Mechanic Falls High School - Pilot Yearbook (Mechanic Falls, ME)

Page 17 text:

M. F. ll. S. PILOT I5 E 1 Hocneraoue 'i swf' fd .ssh 'W . PK? - - A Q 53 ' Lui t e I 'R Y' 8 THE EAR FOR A MUSICAL NOTE He Plays on the World's Heart- strings. There was a boy, born in Germany. and of German descent, who became, in his boyhood, very poor. His folks were poorg his father was an every- day, hard-working man. .His mother was a sickly woman, and did her best by her son and her husband. The boy craved for musicg he loved sweet music. VVhen on the street in the evening he always stopped to listen to any music he might be able to hear. Often his folks became wor- ried because he did not show up at supper time, but when he did return it was learned that he had been hold- ing his ear up to a keyhole in a door somewhere, listening to some music of some sort. Many nights after supper he would get his father to take his old fiddle down from the shelf and play some old tunes for him. His father was not a master of the violin, but did very well at playing. When the boy heard a mis-note or a discord, he would stop up his ears and run from the room. After his father was done playing, he would let the boy take the fiddle and then would show the boy all he knew about playing. Then the boy would do his best by his father's instructions. lt was not long, however, before he could play as good as his father. lt was remarkable to see how the little fingers could slip around, over the key- boardg the bow was always drawn per- fectlyg every note was the deepest. richest, and contained the most vol- ume and sweetness that the old violin could produce. Soon he was beyond his father's instructions. He remem- bered the songs that he had heard through the keyholes of the doors, and they were songs his father had never known or heard. When the boy drew out the tunes and the soft rich notes from within the old fiddle, his father and mother were astonished. They wondered how long the boy could keep on improvingg it seemed there must be a limit somewhere. The time came when he wanted to travel about the countries. He had a strong desire to go to America, yet he was only eleven years old, but felt that he could take care of himself. He played for his classmatesg he played at different places in his town and started to take in quite a bit of money. At the time Grover Cleveland was elected President, the boy, accom- panied by his mother, came to America where he could play and perhaps get some more money to help his folks along. The President heard about this won- derful player, so he invited him to his own home as his guest. The boy played for Cleveland and it pleased him very much. He said he would

Page 16 text:

H M. F. H. S. PILOT In the winter term the Sophs had good practice in debating. In the semi- finals of the tournament the Sopho- mores won over the Freshmen and the finals were won over the Seniors. Shortly after, we debated with Leavitt Institute and did not have such good luck. Those Sophomores participat- ing in debating were: Carolyn McCallister, Iola Chase, Hertha Rid- ley, Lester Chipman, Julian Goss and Frank Carter. Iola Chase, Lester Chipman and Frank Carter also par- ticipated in the interscholastic debate. We have had some representatives in the various athletic sports of the school. Marjorie Keene and Carolyn MeCallister made the first team in basketball. Aubrey Hoyle was the only boy to make the first team. Sev- eral are expecting to go out for base- ball this spring. During the fall term we held a social and will hold another in the near fu- ture. Tn the first social a play, called 'fFlittermouse',. was presented. Those taking part were: Iola Chase, Lois Millett, Carolyn McCallister and Ern- est MacDougall. A good sum of money was netted for t h e c l a s s treasury. We hope that all our classmates will be back with us next year, as Juniors. Hertha Ridley, '33 FRESHMAN REPORT At the beginning of this school year there were fifty-eight pupils who en- tered High School, as Freshmen. As was expected, we all got our share of initiation. For class officers we elected: Presi- dent, John Collinsg Vice-President, Rosalie Pikeg Secretary, Aletha Law- lerg and Ralph Campbell, as Treas- urer. Those of the Freshman class who tried out for girls' basketball and suc- ceeded in making the team were: Viola Raymond, Valma Edwards, Helen Keene, Evelyn'Scully, Rosalie Pike and Gladys Hapworth. The only one of the boys who tried out for track was Gilbert Maxim. For the Freshman Assembly Pro- gram we planned our topics in keeping with National Education Week, which was at that time. At the Freshman social, March 27th, a short two-act play entitled Rasp- berry Red was given. The enter- tainment committee selected by the President consisted of: Gladys Hap- worth, Viola Raymond, and Helen Keene. Several of the Freshmen attained an average sufficient to place their names on the Honor Roll, the highest being 96.75 by Emily Bridgham. G. Hapworth, '34

Page 18 text:

16 M. F. H always be welcome to the United States with his fiddle. At this time the boy was twelve years old. He and his mother returned to their home country and the boy kept steadily on with his musical magic. Now, he is an old man, but he still plays his unknown magic and makes his visits to America. He is always glad to answer any question that he can regarding his playing and what anyone would want to know about a violin. He says a violin should be played at least twice a year, because, if not, it will lose its deepest and rich- est tone. He says the old violins are best if they have been played on some every year, and, if they have good care, the older they get the better they sound. He says that no two violins have the same tone. Suppose we visit a place where he is going to play tonight. All right, we'll go to Carnegie Hall, New York's famous concert auditorium. Every seat is occupied, and the walks behind the seats are jammed with people standing, clear back to the walls. The hall becomes silent as death, and the magic harmony from his same old violin rings from wall to wall. He doesn't miss a note, never a discord, he plays on two strings at once, and from the lowest to the highest note, attainable on a violin, he doesn't make the least fractional part of a mis-tone, the music makes a great impression on the audience, some faces frown from wonder, some grin from ear to ear with joy. The music seems to pierce the very soul of every listener. Then the music stops and the last note of the Straclivaius dies away and the thunder l S. PILOT of applause breaks. Here and there, perhaps, a man or a woman is crying. Fitz Kreisler has played. Max Pulsifer, '31 A SMILE FOR REFERENCE 1 Doris Field was always known .as a happy-go-lucky girl, always wearing a smile and never complaining about her troubles. In high school, she always was ahead of her class, attending to outside activities, aiding the under- classmen with their work and always cheerful under all this pressure. Graduating in '30, she decided to seek her fortune in a distant city and prepared for her trip with much care, although her mother, father and all her friends objected to her going. Doris had not decided exactly what she wanted to do, but she thought she preferred teaching to all other work. She left home one morning on a train that left early in the morning. Before noon she was home-sick, and, when her fellow passengers attempted to make conversation, she was ready to sob aloud with her grief. She did not have time or desire to smile, so her companions retired to their own enjoy- ment and she continued in her sorrow. Arriving at her destination, she sought a comfortable boarding house. After resting that night, she hurried out early the next morning in search of employment. In all the places the answer was the same, no vacancies , and she slowly found her way home. The next four days were the same and her money waned to its lowest depth. The sixth day a miracle happened. While she was walking dejectedly down one of the beautiful thorough-