Momence High School - Monesse Yearbook (Momence, IL)

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A STORY. JUNIOR YEAR BOOK. 1ST PRIZE, BY STANTON VAN INWAGEN. It was my first year at the University. One Fall day I decided to cut my recitations and take a long walk. I put on some old clothes and an old slouch hat, and my appearance was not very charming. Starting out at one o ' clock, I took the road leading west. I soon passed the limits of the city, and as I walked along the dusty road, dogs came from the farmyards and barked loudly, children ran to the houses thinking that I was a tramp, and it was no wonder that they did so. I was a good walker, and after going on for about nine miles, I came to a small railroad station. Here I stopped and went in, and, being very tired after my walk, I sat down in one of the chairs. No one was present, but soon a man came from a nearby house. He was the telegraph operator, and after looking at me a minute, he sent a short telegraph message. I asked him how far if was to my city, and when the first train would come. He fold me if was eighf miles to the city, and that the next train came at seven thirty in the evening. As it was only half past four then, I decided to walk home. I started, and as I left, the man eyed me suspiciously. As I was tired, I took my homeward walk in a leisurely man¬ ner, and after I had walked a short distance, I saw a freight train slow up at the little station. The engineer took a yellow paper from the hand of the operator, and the freight came towards me. I, of course, jumped on, and was glad to get the ride. However, the train was delayed, as there was something wrong with the engine, and we did not reach the city until seven-thirty. As I alighted, I was seized by a big policeman, who declared me to be under arrest. I protested, but he said I was the fellow he wanted. It was now clear to me. The man at the station had telegraphed that there was a suspicious character headed towards the city, and well might I have been judged as such, if appearance had anything to do. A large store in a neighboring city had been robbed, and I was held as the robber. I told the policeman to take me to a certain man to be identi¬ fied. He did so, and I was cleared of that business. It had taken quite a little of my time, and I now hurried to my room, forget¬ ting that I had had no supper. I got out of the business section of the city and came near to my room. Just then I saw before me on the other side of the walk two lines of Sophomores. I knew what they were after, so I put on a bold front and whistled ‘ ' Yankee Doodle. As I neared them I asked: “Say, fellows, have you seen any Freshies around here that haven ' t had a dose of boneyard mud? They answered that they had not, but hoped to find some s oon. I passed on and resumed my whistling. When I reached my room I entered and bolted the door securely, resolving that they would not give this Freshie a dose of boneyard mud—and they never did. He used to send her roses; He sent them every hour, But now they ' re married, and he sends Her home a cauliflower. Freshman, (looking in Cyclopaedia)— “Well, I guess it isn ' t here. Junior—“What isn ' t there? Freshman—“The Rhone river. Junior—“Where are you looking? Freshman — ‘ Tor R-o-n-e. ' ' Junior—“Dunce! Look for R-h-o-n-e.

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JUNIOR YEAR BOOK. cause of freedom. Why did he do this? What was his motive for risking his life? Some will answer that he did it for selfish motives expecting to gain wealth and honor. But no; in his own country he had been offered higher positions, and could have gained more praise and honor. He was guided only by his great love for liberty and his adoration for the American people. One of America ' s citizens says of him: When the purity and grandeur of his purpose was revealed in his marvellous success, Washington heard the echo of his own mighty spirit, and the people hailed the marquis as worthy to be folded in the same mantle with the man who stood in the isolated dignity upon a continent, with the nations at his feet in their involuntary homage. There is something almost romantic in the bold adventure of this youth, who left his home of luxury and entered the vortex of the revolution, his only guiding law being his affection for free¬ dom. When the American forces became disheartened by their losses, some one tried to persuade La Fayette to abandon his pro¬ ject and return to France, but this noble man made answer: It is especially in the hour of danger that I wish to share your for¬ tune. He won the admiration of all by his ardor for liberty and his zeal in the American cause. La Fayette remained in the service of America until a war broke out between France and England. Then he wrote Congress that, as long as he had been free, he had gladly fought under the American flag, but now, he owed the homage of his services to his own country. Congress recommended him to France as being wise in council, brave in battle, and patient under the fatigues of war. In France, as in America, he was loved by all, and on his return, the fervent prayer of the humblest tenant was that he might never leave the shores of France again. While fighting in France he thought always of America, and remained a devoted ad¬ herent and advocate of America as long as he lived. La Fayette possessed many strong and beautiful elements of character, being a good, honest man, generous, devoted, self-sacr rificing and benevolent. He won the admiration, respect and love of all, and at his death, sadness was spread over all France and many other parts of the world. He passed through two revolu¬ tions and his name perpetually binds together, two centuries and two worlds. Rising more by his virtue than his intellect, he holds a prominent place in the history of France, and, linked with Wash¬ ington, goes down to a greater immortality than awaits any em¬ peror or mere warrior of the human race. CLASS ’06. A studious class of thirteen Is the class of 1906; No other class is brighter, And none can equal it. We ' ve never been unlucky, As our number would indicate, And in getting E ' s and G ' s, We ' re not so very late. We shine forth with such brilliancy, That others are put in the shade; They may not be original, But we are surely self-made. In history and Latin, And geometry too, you know, Few classes of the High School, Can as good a record show. The ladder of knowledge we ' re climbing, Other classes we ' re leaving behind, Some day on the topmost round, The class of ' 06 you ' ll find. The others may ridicule, And say we have our trials, Yet few can truly excel The class of 1906.

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JUNIOR YEAR BOOK. AN OLD MAN’S STORY . BY HAZEL BROAD. “Beg pardon, Mister, did you ask ' was that our school house?’ You see I am rather deaf lately and can’t always tell what folks say. Yes? Indeed it is, and say, did you ever see a nicer looking school and grounds for a town the size of ours? And it does beat all the things the little ones learn nowadays, don’t it? When I was a little tad and went to school here before the war we had reading, writing, arithmetic and grammar, but now they have all that and much more and its written in such an easy way that they under¬ stand it like A, B, C, too. In a hurry? Would you like to hear a little about our school? Well, then, just sit down here on the step beside me and I will tell you a few things; for you see I have lived here since I was three, and know all worth knowing about Momence. ” “And so you are one of those reporters that write up things for the papers, are you? Well, in 1837, I guess it was, that school was first taught here. Miss Loraine Beebe was the teacher and because we didn’t have any school house she taught a few of us at Asher Sergeant’s house, which was, let me see, I guess about on Walnut street, between Third and Fourth Streets (You know that since Momence has become a little larger they have named the streets, some after trees and so on.) Then the next year she taught us again at what is now the Metcalf place, east of the city a ways. And that year, I remember, Miss Beebe rowed some of us who lived on the South Side of river, to school every morning, and back at night. You see there were no bridges then. Then in 1840 a log building built by A. S. Vail, which stood where now is the corner of Range and Front streets, was rented and we went to school there. For seats we had slabs of wpod fit¬ ted with legs, but without backs. Not much like the varnished hard wood and iron affairs they have now, were they? We had reading, writing, arithmetic, grammar and spelling as I told you before, and although our books were not alike, there being hardly two of a kind, we got a pretty good education for those times af¬ ter all. In 1851 the township of Momence built the old brick school house on Locust street. They used that for fourteen years but finally it was declared unsafe, because the walls were spread¬ ing, and school was held in the Durham building, right where the school house is now, until 1870, when the Momence Union School district was incorporated and the building you see there now was built, at a cost of $20,000.00. The bricks they say were hand¬ made out of clay from the hill up there. The building has done good service for years, but a number of years ago the lower grades became so crowded that it was decided to build a second building with four rooms, on the South Side. It was built on land donated by W. W. Parish Jr., at a cost of $6,000 and named Loraine, after the first school mistress in Momence, Miss Loraine Beebe. The schools are full of children now and everything is humming. A High School did you say? Yes indeed and a line one too. It was organized by Prof. G. H. White in 1875, and a three-year course was given until 1897, when a four-year course was decided upon. It now is accredited at the State University and at North¬ western and other good schools, so that a pupil may enter directly from here and his credits earned here will be accepted. But say, stranger, you ought to stay over a day and visit our schools. You would get a better idea of them than from my talk. And if you do, you will agree with me, I am sure, that for their size the schools of Momence can’t be beat.”