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

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IV. THE CHRONICLE. close together because of the prowling Indians, and the wolves who killed the cattle and stole the sheep. How hard these people worked to found the new colony! They cultivated the land; they built homes with their own hands, they made roads from one settlement to another. How true it was that “God sifted the seed from the chaff so that he might send his choice grain into the wilderness.” So the settlement grew, and in proportion with the growth of the settlement. grew the size and attendance of the meeting house. Our ancestors were religious people and this kepi them from the many little controversies and quarrels which would otherwise have been a detriment to the growth and happiness of the community. More settlers came, public buildings were erected, and there was less and less danger from the prowling of savage men and savage beasts. Soon the settlement became one of the foremost in the state. We cannot pass over the early history of our town without the mention of some of the customs of that time. As it was necessary to have a signal to call the people together, a town meeting was called by beating on a drum or blowing on a shell. The church bell was tolled to announce a death, once for a1 child, twice for a woman, and thrice for a man. If a person died during the night, the bell was tolled at sunrise; if during the day, it was tolled at sunset. Wallingford did not escape the fever of witchcraft which swept New England. The last trial for witchcraft took place in Wallingford when two persons were condemned to death. So did devout religion and intense superstition go hand in hand during the early life of our town. Wallingford has always answered to the call sent its men to help in time of war. In the settlement of the colony, a gun was as much of a necessity as an axe. The Indians appeared friendly enough as a whole to the new settlers, but lurking savages shot the farmer on the way to the field, and murdered women and children in the home. At the time of King Philip’s War, the town was fortified and Wallingford furnished her quota for immediate action. hen the spirit of the Revolution invaded Connecticut, there was a call for troops. Many Wallingford men answered the call and gave up their lives for their country. During the next century, the Civil War took its toll from the ranks of our men, and yet, some Wallingford men are living to tell of the battle fought for the Union. In this last war. we all know the response of Wallingford to the call for men, money and labor; of the heroism of Major Raoul Lufberry, Doctor Donald Russell and many others like them. We have only to look at our honor roll, to think over the events of the past few years, to know that the nation never has called and never will call in vain. From a few scattered dwellings belonging to one hundred inhabitants, Wallingford has grown to the present state of its felicity. The tiny church and schoolhouse of former days have made way to the many public buildings in the center of our town. Rough paths have been replaced by well-paved streets. Pathless forests have been turned into farms. Factories have sprung up providing thousands with work. Instead of traveling from town to town on horseback, we have the auto, the railroad, and in time, the aeroplane will probably be a common means of communication. We no longer are in danger of being shot down by the savage Indian, we have settled down to peace and prosperity. We see Wallingford as it is to-day; prosperous, beautiful, clean and orderly. We have broad, well-paved streets, beautiful buildings, comfortable homes, and all around us green fields and orchards producing food for the

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THE CHRONICLE. III. E 13 I T O RIAL After weathering many a storm and encountering frequent delays the good ship Chronicle has at last come to port from its fourth voyage. Altogether the trip has been a successful one, for if others have derived any pleasure from our offerings, we feel that we have, indeed, found that coveted treasure—success. W e, the crew, wish to thank all those who have aided us in any way in our undertaking, and all those pupils, alumni and faculty, who have helped us in our work. And now, farewell, for we, the hardened crew, must give up our beloved ship to new hands. Our work is henceforth on broader seas but we will always watch the Chronicle thru its future journeys and will help it all we can. We hope that each succeeding crew will continue to enlarge and improve our Chronicle and we wish them all the best of success during the years to come. SALUTATORY Friends, in behalf of the class of 1920, may I extend to you a hearty welcome to these, our graduation exercises. For four years we have been preparing for this night and now the time has come when we can receive the final reward for our labors. During these years we. have worked hard, but we have played hard, too, and the spirit of '20 has never been lacking in school affairs. Now like a great moth, emerging from its cocoon to a world of life and beauty, we are emerging from our school life, expectant, eager to know what is ahead of us. For in the future, we hope to do great things. To signify our high aims and ideals we have chosen for our class colors—red and white, the red symbolizing strength and the white, purity. To-night, we stand before you in all the strength and purity gained from our school and home training, and some of us for the first lime have realized the sense of gratitude we should feel toward those who have made this training possible. We are glad to have you here to-night to listen to the messages of our hearts. We only ask that some one of these thoughts may strike a sympathetic note in your hearts. So, once again, parents, friends, teachers, members of the school board, underclassmen, all—we bid you welcome! Muriel Lee ’20 THE STORY OF WALLINGFORD I am going to tell you a story—not one that is known throughout the world, not one that is known throughout the nation, not one that is known throughout the state, yet one that is dear to the hearts of all of us. It is not a story of fame, brilliant achievement, or world heroism, but of the pure lives of simple men and women, of obscure pure lives, noble deeds of local, but not the less heroic, heroes. In the year 1669, the site of Wallingford was a wilderness, infested with savages and overrun with wild beasts. What courage it took to brave these dangers and to found a settlement! Yet, in the year 1670. 250 years ago, nearly a hundred brave souls were found who were willing to build their homes on this spot. They named the settlement Wallingford in memory of one of the towns in old England. It was necessary to build the homes

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THE CHRONICLE V. ever-growing community. And looking around our town we thank (iod for the faithft 1 people who had the courage to come into the wilderness, and work and fight and pray, that future generations might have a beautiful world to live in. May we show our gratitude to these, our ancestors, by striving to live up to their ideals and on the 200th anniversary of the founding of Wallingford to pledge ourselves anew to the fulfillment of these ideals. Frances Hoff '20 MARK TWAIN On one of the most beautiful avenues in our own capitol city of Hartford. there stands a unique building which has ever attracted visitors, par.ly because of its oddity of construction, but most of all because it expresses in a living emblem, the true character of its owner. Samuel Langhorne Clemens, most familiarly known as Mark Twain, was, in part, the designer. An architect friend designed the building—which was an innovation in Hartford or even American architecture—with all its many peaks, gables, balconies, verandas and additions. But it was Mark Twain’s own idea to build the house in such a way that its back faced the street. When asked why he did this, he said in his inimitable way: “So the servants can see the circus go by without running into the front yard.’’ This was characteristic of Twain as we may easily learn by reading his books or in a study of his life. A casual glance at the story of Mark Twain shows us that he was very similar to many of our great men. He, too, was born of poor parents and though he had an opportunity to receive an education, he had such a dislate for books that he shunned them. If one wishes to learn of the boyhood of Twain, he has but to read the Adventures of Tom Sawyer, which depicts with the utmost accuracy the childhood experiences of the author. No exaggerated High's of the imagination were necessary to produce these incidents. Twain had hut to draw from his own youthful days to present a book which has interested countless numbers of both young and old in the years since its publication. We find that what is true of Tom Sawyer is also true of Innocents Abroad, A Tramp Abroad and many others by the same hand. Twain is able to describe scenes of joy or sorrow because he had lived them, they were a part of his very existence. He first appeared to the American public as a humorist, yet he has written stories which show that there is a serious side to his nature and from which mirth is debarred; the author even stops, sometimes, in his joking to give a choice hit of description which flashes a picture so clearly and tells of things so definitely that one of his essayists declares it is not necessary to visit a place that has been described by Twain, because it wants nothing for exactness ; he saves one both the trouble and expense of the trip. But Mark Twain as a picture painter and Mark Twain as a writer of serious works is far outclassed by Mark Twain as a humorist. His books fairly radiate the mirth and good cheer which was so great a part of the author that his wife called him Youth throughout her lifetime. His jokes are not difficult to understand; they do not require a probing which is a sure way of destroying their pleasure, but we are convulsed with understanding enjoyment the moment the passage is completed. He has a spontaneous gayety that ripples through all his works. Who has not been de-