Manual Arts High School - Artisan Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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Manual on Vermont before the earthquake. We at Olive Street, in my time, knew nothing of the plans for building Manual Arts until after we had left there on completion of the B-9 grade, and had trans- ferred to L.A. Hiah or Polytechnic High. Later, word got around that Olive Street High was to be closed in June, 1910, and the faculty transferred to the new Man- ual Arts which was to open in September with two grades only, the ninth and tenth. Among the many eager to enter the new school were those who had liked Olive Street and the faculty there. I was one of that group, recalls Mrs. Shaw who took the long walk from the street car through the hay field to enroll at Manual Arts on opening day, thus to start our three final and unforgettable high school years. Dr. Wilson states in the first number of a school magazine, that during the first month after the school ' s opening in September, 1910, the enrollment rose to 900. For our dedication ceremonies held on November 23, Dr. E. C. Moore, sent a message to Dr. Wilson, which said in part: ' Your school is the child of my heart, like all real schools it must be built without hands. May students, teachers, and people consecrate themselves to live for truth, the one thing which makes men free. ' In the first two pioneer years we did indeed do a great deal of building without hands in such ways as the establishment of student government, the building up of athletic teams fit for competition with older schools, the choosing of school colors, songs and yells, the formation of musical organizations, the starting of a school publication and the encouragment N of good scholarship through the Mimerian Society, foreign language clubs and debating clubs. Throughout this period .however, we were handi- capped by lack of the administration building with an auditorium, planned for the space between the two classroom buildings facing Vermont Avenue. Building without hands was a fine sentiment, but we sorely needed the help of the hands -of construction workers who started our administration buildina before the summer vacation of 1912. Without Dr. Wilson ' s persis- tent efforts, the start of this work might easily have been delayed another year. The fine new building was waiting for us in Sep- tember, 1912. Its completion was a land mark in our early history, for the auditorium immediately became our great pride and the very center of our school life. Our assemblies, previously held in the shop building with its crude platform and temporary seats, had some- times been marked by a little rowdyism but there was none of that in the new auditorium. In the spring of 1912, Miriam Faddis of the English Department, who taught classes in what was then called expression, had begun to plan for the play to be produced in the auditorium not then in existence. This was The Piper, which was finally produced on Jan- uary 31, 1913, a memorable performance, truly a high- light of the beginning years and still talked about by the old timers. The first number of The Manual Arts relates that a group of boys, had started ' The Areo Club ' for the purpose of experimenting with models and original machines, and a later number of the same magazine refers to the ' Curtis Amateur Aviation Club ' . Thus it seems that at least some of the boys were aware of the dawning air age. In 1913 Manual ' s first play was The Piper. Manual Arts dance group was called the Marian Morgan Dancers. '

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First Decade on Olive Street ' ' Do not forget the faculty meeting of the new school. You will surely be present, said Dr. Wilson to one of his colleagues who was to accompany him on the new venture. In 1909, the schools of Los Angeles faced a crisis, caused by insufficient high school facilities for the fast growing population, recalls a student of those early days. The newspapers had been picturing lines of children standing through long night hours waiting to enroll as high school freshmen in the morning, and hoping to be among the lucky ones admitted to the two high schools then in existence, Los Angeles High and Polytechnic High. The opening of Olive Street High, for the B ' 9 grade only, was a desperate measure to take care of those for whom there was no room elsewhere. It was housed in an old grammer school build- ing designed in that nameless and ugly architectural style that was anciently used for Los Angeles schcools. Painted a drab gray, made dull by the dust and weathering of years, this two story structure occupied a hillside lot on the west side of Olive Street between Fourth and Fifth, tucked in between apartment buildings and high retaining walls which served to keep the banks of dirt from sliding over the school building and grounds. The buildings and walls also kept the sunlight away from the school, so that electric light was often necessary. Wide eyed children from all over the city were there, all high school beginners who had never before ridden the street cars to school. Since this was before the time of junior high schools, they had never before known the thrill of having a different room and a different teacher for each subject. Present day opponents of frills in education would have been gratified to see that school. It certainly had no frills. There was no gymnasium. For exercise, Marion Morgan directed groups in work with Indian Clubs and dumb bells in the small rectangle of ground behind the school. But her theory that physical educa- tion must be fun made even those cramped quarters ring with laughter. A picture of their gaiety found its way into a city paper. In addition, faculty members were encouraged to participate, and perspiring, redfaced, but ambitious candidates began there that do-it-together spirit to be remarked upon many times in later years by appreciative student bodies. The coaches had ample, if not too skillful, faculty support. They had no auditorium, says Mrs. Shaw, but assembled in a large class room ordinarily used for a study hall. There was no instruction in art, in dramatics, in shop or in domestic science. The study hall was an awkward room, long and narrow without window shades against the hot sun at certain periods. School wit was lot lacking even here, however, remembers a teacher of that period. One day certain pupils removed the appropriate big chair and desk of the hall and substituted for it a small primary table and chair. A great hub-bub was ex- pected as the teacher arrived, but with a quick survey she rose to that occasion as to the many other inconveniences of the environment, sat down at the little desk, and spread her chart for roll-call. Dr. Wilson, happening by, was surprised by the dis- arrangement. To his inquiry the teacher replied, It is all right; I am quite comfortable. Some one wanted that furniture in the corner. Dr. Wilson, however, with his usual acumen for spot- ting the guilty, requested certain boys to kindly replace the fur- niture, and the amazed culprits, too surprised to protest, sheep- ishly set about undoing their unworthy efforts. Original, creative writings of the students from their English classes were read at the first of these assemblies, by Mr. Lillard, the vice-principal, who entered into the spirit of comparative endeavor. Since there were no distractions, recalls Mrs. Shaw, we had no excuse for neglecting our four solids, algebra, English, Ancient History, and language. But from the indication of the farewell assemblies held each term, all of the classes contribute their share to practical entertainment. On the green and silver souve- nir program that was their farewell gesture of that first term is printed, in addition to the numbers to be enjoyed, three school songs and two yells, and the participants in their student organi- zations. Here, indeed, may be seen in embryo the areas that were to make Manual Arts High School well known in the years to come: Creativeness and school spirit in the songs and yells; Musical achievement in glee club and orchestra; Student government as seen in the list of officers containing among its six members a chairmen each of boys ' and girls ' self gov- ernment; Drama in the skits and solo numbers of the program. And last, but by no means least in its prognostication, Athletic interest and support in the lists of the members of the boys and girls baseball teams.

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And this goal was realized, for Manual ' s self-govern- ment program was written up in text books and maga- zines (as well as in a book, Manual Arts Life, to be found on library shelves today.) Dr. Wilson was called upon to lecture at summer sessions all the way across the country — Columbia University, Berkeley, Stanford, and throughout the Southland. In every subject of curriculum the living quality of the values to be obtained in that subject field were emphasized. And the end result of this enlarged view was that Manual Arts soon received city-wide and even state recognition for their cooperative activities. Drama productions attracted critics from all of the city papers. The art department and manual training classes were enthusiastic participants with the drama and music groups in presenting plays, to which administrators came from all over the district, to see what was offered and how it had been accomplished. Music groups were invited to entertain civic organizations. Marion Morgan, who was later to achieve international recog- nition for her dancing group, was called upon to pre- sent her girls at school and city functions. Many well known theatrical names in both production and per- formance fields had their first experience in dramatic self-expression on Manual ' s stage. Debaters and forensic speakers placed high in wide spread competitive examination — and, of course, in athletics from the beginning, the school established the reputation which has continued through the years of being a formidable rival in all sports. In but two year ' s time she had produced a city championship football team, the first of a long line of champions — Yes, Manual Arts was going right down the field. Strangely, the lists of the officers and members of these early clubs do not include names of those who became well known fliers in later life. » M a i) S ' 18 Manual Arts establishes new C.I.F. record and won 3rd. in the State High School meet at Sacramento, April 27, 1918. But most important of all was the provision from the very beginning of a self-governing program that reached into every phase of school organization, abun- dant evidence of the responsibilities given to and accepted by their council is apparent in the minute record books of those early days. A complete financial report at each meeting, motions made and debated at length on expenditures and school policies, committee assignments and reports, discipline problems acted upon — all give significant evidence that these fourteen to sixteen year-olders were given exceptional oppor- tunity to take responsibility and exercise ingenuity in solving problems. Small wonder that California ' s politi- cal and professional pages as well as those of the whole country, glitter today with the names that filled the Artisans of high school days. The Self-Government policies were described in the first volume of the Manual Arts, a predecessor of the Artisan. Members of the self-governing bodies in other schools bear the name of ' sneaks, ' ' tattle-tales ' or ' gum- shoe detectives, ' and it is considered a disgrace to be- long to this organization. But in a new school with plenty of school spirit back of it, we are putting self- government where it is respected and the members are among the most popular people in school. We want fellows who can go out for football or track, fellows who can go up to the biggest bully in the school and not only show authority but enforce it in person, if necessary. The decade of democracy in action reached its climax in MA participation in World War I. A beautifully de- signed Roll of Honor presented by Mr. Bowditch Blunt in memory of Gordon Sutton of Manual, occupies a conspicious place on the wall of the administrative building. The names of fourteen faculty members, men and women, appear upon it. Five hundred and ten students and alumni are recorded there, for service to their country. The students who remained at home shaped their activities around conservation, bond selling, and sup- port of all of the civilian drives of the war period. They adopted twelve French war orphans, corresponding with them and furnished money for their support. The W ' 19 portion of the Artisan held stories of the boys in the service when the war was over, and the boys came home , the student body welcomed their own with deep pride and emotion at assemblies and home com- ings. Thirteen of Manual ' s young heroes did not return, among them members of the Olive Street and Vermont Avenue pioneers. Manual ' s World War I heroes.