Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts - Mohawk Yearbook (North Adams, MA)

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THE AXIS called, 'The Repairer of the Breach', the 'Restorer of Paths to Dwell In.' In closing I want to say that many times when I have listened to people of several nations, thinkers, educators, students, scholars, they have talked toward some fraction of whole truth, some angle or fact they have worked out by experience and study, and time and again l have thought of that very thought or statement incorporated in some of the notes or lesson plans given at North Adams Normal School. You go out to your work with a far richer equip- ment than you realize. My message to you is to be uscd only if some peculiar situation arises which seems to lay without the pale of your preparation. Given a passion within your heart to meet the need fand often the greater the ditiiculty, the greater the needi you will somehow summon to your aid either original or God-given prompt- ings to do the thing that will be the solution ofthe issue, And then you will experience the glory and honor that comes to the heart of one who finds herself a working factor in bringing order out of chaos. Sincerely Elvira M . Braden nrmal it - music Gubinet Helen Barrows Vivian Berry Marion Bence Mildred Boyle Grace Boyden Margaret Brennan Ruth Carpenter Alexina Caisse Dorothy Chapin Anne Curtin Dora Doty Ruth Graham Lillian Kent Jane Kerr Olive Lewis Louise MacMasters Catherine Morrissey Mildred Montague Sadie Murphy Pauline O'Connor Louise Palmer Gwendolyn Purcell Dorothy Reynolds Julia Salametry Marjorie Sauter Eileen Sheehan Helen Sheldon Wyona Sparrow Loretta Tobin Clara Thurber Eleanor Whalen Lesson Plans 44 no un Oh, Helen Stumbling Oh, Dear You're the Rose We're Longing For Blow the Man Down Jazz Baby Some Little Bird Oh, How I Hate to Get up in the Morning Too Late, Too Late Charlie is My Darling Rose of My Heart I'm in Love I Love a Red-Red Rose Whispering There's a Little Bit of Bad in Every Good Little Girl M ot her M eC ree And That Ain't All I Ain't That Kimi of a Girl Play Again That Naughty Waltz Pickle Flo Marimbo 'I'oddIe My Man Ilello Central Give Ilh- :Dalton I You're a Million Miles from No- where When You'rc Une l.itlle Mile from Hottie lAin't Nolmaly's lhu'ling t'ull me l'ct Names villlllllllg Rose Tcnsin' hvliert' llo Wh-tin lrutll llt re, lluysfn One More Day Une-Sweetly Solemn Thought 4130 the men who Qlriticise JBohhc0 bait OW listen a moment, Mister Man: Bohbed hair should be the custom, not a t How would you like several feet of hair On top of your head in the hot dog days? THZ9. How would you like to have to brush and comb And mart-el wave it twice a day or more Howl with pain at the snarls, and endure Barrettes, rats, side combs, and hairpins galore? And then, to have all the ladies fair Sneer, Only 'tough' men wear bubbed hair! 3ohes Dorothy Chapin in geography class: The Caspian Sea wasn't down there, and so we were all at sea. Grace Boyden in oral composition: If I can keep one heart from breaking I will not have lived in vain. Miss Palmer ttalking about home brew while conducting Current Events Classi: We will drop it now. Miss Boyden: If I had it I wouldn't drop it, I would drinkitf' Mr. Smith: How many believe that the tirst week of school should he review work? Miss Berry: You can't in the first grade. Mr. S.: How's that? Miss B.: There isn't anything to review. Miss Baright: Where does the story take place? Miss Sauter: ln Whales. Miss Tobin tgazing at Little Office Building on the Boston Tripl: I don't see anything small about it. Miss Curtin: I think that if one wishes hard enough the wish will come true. Miss O't'onnor: l don'l think it npplits to men. ilhihe speaks from expericneen. Mr. Iildridgt-: What are the chief products of Para- gusty? Miss Montague: 'l'hc l'aragnay River runs in . Mr. E.: No, you didn't umh-rstaml my question. What arc the chief products uf l'araguny'. ' Miss M.: Yes, but l'm going to answer that in a minute. Miss Murphy, reciting while a truck was chugging up the hill: and Ecuador has ivory nuts, I don'l know whether you can hear Ilie or not. Mr. l'Ildridge: Ya-.-. lluil's all right, gn on. Miss M 2 Wi-ll. l guess tlmt's ull Miss Sauter. Winn is1tsqtluli'. ' Miss Kent: .-X pig:-on after it is coolant 27

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THE AXIS throughout the year, for their loyal support both financial and otherwise, but most of all for the many friendships which are priceless. The Juniors also deserve much praise for starting the Axis which thc present Editorial Stafill' carried successfully thru its first year. We extend our hearticst congratula- tions and best wishes to the new Stall: EDITOR-IN-CHIEF RUTH Cmnku HELEN O'Ntcn. ELIZABETH Cooks ELIZABETH Hunnnv KATHERINE DRENNAN BLANCHE O1.s'rED BUSINESS MANAGER SCHOOL NOTES SENIOR NOTES JOKES ASSISTANT ALUM NAE Y. W. C. A. Nanking, China, April 29, 1922 Greetings to N. A. N. S.'ers! I hope you won't think I am sermonizing to you. I am prompted to write this letter merely that you may have at the outset of your work some of the thoughts that have come to me after years of casting about for a philosophy that withstands the sudden attacks circumstance can bring about. To begin with, I think a great share of one's troubles in this world are based on attitude. So while these Chinese teachers, minus method, minus the tools of teaching Wes- tern teachers have, are handicapped, they are yet followers and admirers of Confucius. their great ideal teacher. They are teacher worshippers! And no man or woman fails when she worships her task! When one has real respect for her vocation, something evolves which brings her safely through the diflicult situations she gets into. Such a person often proves the truth of that wise saying, if my job won't reflect honor on me, I must reflect honor on it. Despite the fact that certain isolated positions in the teaching pro- fession seem unworthy of the efforts one must expend to master them, the profession itself is worthy of the highest, finest spirit she can give it. The greatest people in the world have been teachers, and the mantle of their great- ness falls on their worthy followers. Dignity, and respect are innate qualities of the profession. Out by the Ming Tombs, beyond the South Gate of Nanking City Hall, is a Confucian School. I speak of it because it is the only one of its kind I have visited yet. The teacher, an elderly man, sits day in and day out, crosslegged on the floor or on alow stool, chanting the classics to a roomful of small boys. They chant them after him over and over, swaying from side to side as they chant, memorizing hook after book. It is a desultory process to get your education by such method when you are a boy full of life and spirit and energy. Many a youngster has to be fairly pulled to school by the older members of the family. Yet when a boy has gone through the years, mem- orizing the truths sifted from generation to generation and culled by classics, his life centers about those truths and something evolves which is quite distinctive from our Western conceptions, a passion for schools and the passing on of knowledge. Out of this attitude has come a proverb which is commonly on the tongues of the Chinese. It has no equivalent in English, but means that ten men inherit knowledge from one man, one hundred men inherit knowledge from ten men, one thousand men inherit know- ledge from one hundred men, and so does the nation attain to general knowledge. The nucleus of the idea is a respon- sibility to pass on to your children what you have. Now, when you read of the multitudes in China that remain uneducated, you will think my statement at odds with report. Uneducation in China means the lack of power to read and write. But the merest urchins on the street. have heard from the tongues of their elders in the homes, the teachings of Confucius, they know proverbs by the score, and while they cannot read or write, they can bargain shrewdly, they know how to use their hands, the country children and many of the city children know the secrets of soil, and rotation of crops, and all those things which make for self-support. It seems to me as I watch them that the Chinese aim and ambition is to arrive at truth, to recognize truth, in whatever guise. And in their moving toward this objective, they have called in not so much a system of methods as many illustrations, stories, parables. One of my teachers last week electrified me Cas many another has before himl by giving an illustration that was far richer and more striking than the ideal wanted to ex- press. We were talking about youth, and education, and attitude. I said, Lien, Saing-Sen, the youth does not restore to the parents or the teacher what he gets! The youth is often ungrateful for his benefits simply because he does not know the pains others went through that he might be benefited! The teacher's black eyes shone, and he leaned across the table saying, I will show you what you mean! I will give you an illustration! It is night. You have a lonely road to travel. It is the only road that leads to your destination. You have no companion. But you travel this lonely road in the dark, and when you are in the narrowest part of it, you stumble over a great stone that has fallen there. You hurt your- self, fall into the ditch, eat bitterness, and are much in- convenienced. You decide that those who follow may be saved such humiliation, so you call a helper, and at no small pains and expense, the two of you remove the stone, and go your respective ways. Later a gay youth comes skip- ping over the same road. He does not stumble nor fall! Nor does he thank you that he finds the road open! He has not eaten your bitterness! How wouldihe think to thank you! Do you want thanks! Is it not enough for you that in the nature of things that virtue is to your credit whether men know it or not! And as he talked I looked at the dowdy old gentleman, and recalled a statement read just the night before, All truth hurries home to the heart that loves it, and will lodge in no other. And I knew this old man recognized the truth underlying the situation. Although he had not superstructure of method with which to enrich my thought, the very essence of desire in his heart gave him the power to evolve something to do it with. And I believe that might be true of every teacher in the world. When studied methods fail to meet the need, the deep-lying passion of the heart to en1'ich the thinking of mankind and clinch a truth by some strong association will lend power to meet people at the very door of their need. When I came home we had a Chinese lady visiting here. She isateacher. As we talked, she said, I will tell you what I think of the ideal teacher! Whereupon she read from Isaiah,- If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday. And they that shall be of thee shall build up old waste placesg thou shalt raise up the founda- tions of many generationsg and thou shalt be

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28 T HE AXIS CAN YOU PICTURE- Helen Barrows not standing up for Vermont? Marion llencc teaching upper grades? Viv Berry never falling asleep in class? Grace Boyden not blushing when called upon? Milly Boyle in sight during a thunder storm? Peg Brennan not grouchy in the morning? Alex Caisse breaking a house rule??? Ruth Carpenter not dignified? Dorothy Chapin not offering her opinion? Anne Curtin not saying What d'you say? Mrs. Doty not agreeable? Ruth Graham having her hair out of order? Lili Kent not liking Re-d ? Jane Kerr not literary? Olive Lewis losing her executive ability? Mrs. MacMasters not giving motherly advice? Mildred Montague pessimistic? Kate Morrissey staying here over a week-end? Sade Murphy with nothing to do? Babe O'Connor grown up? Louise Palmer not reciting in class? Gwen Purcell not attending a man dance? Dot Reynolds not seeing Benny on Sunday? Jule Salametry not vamping? Marge Sauter not giggling? Eileen Sheehan not getting her work done on time? Helen Sheldon weighing two hundred pounds? Wyona Sparrow missing a basket? Clara Thurber not willing to help? Lorrie Tobin not teasing Marge ? Eleanor R. Whalen '22 Eitblttiw TIIERE is no surer way to perfect health than by regular exercise in the open air. For stirring up the blood, d9veloping the muscles, clearing the head and stimulating the appetite, or in other words, for building a strong healthy body, nothing is better than games and exercise. Indeed Competing with other people in various games helps one to be not only stronger, physically but morally, also, forit aids one to overcome undesirable characteristics such as conceit, uncontrollable temper, laziness and fear. Realizing these things, our time this year has been divided between professional work and play. Professional work such as learning how to execute and command school-room gymnastics may seem a simple task, but to learn those tables of exercises many neces- sary hours must be spent under very careful guidance. Our play days are the ones to which we look forward, for they are play even tho very strenuous. During the winter, on those days our programs usually consisted of school-room and play ground games, folk dances, school room exercises and work on the apparatus. Last, and most enjoyed,-were either relay races between teams or our favorite, stationary basketball. Do you remember the day, Seniors, that we defeated the Juniors? May and June are the months when most of our gym- nasium time is spent out-of-doors, taking one of the many forms of exercise, either, walking, playing tennis, lawn bowls, croquet and sometimes baseball and archery. This year, Miss Skeele, has chosen a new way by which to judge our efhciency along this line of work. Each student is required to take full charge of a training-school class in the gymnasium, having as her lesson some form of free play, corrective exercises, and a directed game. This has worked out very well and we are proud of our record. As a class we have greatly benefited by our gymnasium work under the faithful instruction of Miss Skeele, who has put her whole self intomaking us the best possible teachers of gymnastics. Ruth Carpenter