in taking a regular course in Radcliff College? XVhen Miss Keller was yet a child, Mrs. Macy taught her to converse with her hands. This was her me- thod of communication for many years but now she has learned to talk and goes around the country giving wonderful lectures. Of all the Americans who best represent Han nibal, what one is a better life for a model than that of Abraham Lincoln. Rearcd in the wilderness, living in poverty, and out of reach of the meagre schools the country then afford- ed, he grew into manhood. His mother taught him to read and he nursed a desire for books. He thought nothing of walking many miles to .U borrow a book,-for they were very scarce a- mong the poor people of those days,-and, after finishing his dayfs work, he would read by the fireplace until way into the night. In this way he acquired knowledge and was fast paving his way to fame. Because of his honesty he was called 'iHonest Abe, and it was the possession of this trait of character that lcd him to favor the slaves, who were being so cruelly treated at this time. He, as president of the United States, wisely led our country through the Civil War, which abolished slavery. This was a dark period for our nation, but Lincoln could foresee the results and made his plans accord- ingly. What man with right ideals could not raise himself to meet his ambitions? And how many, with much better opportunities than Lincoln had, are merely existing, and accom- plishing nothing worth while? We are all standing at the foot of high Alps, let us face our difficulties cheerfully, keeping in mind not our prevailing llardships, but the rewards that a1'e sure to come to the pcrsevering. HELEN JANE Tnask. 51112 Qllzws Qillllill. E IT remembered that we, the Senior class of Lee Academy, in the county of Penobscot, and state of Maine, being of sound mind and memory, and considering the uncertainty of this frail and transitory life, do therefore make, ordain, publish and declare this to be our last Will and Testament, hereby revoking all former wills by us made. First.-To our teachers, who, by their un- tiring work and interest in our welfare, have helped in so many ways to make our school