Manchester High School - Somanhis Yearbook (Manchester, CT)

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GOOD KING WENCESLAS Heap on more wood! the -wind is chilly But let it whistle as it will, lfVe'll keep our Christmas merry still. How happy we are when we begin to hear Christmas spoken of again! The air seems to be tllled with peace and joy. The children look forward to Santa Claus and you will tlnd them with their noses pressed against the store windows, staring at the toys. Everyone seems to try to make everyone else happy and that is what Christmas is for-to make other people happy. This can be done very easily by sending a Christmas card with some little greeting on it to a sick friend or a poor fam- lly. You would be surprised how much plea.- sure this little token gives. Even in the very oldest times the main thought of Christmas was to give happiness to others. The kings used to leave their castles and wander through their kingdoms to lend a helping hand. They would work in the ilelds with the peasants. Who does not know the story of the good king Wenceslas? King Wenceslas saw a poor man gathering fuel on a cold winter night-lt ls believed to have been the night after Christmas. He ask- ed his page where the peasant dwelled and what his name was. The page replied that. the poor man lived underneath a mountain quite a distance away from the castle. Then King Wenceslas called for flesh and wine and pine-logs, and the page and the King set out for the peasant's hut. Many times the page wished to turn back because the weather was cold and the snow was deep and crisp, but the King would not hear of this. He told the page to follow in his footsteps. The page did this and there seemed to be warmth in the snow where his master saint had trod. Therefore, Christian men, be sure, Wealth or rank possessing, Ye who now will ble s the poor, Shall yourselves and blessing. Ruth Sonniksen, '32 CHRISTMAS BEFORE CHRIST Christmas is the day celebrated by all Chris- Lian countries, as the day of the birth of Christ. Let us go back and see how long Christmas has been known. The Romans had a nature festival called by them Saturnalia and the northern people had Yuleg both cele- brated the turn of the year from the death of winter to the life of spring. It began with the Romans on December seventeenth and last- ed seven days. The giving of presents and the burning of candles characterized it. Among the northern people the lighting of a huge log in the houses of the wealthy and with appropriate ceremonies was a common fea- ture. The Roman Church, iinding this festival deeply intrenched in popular esteem, wisely adopted it. It was no longer a natural delight at the prospects of spring, but the day was, put just at the close of the heathen festival, Presents and ceremonies were meant to sym- bolize the wonderful unspeakable gift of God -the Savior. Perhaps, the inconvenience of celebrating two such different events as the birth and the manifestation of Christ upon the same day, caused the Eastern Church as early as the latter part of the 4th century to seper- ate the events and keep the birth of Christ on December twenty-fifth. The ceremonies of the day are a mixture ol pagan and Christian elements. In England there was a Lord of Misrule, and in Scotland an Abbot of Unreason, appointed to superin- tend the Christmas events. The sports were boisterous and coarse. They extended from All-Hallows' Eve fNovember 1stJ to Candle- mas tFebruary 2ndD. The favorate dish for breakfa t and supper during this period was a boar's head with an apple struck in its mouth. The desserts were plum-puddings and mince pies. Evergreens and the sacred mistletoe de- corated the homes and churches. In Germany

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AL. 4 ,., - W .- Famer: .- , ,Xxx v V xx 'XA V 1 VISITORS TO HUGO Alice Grant Rosman Alice Grant Rosman's new novel, Visitors to Hugo, is strikingly original in its concep- tion. It is marked by at'reshness,acharm, and gay humor that delights the reader. Hugo, to his great disgust, is a pampered invalid recovering from a serious accident that may leave him permanently crippled. He is in perpetual gloom until Bunny arrives. Bunny doesn't treat him as if he were made of China as his mother does. It is she who tells him things, and before either of them realize lt, they are in love. Then Bunny and Hugo become involved in an exciting plot. Hugo's friend, Paul, had been imprisoned on a false charge and had, therefore, been ostracized from his friends. Paul, Hugo, and Bunny battle against these odds and llnally win happiness. Hugo over- comes his crippleness and ls reunited to his father, who, during the boy's illness, had stayed away for' fear of giving his son a severe shock. Virginia Lowell, '31 THE LUCKY LAWRENCES Kathleen Norris The Lucky Lawrencesj' Kathleen Norris's latest novel, is thestory of ilve poor orphans who were left alone in the world with only a shabby ranch-house for a home. ' ' Gail, the eldest, unfortunately misunder- stood her own heart at one time in thinking that she loved Van Murchison. However, she later found out that the man she must marry was Dick Stebbins, her life-long pal. Ariel, the youngest, complicated matters by running away with Dick that he might help ther to marry Van. After three years, they returned to llnd Edith dead, Gail still unmarried, and Phil wedded to a widow. However, Dick and Gail were happily united, and Gall at last considered herself a Lucky Lawrence. This story ls true to life, pointing out the mistakes of those young girls who, like Ariel, run off and get married secretly. It is very in- teresting, its charm lying inits realism and ln- timate style of writing. Irene Skinner, '31 OF HUMAN BONDAGE W. Somerset Maugham This is the story of a brilliant but deform- ed boy, who had a difficult time choosing his life's occupation. His father had been a doc- tor. His uncle with whom he lived after his parents' death, was a Vicar, and each desired that Phillip Carey follow his occupation. However, Phillip had his own ideasg nrst he tried being an accountant, but since he could not keep his mind on his work, he was Bred. He tried his hand at several other positions, and after a series of efforts, Philip tlnallydis- covered his llfe's work. This book has been acclaimed the most brilliant of the autobiographical novels which the present century has produced. It is widely accepted as a classic. Doris Rogers, '31 MANSLAUGHTER Alice Duer Miller Manslaughter , written by Alice Duer Miller, is the story of a rich and wilful so- ciety girl, who discovers that her social posi- tion and even her clever friends cannot save her from the inevitable clutches of the lawf, which is represented by a determined district attorney. Fate strips her of her power, breaks her indomitable will and throws her into pris- on. The climax comes when she falls in love with the 'man by whose initiative she was jailed. ' The author's gift of-expression is brought out by the vivid pictures she paints with but a'few words. At the same time the conversa- tion is never stilted. The most interesting part of the book is the change and develop- ment of Lydia's character after the prison ex- perience. Dorothy Fraser, '31

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20 'HSOMANHIS - A and France during the Middle Ages, there were sacred plays at Christmas, depicting the birth of Christ. But these ceremonies are not so important as the Spirit of Christmas , the spirit of giv- Ing, of helping-and a broad, loving, welcome for our countrymen. The giving of presents, the use of holly, mistletoe, Yule logs, the was- sail bowl, have all descended from the days of paganism, but they are things which set the day distinctly apart from the other holidays. Without the Christmas tree and Santa Claus for the little children, the day would be ln- complete and lose much of its deepest mean- lng. The custom of sending greeting cards started about hfty years ago. In recent years many cities have adopted the custom of cele- brating the festival as communities. The com- munity Chrlstmas tree is symbolic of that spirit of kindllness which moves people every- where to help the less fortunate. It is this element in Christmas that is the only Christ- ike feature. . M. Bushnell, '31 THE STUFF THAT DREAMS ARE MADE OF A much greater part of a person's life is spent in dreaming than anyone has ever real- ized. Sometimes when one is supposed to be concentrating and centering his weary, yet ever alert mind, on one thought, he dreams the most. He cannot concentrate-his thoughts just meander off into the highway of might- have-been- and maybe. Often it wanders into a happy channel and soothes and pacitles the soul and mind and other times it torment you and seems to tear at your heart and send your mind into a fervor of disturbance and unrest. This dreaming is an extravagance and a waste of time, yet almost everyone in- dulges in it. Sometimes dreaming has been responsible for many a success and yet has often caused a downfall. Many things cause a person to dream. Some- times it is the environment, sometimes wear- iness, and sometimes it is plain laziness. I think that music carries one s mind off most readily. Hundreds of times have I promised myself not to dream g yet, in vain. Before I realize it, I am miles away and dreaming, just dreaming of what might-have-been , or what maybe . A Virginia Straughan, '31 A SLANGUAGE Almost everyone is guilty of adding some new word or phrase to that dialect called 'slanguage. However, Dr. Frank Vizetelly, dean of Amer- ican lexographers, says that dead languages are dead because they had no slang to vivlfy them and that he, personally, gets a kick out of the expressiveness of American slang. There is a certain snappiness about slang: perhaps it is the spontaneous origin, that mak- es lt appeal to most young folks. Very often, the shorter the term, the stronger its force, but it, nevertheless, makes a common appeal. Some slang words express deeper thought than others. For example, And How is us- ually the quickest retort one can make when he is greeted with a startling piece of news and is at a loss for an intelligent com- ment. Thus we find truth in Henry L. Mene1civ's quotation, Slang is the source from which the energies of decaying speech are constantly re- freshed. D. Silcox, '31 V Y F MERRY CHRISTMAS, ,e EVERYONE!