Momence High School - Monesse Yearbook (Momence, IL)

Page 30 text:

JUNIOR YEAR BOOK. 3i “KNOW YOUR OPPORTUNITY.” =EEE =E= PRIZE COMIC BY ESTHER GRA Y. This most worthy saying is the motto of an honorable senior class not very far away and, with apologies to them, I will endeavor to show how a practical application of this motto was made in common walks of life. There is in every family, some domestic animal, which to them is about the most interesting creature alive. In this peculiar family, the animal happened to be a little old horse called Pepper. He was a ragged, chunky runt, and his worst habit was biting. If a girth was pulled too tight, or you happened to tickle him, you had to look out for his teeth. One summer, on a warm morning, Pepper had lost his shoes, and some one had to take him to the blacksmith’s. As I had nothing to do, I was selected as the victim, and straightway began to prepare Pepper for the trip. By great toil and persuasion, I managed to hitch him to the buggy, and we started on our way rejoicing. The blacksmith was a pleasant man, and did not seem to dread his task in the least. As I had no errand to do,I thot I would stay and watch Pepper get shod. He stepped very gingerly to h is place, and eyed the blacksmith suspi¬ ciously. All went well until it came to shoeing Pepper’s fore feet. The horse was a little tired, and I knew trouble was coming. As the blacksmith leaned over in the process of putting on the shoe, Pepper turned and looked at me very dolefully, and seemed to ask me to get him out of there. As he turned his head back in place a sudden thot seemed to strike him, “Why not bite this tormentor, while he was in such a tempting position?” Then, Pepper knew his opportunity, and promptly bit the unsuspecting black¬ smith. Never, can I forget the excited exclamations of the infuriated man, and never can I be made to repeat them! He hopped first on one foot then on the other, all the time, grasping the rear of his trowsers, as if the pressure relieved his pain. He could not be induced to proceed with the shoeing, so vainly try¬ ing to restrain my laughter, I led the vicious Pepper home in disgrace, and he was very happy in having accomplished his purpose.

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30 JUNIOR YEAR BOOK. urged on by his wife. She plans the murder, prepares the room for the king, drugs his servants, and would have committed the murder herself, but the gray¬ haired king, sleeping so peacefully and trustfully, reminded her of her father, and she could not harm him. Leaving the groom’s dagger handy so that every¬ thing would be easy, she sends Macbeth to do the deed, and waits for him till he returns. In his hurried exit from the room after killing Duncan, her husband brings the accusing daggers with him. Here the height of Lady Macbeth’s daring and dogged determination is shown. She seizes the daggers from the trembling Macbeth, and returns to the murdered man and deliber¬ ately sprinkles blood from him upon the sleeping servants in attendance and drops the daggeis upon their beds. As anticipated Macbeth is chosen successor to King Duncan, and so Lady Macbeth is crowned Queen of Scotland, but the poor woman is exceedingly un¬ happy; for she repents most bitterly having caused the death of the king. Nor is this all or even the worst of her troubles. Having begun his career in wick¬ edness Macbeth is obliged to continue in the same path. He no longer needs her physical encouragement to carry out his plans, but her mental acquiescence is craved and she freely gives it. At a great state banquet the newly crowned king is badly upset by the ghost of one of his recent victims. Here, the queen, her ever quick sympathy divining the cause of his disturbance, shields her lord from criticism of the guests and finally dismisses them, saying the king is sick. The cause of the king’s “sickness” is soon guessed and, his real char¬ acter being known, the people turn against him, and the rightful heir takes possession of the throne by force of arms. When Macbeth is trying to retain the throne, and win back the admiration of the people by the brilliancy of his military genius, but is failing, Lady Macbeth strives to keep him up. She evi¬ dently writes him long letters and encourages him, for while excitement is at the highest she begins walking in her sleep. She will first sit and write a letter then while still asleep, she lives over and over the horrors she has seen; first she thinks she is washing Duncan’s blood from her hands, then, she is assuring her husband that he has not seen a ghost at the banquet, then, she remembers a woman that has been killed in the general campaign, then, she goes back to some particular in the first murder, and from that to something else. It is in this scene that we first thoroly realize how keenly she suffers, and how she has forced herself to be cruel and wicked, just because she thot it was best for her husband. Her mind finally gives way under the strain, and, just as her husband is watching the approach of a great force toward his last weakly manned castle, Lady Macbeth was reported dead and rumor said that it was greatly feared that she had committed suicide. At heart Lady Macbeth was never really wicked, and it is indeed a shame that so forceful and yet so loving a character, should have been so misled by circumstances, that she was referred to as, “his fiend-like queen.”

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32 JUNIOR YEAR BOOK. HISTORY or CLASS OK 1903. Dear Juniors:— It is a very difficult and serious matter to write the history of the seniors. If we really told all the truth about the wonders we have accomplished, we know you would very much dislike publishing it because of the contrast yours would make with it. Some one who ought to know has said, that “we were about the brightest class that has been thru the high school,” but we are not conceited in the least. Indeed, considering the circumstances, we are very modest. As a rule, too, we are an industrious earnest, conscientious class, and we have never done any¬ thing worse than stop a clock or short circuit an electric bell. Most of our pre¬ meditated pranks have been done as a class, so that our friendly, but order-loving teachers might not bring discomfort to the instigator of the rumpus. For ex¬ ample, in the first year we had a habit of attending in a body every funeral that we could possibly claim any interest in. We never had to make up lessons missed while attending church so part of us went as a mark of respect to the deceased and the rest of us went along for a vacation. We would not tell about this conspiracy for fear it would have a corrupting influence, but we know the present freshmen are too wisdom loving to desire a vacation. The public is well informed as to our early career, for it was plainly tho briefly told in the “Year Book for 1902.” Since that history was written, our accomplishments have increased in the usual geometrical progression, with r = 2. Certain latent qualities have been developed: being the highest class brings out a certain air of mastery which if not indulged in to a superlative degree produces accuracy, punctuality, method and executive ability. By our course of training in grammar and composition, we have developed such remarkable beauty of expression that we verily believe Mrs. Kallander has us write essays so she can have the fun of correcting them! We tried to present to you the principal facts in the life of each of us, and ordered a biography from each member, but, unfortunately, nearly every one of these papers fell into the hands of other seniors, so they became sadly distorted. It was discovered that one of us was born in 1790 and plowed and husked corn when but two years old. One of the girls commenced to talk at birth and to dance at three months of age. Another girl claims to have descended from a sunbeam. The “gift of gab” is quite common, and beauty is so common it is almost overlooked. Mattie, Carrie, Dena, Esther, Edith, Ivy, Edna and Niles, Varnum, Sarah, Bonnie, bless her, Marion, Flora, Frank and Blanch. This is the class of seniors sober Whom you all love and respect. All their ways could not be nobler Their records show not one defect. Seniors.