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

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OAK, LILY AND IVY [ 4 Glee Club of Lafayette,” Prentiss, Margaret Cochrane; “The Revolutionary Uprising,” Hale, Hazel Baker; “Our Heroes,” Andrews, Leslie Adams. Miss McNamara has organized a Glee Club, which meets every Tuesday af¬ ternoon in the Assembly Hall. Many have joined and the prospect looks bright for great success. Literary Club. The Literary Club held its last meeting at the home of Miss Marguerite Curtin. “As You Like It,” (Act I.) was read by the members. House of Representatives. A gold medal, of exquisite workmanship and design, has been presented to the Milford Lligh School Congress by a well-known alumnus of the school. The donor’s identity was at first withheld, but after the following correspondence, which explains itself, he has consented to the use of his name. Dr. George Hermann Derry, Principal of Milford High school, Milford, Mass. Milford, Mass., Jan. 1, 1912. Dear Dr. Derry: In a conversation with you some weeks ago I learned with lively interest of the establishment of a High school Congress for argumentation and debate, and for the practical illustration of principles taught in your classes of civics and oratorical composition. Reports of sessions held since, and the very evident enthusiasm of the members in their work have now lifted the venture beyond the trial stage. Allow me to congratulate you on this success. No form of mental discipline to which the pupils of our schools could be subjected will better fit them for intelli¬ gent citizenship, and prove of more constant service in any career, than just such preliminary training in the laws of logic and in the mastery of the tools of effective speech. The successful man today is he who has the facts and can present them in a convincing manner. What impresses me particularly is the stress you lay on the intimate relation of the Congress to the prescribed work of the school. Pupils must certainly study with keener relish and zest when they see how directly their daily lessons can be applied to the practical needs of life. It occurs to me that your efforts in behalf of the young men of your school merit special commendation. As a member of the alumni, I desire to express, in some concrete way, my appreciation of your work for the school, and if I would not be considered a trespasser on the proprieties of the occasion, I would suggest to you that I should be very glad to offer the members of your Congress a gold medal as a prize to be competed for, subject to any rules you may prescribe, at the public ses¬ sion of the Llouse, which, I am informed, you propose to hold before the close of the year. The only condition I would set to the offer is that you allow the donor to veil his identity under what is to him the sufficient title of “Alumnus of the M. H. S.” Very sincerely yours, John E. Swift. To the above, Dr. Derry replied:

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OAK, LILY AND IVY. C3 Another source of possible danger in idealism, is that one may neglect the real things of life while dreaming of the deeds of others, but if we keep in mind the fact that “heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight,” our admiration for those who have succeeded, cannot but have a wholesome effect upon our minds and hearts. ’15. School IRotes. Rhetoricals. The class in rhetoric under direction of Miss Mary B. Ford, gave this pro¬ gram at the High school Dec. 12 : “The American War,” Lord Chatham, George Grayson ; “A Singer’s Climax,” Fanny Fern, Gertrude Kirby; “Two Brothers,” J. W. Calverly, Evelyn Macuen; “Hope of the South,” Jefferson Davis, Ray Howard; “Lucy Gray,” Wm. Words¬ worth, Lorena Hogan; “Enoch Arden at the Window,” Alfred I ennyson, Mary Hickey ; “Roderick Dhu and James Fitz James,” Sir Walter Scott, Marion Gaffney; “The Character of Garfield,” Fuller, Allen Kennedy; “Sunrise in Stillwater,” T. B. Aldrich, Helen Edmands; “My First Singing Lesson,” C. S. Brown, Grace Keany; “Enemies Meet at Death’s Door,” J. E. Dawson, Lorana Henderson; “Chariot Race from ‘Ben Hur,’ ” Wallace, Alfred Coppinger. At the High School, Dec. 19, Miss Helen J. Gilmore’s second class in rhe¬ toricals gave the following program: “Wolsey’s Farewell Address,” Shakespeare, Francis Wilder, T2; “The Elf Child,” James Whitcomb Riley, Hazel Dalrymple, ’13 ; “How Girls Study,” Marion Gilman, Agnes Cahill, T3; “Old Ironsides,” Oliver Wendell Holmes, Emma Rus- sen, ’13; “Grand Army Address,” Gen. Grant, Ralph Coombs, ’12; “A Dilatory Scholar,” Breckenbridge, Marie Curley, T3; “The Liberty Bell,” J. 1. Hadley, Carl Kennedy, T2; “Drummer Boy at Waterloo,” Acton, Luigi Sanclemente, ’13; “Hamlet’s Soliloquy on Death,” Shakespeare, Ethel Griffith, T3. Miss Inez L. Gay’s second class in rhetoricals gave the following program at the High school Jan 9 : “Assassination of Lincoln,” Beaconsfield, John Allen; “Wreck of the Hesper¬ us,” Longfellow, Mary Brown; “How He Saved St. Michael’s,” Stansbury, Gladys Goulding; “Somebody’s Mother,” Lawrence, Lina Hamilton; “The National Ban¬ ner,” Everett, Ernest Hilton; “On the Other Train,” Martindale, Lillian Moloney; “The Auctioneer’s Gift,” Foss, Lena Hutchings; “A Touching Incident,” Gough, May O’Connell; “Lincoln’s Humanity,” Watterson, John Conway. The program of rhetoricals Jan. 16, under the direction of Miss Edith A. Nichols of the English department, was as follows: “Liberty and Union,” Webster, Joseph Lang; “Soldier’s Song from ‘Lady of the Lake,’ ” Sir Walter Scott, Mary Kimball; “The Grandfather,” Eastman, Helen Birmingham; “Men Who Never Die,” Everett, Walter King; “Apostrophe to Ni¬ agara,” Chateaubriand, Lena Vitalini; “What the Little Girl Said,” Lady Grey, Ethel Robinson; “Declaration of Independence,” Jefferson, Eben Baker; “Eulogy

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OAK, LILY AND IVY 5 John E. Swift, Esq., Milford, Mass. Milford High School, Jan. 25, 1912. Dear Sir: Your communication of recent date, offering a gold medal for com¬ petition among our pupils at the first public session of our Congress, I beg to ac¬ knowledge with my most cordial thanks. This generous gift, coming from a loyal alumnus of the school, gives substantial point and emphasis to the kindly com¬ mendations which our debating project has universally evoked. Such inspiriting favor and encouragement will not, I trust, be lost on my colleagues or myself. In the school, you will be interested to learn, the practise of public and extempore speaking, which the Congress affords, has done much to infuse new blood into our dry, monotonous routine. Among the members of the House, your gift will sure¬ ly “prod the flanks of friendly rivalry” and impel them to the most enthusiastic endeavor. But to your condition of anonymity, I must-beg you to allow me to demur. Your natural modesty in the matter I do, of course, respect; but this is our jubilee year; our alumni are active as never before; and I trust I may so far prevail on your reluctance as to attach to your beautiful trophy the human interest of an hon¬ ored name among the sons of Alma Mater. Yours very truly, Geo. Hermann Derry, Principal. Saturday, December 9, at the South Framingham High School, a meeting of the Midland Interscholastic. league was held and a schedule of baseball games for next season was drafted. Principal Derry and Manager Lester Carey attend¬ ed the meeting as the representatives of our school. The meeting, presided over by Supt. H. C. Waldron of the Westboro schools, was attended by the principals and managers of the baseball teams of 1912 of the High schools in the league. On the motion of Dr. Derry of Milford the football pennant of 1911 was awarded to Natick. Chairman Waldron com¬ plimented the Natick team and Principal Shaw made a suitable response. It was voted that the secretary, Principal Morris of Marlboro High, attend the meeting of the Natick business men in Natick Music Hall, Thursday evening, Dec. 14, and at a banquet to be tendered the Natick High team there, formally award the Midland Interscholastic league pennant to the Natick team. The league voted to have the annual meeting at Framingham, Jan. 13, at which time football dates will be arranged. Action upon entering the track meet of the Middlesex South Agricultural society of Framingham, scheduled for May 30, was deferred until the annual meeting.