Milford High School - Oak Lily and Ivy Yearbook (Milford, MA)

Page 3 text:

I S ' . .

Page 5 text:

VoL. III. MILFORD, MASS., JANUARY, 1887. No. 5 The Proverbs of Vergil- What student of Vergil lias not been surprised at the number of prov¬ erbs contained even in the first six books of the Aeneid V It is not strange that societies and graduating classes often consult this work when choosing their mottoes, for in it can be found sentiments applicable to al¬ most everything, and which will suit even the most fastidious taste. Now-a-days we can take up scarcely a book or magazine whose pages do not contain Ijatin quotations, and it gives us a sensation of jileasure to realize that we are reaping the benefit of what we sjient so many long years in learning. These proverbs have been so often quoted that they are not al- wavs 1 ‘ecognized as sayings of the most celebrated of Latin poets, but are regarded as common property, to be used by anyone who wishes to iin- })ress u[)on his readers or hearers the fact that he is familiar with at least one of the dead (?) languages. tSome of them have a jir.actical pur¬ pose and tend to help and encourage those who are familiar with them. | Much that seems to us sorrow at the j time would be lightened, did we but heed the advice with which Aeneas cheered the hearts of his companions after landing on the shores of Libya, and bear in mind that “Forsan et haec olirn meminisse juvabit.” When we | are inclined to give uj) our fondest ; hojies in des[)air of ever fulfilling them, | we find in Vergil a friend who says, | “Durate, et vosmet rebus servate,” : and again, “Tu ne cede malis sed con- j tra audeiitior ito.” i Of the celebrated jiassages of the; Aeneid, perhaps the descrijition of | rumor is as often quoted and as widely i known as any, though we often hear j (but is the saying true?) “Varium et | mutabile semper femina.” “Tros Tyriusque mihi nullo dis- crimine agetur” is sometimes adopted by papers whose aim it is to treat all parties with jierfect justice, and should be the motto of all teachers. “Fossunt quia posse videntur” ex¬ presses the cause of the success in life of inanv men endowed, not with re- markable talents, but with what has stood them in as good stead,—the be¬ lief that they could do whatever could be done. The crimes that are committed for the sake of gain, the avarice that prompts niany to sacrifiee all that makes life worth living in order to amass wealth, lead us to exclaim today as Vergil did so many centuries ago: “Quid non mortalia pectora cogis, aura sacra fames!” “Facile descensus Averno.” How often is this shown by the lives of men who once held high and honor¬ able positions, but who, by yielding to tenqitation, entered upon a down¬ ward path which they traversed easily and quickly, until at last they became outcasts from society. Yes, “Easy is the descent to Avernus, but to retrace one’s steps, that is toil, that is labor,” as any one who has tried to reform can testify. The labor troubles and the mobs and riots growiifg out of them in some of ou ' large cities cause us to see how true it is that “Furor anna ministrat.” There are many other proverbs de¬ serving especial mention; but we must adopt the plan of Venus in rela¬ ting Dido’s history to Aeneas when she says, “Summa sequar fastigia re¬ rum.” We also sympathize with Dido when she exclaims, “Non ignara mali imseris succurrere disco,” and with compassion for our readers, shall j)ur- sue the subject no farther. I. L. G., ’85. ’Tis a kind of good deed to say well; And yet words are not deeds. — [Shakespeare. My Story. I had been a huge rock for many years, and had struggled bravely against the power of the frost, wind and rain. I had felt and seen portions of myself crumble. away and go to ruin, as T then siq)posed, but after¬ wards I found out my mistake. When my hard exterior was gradually soft¬ ened, lichens found a foothold upon my sides. These decayed, and with the moisture formed acids, which, jien- etrating to my heart, hastened on the work of destruction. But my loss Avas a 2 fain to others, for this waste became a very thin soil, and now small plants s)n-ang up to live awhile and then, in their turn, by their death made a firmer earth, so that trees could grow and be nourished by me, or rather by what was once a part of me. Near by lived a neighbor rock, who, when I was complaining of the wear upon me by the elements, said: “I do I not yield so easily to the enemy; see [how 1 still resist all hostile attacks.” I replied that when he did succumb his fate might be worse than mine; for might he not be wrested from his birthplace and carried to a strange land? Well, as I had anticipated, such a misfortune did befall my neigh¬ bor rock; for a strong wind s])rang up 1 one day in early spring, alter the rain I had fallen for many days and loosened 1 mv neighbor’s insecure foundation, I aiid rolled my companion, who had i always stood ])roudly on one side, down to the shore of the ocean. Here the fierce waves broke even his hard heart, and pounded and crushed and ground the rock until the tide could 1 bear its pieces out to sea .and dejiosit them in its depths. Time passed away and with it the I remembrance of my old friend, till one day, after a long eastern storm, the lireaking waves dashed the wreck of my long forgotten neighbor up to its