Mondovi High School - Mirror Yearbook (Mondovi, WI)

Page 30 text:

THE HIGH SCHOOL MIRROR A GLIMPSE OF WAR. Minneapolis, Minn. Dear Gladys: — This has been the most entertaining of all the entertaining days we have spent on our tiip. You know by my last letter that we have been all over the Fort Snelling grounds and seen soldiers until a civilian really looks peculiar. On the streets, in the stores, parks—everywhere are these khaki-clad men. To-day sixteen thousand of them, gathered together on the fair grounds, presented a sight worth seeing. We have to pay for our pLasuie, however, for entrance was a dollar, and a reserved seat a dollar more. But what was this extravagant thing we have been spending our money on? Well, tobe-gin at the beginning, to-day was the day set for the Giand Pageant and Military Review, for the benefit and comfort of all the soldiers who are to take part in the world’s war. And such crowds!Surely they made money enough to tide them over for some time. When we finally got there, having waited a full half hour on one corner for a car which was not crowded to the doors, the next step was to find a seat. That wasn’t as easy as it sounds for the crowd was ahead of us. At last we got settled and the fun began. The program was very long, but interesting from first to last. It started with a parade and review which was very fine indeed. The soldiers looked so straight and trim, not a superfluous ounce of flesh on them, marching back and forth, all perfectly at ease, knowing just what to do next. These were the boys, ready for active service at the front. The next scene in this military drama was a band concert, followed by songs of the front and home. They sang, “Keep the Home Fires Burning, and it was worth the admission to hear all those soldiers singing together. It took the three bands to keep them on the tune. Next came the physical drill. Oh. such perfect unity and obdience. all working together like a machine. They went through all kinds of maneuvers which I knew nothing about, but which were certainly intended to develop and train muscles for work they had to do. The biggest display was the wo.k with the guns, which the boys tossed around as tho they were balls, and I know they must have been heavy. All kinds of commands went along with it, but they were all Greek to me. Then we had an artillery drill. The loud reports of the guns, especially the first, made everyone jump. I have said a lot about the number of soldiers, but nothing about the horses and mules. There were more of them than there were soldiers, all black or dark colored, standing in groups of fifty or more, upon which the discharges of the guns made no effect. Evidently they had been trained as well as the boys. They appeared to understand just as well as their masters what they were expected to do. The report went around that one horse, and they pointed him out- -a beautiful black, had been so trained by his master that he stopped when they said “halt” and started at the command “forward.” You can believe it or not as you please. By the way he pranced and danced, I am inclined to question such perfect docility. May off in the distance, at the old soldiers' home, a cannon answered the shots of our artillery. It was so far away that the report was very faint, but the puffs of white smoke from the thick green trees looked warlike indeed. It was said that it was loaded with real cannon balls, and it made the crowd a little restless for the thing was pointed straight at us. Any way we didn't see anything of the balls, and I don’t believe they could have reached us, it not being one of the new guns, but one used during the Civil War. Following that was a wall scaling contest. That was amusing because they worked so hard to get over properly. Two men formed a step at the bottom, and It worked very well for the tall ones, but the short fellows had to kick and squirm pretty hard before they went“Over the Top. After that came the real thing, the battle which we must imagine took place on Vimv ridge. The grounds were all cut up with trenches just as they are in France. The battle was divided into six parts. The first was the opening attack made by the Allies. The little bullets zipped and sung through the air making quite a commotion. They were blank cartridges, but they made a

Page 29 text:

THE HIGH SCHOOL MIRROR r

Page 31 text:

THE HIGH SCHOOL M I R R 0 P noise just the same. Then came a deliberate bombardment, the big guns booming regularly for several minutes. Suddenly out jumped the Allies and began cutting the wire entanglements. They worked fast, for the guns from the other side rained fire upon them. They finished their work and scurried back leaving several dead and dying. Then came an extensive bombardment and you could hardly hear yourself shout for five minutes. The building shook and rattled ominously. The second part began with the taking of the German trenches. Then came the infantry attack, wave after wave going over, until the front line trench was captured and the Germans fled. The third part was merely a repetition of the first, taking the second trench. The final object accomplished, the fourth part included the collecting of prisoners and sending them back, while the stretcher-bearers collected the wounded. Of course, no one was hurt, but they made a mighty good bluff. The walking wounded came out of the trenches and the serious cases were attended to on the field In part five, the consolidating parties constructed communication trenches across the old no-man's land, and the infantry in possession of the newly won position prepared to resist the coming attack. The day was ours, and the program closed with the Star Spangled Banner. Now don’t you think it paid us to go? When I come home, I can tell your family pages more about it. I have no idea what awaits tomorrow but if anything happens I will write you about it. The only thing I am disappointed about is that you are not here to enjoy it with me. Lovingly yours, Adella. JOHN JACOB. ClIUTS PERFORMER. By Electa John Jacob was just a boy, he didn't lay claim to being anything else, but often he was made the goat for things his elder brothers had done. There was no great difference between him and the neighbor boys except that he had a very stubby, freckled no.3e, that was continually stuck into somebody’s affairs. The fact chat w'as hardest for him to bear wras that of being the baby of the family. The older brothers ridiculed his ideas, as they heard them, without mercy, especially the one of his being a show’ owner. In this enterprise. John Jacob was the chief figure acting as ticket seller, chief clown, greatest acrobat, and the w’orld’s most renowmed bareback rider, and in feet he wished to be the whole show'. His show was to be the most renowned in the country and he was to be asked to play before the crowned heads of Europe. The chief reason for this ambition w'as a scheme for getting rich, w'hieh originated in his father’s back lot where he at one time held an amateur circus which came to a woeful end. This scheme, though short lived. wfas full of many thrills and adventures. To tell the truth the circus got along most promisingly when it first originated. Nelson ’19. but later it fell into disrepute for no reason at all that John Jacob could see. If he only had consulted the various fathers and moth-e:s of the city they could and would have willingly informed him of the dangers of the enterpr se. Woodboxes fell into the habit of always being empty and mothers made spasmodic efforts to get a response from their offspring. Fathers sometimes cursed softly under their breath when they discovered the calf that had taken prizes at the county fair was gone and then they had to walk down to the humming circus lot to find it. This often resulted in sundry punishments. but none seemed to have a very lasting effect. The people passed this by as the natural waywardness of boys and so put up w’ith their lack of interest. The climax was reached one day, however, when Dr. Brown received a call and almost had nervous prostration w hen he found (hat his old and faithful horse was not to be found in his pasture. A C2sual passerby told the good Doctor that the boys had the old horse at the circus t.rounds. where the said horse received training from the world’s most famous bare oack rider, entirely without cost. The irate