Manchester High School - Somanhis Yearbook (Manchester, CT)

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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!

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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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Q SONNETS FRUM THE SENIORS Grasp in the glittering ice the stars' bright name, Reach for aurora's Ilres above the pole, The night that lends illusion is the same That hides 'the shallow coldness of thy soulg 'rhe depths of light within are but deceit, Reflections struck from out a mirror pale Like bow-ilung fleeting arrow heads that meet And bound from steely links of hardened mailg Thou'rt proof against a universe's pain, Its laughter and its tears and all its joy: To move through life untouched, is this then gain, To live without emotion like a toy? Pray that some sun of love may touch thy heart And give thee in the dance of life a part. Margaret Quinn, '31 When weary of llfe's load all hope I spurn, And sick at heart from brooding discontent, I long for the road of destiny to turn And lead to happiness from Heaven sent. When all my sangulne hopes seem really dead, ' A ray of light just bright enough to show Shines through the clouds of gloom and doubt ahead, A rainbow in my tear drops while they flow. Low-whispering a voice floats soft and clear Like music on my ear it seems to sing. Thy Heaven, child,-is always now and here Thy duty do and joy to thee 'twill bring, Look up, and smile for lo! The sky is clear! And learn that happiness is always near. Susan Allen, '31 The sun kissed the evening sky a soft adieu, And left her blushing in rosy ecstasy. God hung the stars on the wall of midnight blue And shadows danced in weird swaying fan- tasy. Earth bathed in enchanting fragrance as a dying blossom Holds her breath lulled to dreams by Night's soft caresses. A yellow glow spreads o'er the hill's dark bosom The moon goddess shows her profile and ad- dresses The world with words of light and radiant grace Lightly gliding from a veil of silvery mist And like a dainty dancer lifts her face To smillngly receive the night wind's tender kiss. , She pauses on tiptoe, her beauty a soft hue Golden, silver, to light my way to you. Dorothy Fraser, '31 Like ancient molten bells that call again Thru the obscured night made fair by silent wings, As strange memories that still pain, Or of deathless music that in sobbing, rings, Your face comes back to me, and lightly wakes The old dim times that I have laid away. Fearing these halt forgotten dreams that break My heart with ghosts it can not stay I thought noloveliness could hurt me now,