Lyman Hall High school - Singer Chronicle Yearbook (Wallingford, CT)

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TIIE CHRONICLE 3 CLASS POEM—’17. The vista of the future years Is stretching endlessly away; It holds bright dreams and lurking fears But takes its color from today. 'Tis good to work. Ah do not sigh, And do not sadly shake your head Longing for knights in days gone by —Eternal romance is not dead ! We will not squander time, then grieve For opportunities long past. Improve each moment with a will Coy chance then often comes unasked. There’s joy in doing what we can To aid our country and our state; Whate’er we’re asked to do or dare —Be sure we shall not hesitate. Good soldiers true we’ll bravely fight Until the battle’s lost or won; Though hard the days and dark the nights A far-flung vision leads us on. Life’s road may seem too steep and hard For weak and untried feet to tread. But with the goal we seek in view, We’ll go with hope and without dread. Our life work is to fulfill dreams Of joyous work and happy days. High aims to follow till there gleams Romance in all life’s sordid ways. ETHEL CHAPMAN. WOMAN AND WAR. During the past three years the European war has been a subject of world-wide interest but not until the last few months has this subject directly affected our own United States. The question arises. “What will be woman’s part in the war?” Woman has played and is to play an important role in the grpat struggle. The militarist believes that bloodshed and war are instincts of man. Man, however goes forth to battle intent upon winning a medal of honor or some other reward, along with the battle, forgetting who must bear the brunt of the action with neither medal nor reward for their suffering. Who are these? These are the women; the women and children who pay an awful price for a thing that they have never desired. War has been incited by man, managed by man, fought by man; but the suffering paid by woman. She has no desire for it and

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2 THE CHRONICLE EDITORIAL. With this issue we place our final offering before our readers. Although we have made great strides of advancement during the year, still we realize that we are far from perfect and we feel there is and always will be room for improvement in the various departments of the Chronicle just as there is in everything else. The Literary department is nothing less than a training school, the refuge of students who have an incentive to write. Unfortunately, however, very few students seem to have had the necessary incentive. It takes time, often a long time, for students to come to the realization that this particular department plays the most important part of any in the school paper. Not only original stories and verse have been encouraged but also articles on current topics of which we have had several during the year namely, “Electricity of Today,” “Single Session vs. Double Session,” and “The New High School.” Our Exchange department has grown continually so that now it embraces school papers from many states. This interchanging of papers serves as a means of keeping in touch with the student activities of schools as well as a means of offering and receiving suggestions for betterment. , The Alumni department has fared exceedingly well considering our handicap, the lack of a unified association among our graduates. There are no definite alumni activities to record and the simple chronicling of whereabouts and doings of a few gives this section a tone of monotony. Several, times have we attempted to obtain articles from our graduates but without avail. Our only salvation for the alumni department lies in the formation of an association among those who have the interest of our school at heart. , Criticism of school spirit and conduct together with pleas for manual training, better scholarship, and support of the Chronicle characterized the editorials. We are exceedingly glad to have been able to record a most successful year in sports especially in Basketball and Baseball. Besides publishing accounts of games we have exerted our influence toward securing the enthusiasm and support of the student body with some measure of success. Through these columns we hope to establish an active Athletic Association—one that will be worthy of the name. Our news and joke sections have taken care of themselves the former chronicling undergraduate activities and passing events and the latter the students’ wit together with carrying Out that old saying, “Every Knock Is a Boost.” , We have given our best efforts, efforts of which we are proud and which we hope will be a sound basis for next year’s staff to work upon. To Wallingford High School and the Chronicle—adieu.

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4 THE CHRONICLE yet no opportunity to stop it. In this struggle, with one accord a great wave of preparation and patriotism has swept over the United States. We have heard it asked nation-wide, “What can woman do at a time of war?” “Is not her place in the home?” No, woman’s place in not solely in the home: her usefulness at a time of war is paramount. In this struggle a natural result has been unemployment, that of woman greatly exceeding that of man. Does this not prove that woman must play her part in the war? Practically all of her means of earning a living are destroyed. Boarding houses are deserted, factories closed and millinery and dressmaking establishments badly affected. These conditions have shown women that something must be done, and they have patriotically, unselfishly risen to their duty. In many other ways woman is showing her worth. How many Red Cross associations are there in this country? There is scarcely a town however small that is not represented. Day after day our women are learning the art of caring for the sick, sanitation, and a hundred other things along this line, to say nothing of the good they are doing by making materials for use in the hospitals. A short time ago we heard it asked, “What good is all this? It is merely a fad.” To use the words of that great commander, Major-General Leonard Wood, a man whom experience has taught, “As no chain is stronger than its weakest link, so no army is stronger than its Red Cross.” But let it be understood that the Red Cross will not be the only calling for women from now on. Through a National League for Woman’s Service established with its headquarters in Washington, any patriotic woman desirous to help her country can find her small part to do. Very valuable service has been and will be rendered the United States by women who decrease the high cost of living by planting gardens, being economical in buying, and by cooking wholesome but inexpensive foods. Undoubtedly we will hear more about and greatly admire women who show their skill as aviatrices or crack pistol shots, but in reality these women will not help their country half as much as the domestic woman who plants her garden. The former will not be needed at the front until our men are unable to protect us and we hope that then we will need higher kinds of protection. As conditions become more serious many of our women will take their sons’ or husbands’ places at the work bench as has happened in France and England. We will soon have skilled woman wireless operators, conductorettes, woman chauffeurs, postwomen and women who will hold responsible government positions. Our women will feel that they must share the responsibility. The strain which our nation is under will be divided equally between man and woman. We. the class of 1917, will be called upon to do our bit in the terrible war drama. For some of us definite futures are in view, for others, uncertainty. In fact, at this crucial time there is a degree of uncertainty allotted to all. However, some of our boy classmates have already shown a spark of patriotism, by joining in the national movement, “Gardening.” We feel the boys are not the only ones ready to help: our girls will be anxious to do their part in protecting the stars and stripes, that emblem of liberty, equality, and fraternity. NATALIE BAUMAN