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

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16 THE OAK, LILY AND IVY. weaknesses and strong qualities are sought out and when detected are in the one case overcome, if possible; in the second, strengthened. That is the mission of the High school and its workers,—to find out for the pupil the peculiarities of his nature and develop his fine points, removing or overcoming the weaker character¬ istics. This duty is so efficiently carried out that to-day the graduate of the High school is himself efficient in that his fine qualities are appreciated and developed, his special abilities are increased and enhanced and the deficiencies in his make-up are removed so far as possible. We are living in an age when efficiency means everything, and in turning out efficient young men and women the High school is assuring the efficient manage¬ ment and administration of the future of the community to which it belongs. Through its annual production of trained young men and women the High school is of inestimable value and benefit to a community. Every year there is a deluge of young men and women who seek admission to the various colleges and univer¬ sities. By far the majority of these applicants are graduates of High Schools who seek higher education than that acquired in the secondary schools in order to be of more value to themselves and to their respective communities. It is evident that every graduate sent out by our High school is prepared, if he has done his duty, to take his place in the business world, or to go further in school, and be fitted for the professions. That is the real and truly great benefit that a community derives from its High school. George O’Sullivan, 1923. SALUTATORY THE BEGINNING OF THE NOVEL. As a member of the class of 1923, I wish to extend to you all a most cordial welcome. It is indeed a pleasure to have you present to-night to show you that the untiring efforts of parents and teachers in our behalf have not been fruitless. Aided by parents and teachers, we have successfully completed our course in Milford High School and are ready to take up the duties of life and strive with all our strength to attain the goal of success. In our efforts to succeed we shall think with frequent gratitude of the assistance of all who have aided us to obtain our ends. THE BEGINNING OF THE NOVEL. The beginning of the twentieth century witnessed the predominance of the novel in literature. When the average reader mentions a good book, we immedi¬ ately surmise that it is a novel. There is no other form of literature more ap¬ preciated and enjoyed by the common mass of people than the novel. It is only one of the many forms of literature and the youngest of them all, yet it has sur¬ passed all others in popularity. It took two centuries to bring about its perfection, but at this moment the novel is supreme. The novel is best defined as a “narrative of human life under stress of emotion.” It is a story in which scenes, characters, and events are such as they would be in real life. There are two essentials in the creation of a good novel,—well drawn characters and a well constructed plot. The worst novel is the novel that tries to picture real life and then misrepresents it. This false view is very harmful

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THE OAK, IilliY A|NID IVY Vol. XXXIX. MILFORD, MASS., JUNE, 1923. No. 1. Published by the Pupils of The Milford High School. Under the Supervision of Miss Marion A. Ryan of the English Department. BOARD OF EDITORS. Editor-in-Chief—George A. O’Sullivan, ’23. Business Manager—Innes McRae, ’23. Associate Business Managers— John R. Cichetti, ’23. Gertrude A. Wallace, ’23. ASSOCIATE EDITORS. Inez E. SanClemente, ’23. George A. Raftery, ’23. Boyd D. Lewis, ’23. Subscription Rates:—For the year, $1.00. Single copies, 15 cents. Address all communicatoins to Oak, Lily and Ivy, Milford, Mass. THE BENEFITS OF THE HIGH SCHOOL TO THE COMMUNITY. This is the season of Commencement and all through the length and breadth of this great land of ours innumerable schools and colleges are sending forth trained men and women. By far the most numerous type of school is the public High school, for every community that has a vestige of civic pride boasts a High school. From every one of these secondary schools men and women are coming who are in most cases trained to accept and fill capably fine positions in the busi¬ ness world; in other cases, prepared to continue their studies to points of speciali¬ zation in higher institutions of learning. These boys and girls leave their High schools, self-reliant and capable, of which characteristics certainly the former is as essential as the latter and like it, first acquired in High school. Self-reliance is not taught as a separate subject in High school, that is, there are no text-books on it, but it seeps out of all the meth¬ ods of the teaching and conducting of the secondary school. The responsibili¬ ties of studying and making use of the hours of school fall on the shoulders of the individual more heavily than they do in the grammar grades. The individual soon is made to realize that, if he is to make good and be a success as a High school student, he must work and work hard. The realization that the student’s success depends in the main on the student’s own efforts rapidly molds the scholar into a man or woman, as the case may be. There is much fun and foolishness in the average High school student’s life, but at all times there is that undercurrent of re¬ sponsibility acting as a curb on the extent of the fun and a guide in the conduct of his life. Self-reliance is one of the greatest assets a man can have. Without it ability is apt to go for naught, for he must appreciate and have confidence in his own ability to use it and profit by it. Every man has ability of some sort, either along scholarly lines or those of the business world, and it is in High school that it is determined to which type his ability belongs. In High school the scholar is studied almost as much as he studies. His

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THE OAK, LILY AND IVY. 17 since a novel has so strong a moral influence on human life because of its great popularity. The novel is not only valuable because it serves as a recreation, but it is also valuable because of other benefits derived from it. The reader of the novel understands clearly the vast changes that have taken place since the very earliest centuries, and is enabled to observe the progress in civilization. Then again the novels of Dickens and Thackery have served to bring about many social reforms and have enabled people to see the dark side of life without actually experiencing it. These facts show the great importance of the novel. Now let us turn our attention to its origin. It was not until 1740 that the novel as we know it took literary form, but very near to its discovery was Daniel Defoe, the author of “Robinson Crusoe,” His story of “Robinson Crusoe” began by sketching the boyhood of a rogue who had run away to sea. In his story he humanizes adventure. His story may be classed as one of incident, as it merely states one incident after another with very little attempt at characterization or plot. Nevertheless it has its lesson, and a very worthy one, which is: “Be patient, be industrious, be honest and you will at last be rewarded for your labor.” In spite of the fact that some people wish to call “Robinson Crusoe” the first novel, it must be regarded as a tale of adventure, adventure away from the haunts of everyday life rather than life as we know it. It lacks character analysis and a well-constructed plot. The first novel owes its beginning to an accident. Samuel Richardson, a London printer, was invited in 1740 by a publisher “to prepare a volume of letters which might serve as models to country readers.” Richardson thought over the matter and he believed it would be very interesting if he connected his letters in such a way so as to form a love story and point out a moral. The result was “Pamela or “Virtue Rewarded.” Samuel Richardson himself was a common printer, very industrious, up¬ right and honorable in all his dealings. His kindness and generosity alone would have made him a favorite, had he not gained such prominence in literary circles. As Sir Walter Scott remarked, “It may be safely said that Richardson did more good every week of his life than Fielding was ever able to do through¬ out his whole life.” Richardson’s one fault was his great vanity, which was ex¬ cited by his popularity both at home and abroad. He was so vain that he would not engage in conversation with anyone who had not read his works. Had he been a man of firmer character, he probably would have restrained this childish display of conceit which sometimes caused him a great deal of embarrassment. An interesting anecdote told concerning his self-appreciation is as fol¬ lows :—- One day he was at dinner at a country house with a large company. A gentleman just returned from Paris, willing to please Mr. Richardson, men¬ tioned a flattering circumstance—that he had seen his “Clarissa” lying on the table of the King’s brother. Richardson, observing that part of the company were talking to one another and consequently did not hear the remark, affected then not to attend to it. But later, when there was a general silence, he thought that the flattery might be fully heard and so he addressed himself to the gentle¬ man, “I think. Sir, you were saying something about,” - pausing in a high flutter of expectation. The gentleman, provoked at his vanity, resolved not to please him, and with a sly air of indifference answered, to Richardson’s morti¬ fication, “A mere trifle, Sir, not worth repeating!” This is the character of the man who wrote our first novel and is commonly named as “The Father of the English Novel.” His first novel “Pamela” has been called a “flower—one of those flowers which only blossom in a virgin im¬ agination, at the dawn of original invention whose’ charm and freshness surpass