Morton High School - Pierian Yearbook (Richmond, IN)

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THE PIERIAN CO The First Pierian MOST of us have taken the Pierian for granted. We may have heard about the j ear book before we came to Morton High, or maybe we did not liear about it until our fresliman year when students at tlie second tloor desk shouted to us as we passed, saj ' ing, Pay for your Pierian now. Our Iiigh school, from which most of the Richmond people have been graduated, has not alwaj ' S had a j ' ear book. It was not until the year 1909 that the juniors and seniors of the Richmond High School published the first year book, the Pierian. In the editorial of the first Pierian, it was stated : For manj ' 3 ' ears, the student body of the Richmond High School has desired an annual school publication, but not until this year were our dreams realized. With the advent of a new principal, C. W. Knouff, came numerous ideas, among which was the annual. The book was dedicated to the new principal. The Staff also expressed thanks to Mr. J. F. Thompson for his kindlj ' assistance in the photographic work. The individual pictures of the faculty, which included twenty teach- ers, came first. A history of the classes and the pictures of the forty- eight graduating seniors were next. The group pictures of the juniors, sophomores, and freshmen followed. There were summaries of the music, art, and athletic departments, and comments on the new high school building (the one we are now planning to abandon), and pictures to accompany each. There was a section devoted to the alumni, telling the whereabouts of graduates in the classes from 1870 to 1908. A few short stories and bits of humor concluded the first Pierian. The following is an excerpt from the first annual, discussing the social life of the school in 1908-1909: The social life of Richmond High School in the past year has been greatly changed and several of the old customs have been eliminated, and several others added. For instance, the former Junior-Senior dance has been done away with. By far the most successful affair that ever was held at the school was the burlesque on the Fall Festival given last fall. All of the classes were represented and there were all sorts of anmsements, from the ' Gypsy Camp ' to the dramatic production put on by Ray Rogers and his band of Thespians. Among the features of the Festival were: ' The Chamber of Horrors, ' ' The Gypsy Camp, ' ' The X-Ray Exhibit, ' ' The Famous Travels in Yellowstone Park, ' ' The Cave of the Winds, ' ' Fair Women of all Nations, ' ' The Fortune Teller, ' ' Baby Show, ' and ' Fish Pond. ' The Debating Club is another new organization in the school and an extremely profitable one to all who care for instructions in debating.

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CO THE PIERIAN City School Executives Dr. Walter Crum Presiilent Marlowe H. Kluter Secretary Lawrence Handley Treasurer Faculty First Row — Ruth Hiiber, Physical Education ; E. C. Cline, Principal ; James Farmer, Dean ; Helen Reifel, English ; Leora Johanning, Secretary ; Mary Alice Collins, English ; Florence Ratliff, Librarian ; Robert Sollars, Commercial; Palmer Sponsler, Social Science; Charles McNaughton, Drafting. Secovd Roir — William Stafford, Social Science ; Charles Bechtold. Social Science ; Janet Stinson. Assistant Librarian; Mary Richeson, Mathematics: Donna Park. Social Science; Richard Tiernan, Social Science; Shannon Neff, Social Science ; Paul Robertson, Commercial ; Harriett Wright, Science. Third Roiv — Mary Minnick, Music ; Emily Murphy. Social Science : Mary Fossenkemper, Clothing ; English ; Anna Finfrock, English ; Marguerite Burbanck, Elma Eliason, Cooking. Fourth lO? ' -— Kathryn Coulter, Science ; Carrie Charles, French ; Mary Alice Fornshell, English : Anna Bradbury, Spanish ; Helena Sutton, Typing ; Elizabeth Smelser, Latin ; Elizabeth Riggs, English ; Flora Broaddus, English ; Dale Seider, Mathematics ; Marvel Moore, General Shop ; Ezra Miller, Chemistry ; Fifth Rorv — Ray Treasure, Woodwork ; Edwin Moe, Machine Shop : Lowell Rivir, Mathematics ; Glenn Holder, Journalism ; Margaret L. Osgood, Dean ; Wayne Hollett, Science ; Otto Dorner, Printing. Those not present when the picture was taken are: Harold Stanton, Science: Elder Eberhart, Physical Education ; Mildred Weadick, Commercial ; Ben Graham, Music ; Elizabeth Bidgood, Art ; Jean Luckey, Cooking ; Edith Imperial, Dean ' s Secretary.

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55 THE PIERIAN 05 The club was originally suggested by Miss Tallant. The students debate on current topics. Perhaps those who named the year book received their inspiration from the quotation from Alexander Pope: A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring. The Pierian is a spring at the foot of Mt. Olympus in ancient Greece and the reputed birthplace of the nine Muses. It is a symbol of learning, particularly literature. The nine Muses each presided over a distinct realm: history, lyric poetry, religious poetry, astronomy, and epic poetry. The following are a few stanzas from a poem written by Marguerite Rush, a member of the 1909 class, which refers to this ancient spring: OUR PIERIAN From heights undreamed of In rapture bound, A fountain flowed With gurgling sound. Unknown, yet thought of Through ages past. The source was found In the ' 09 class. The staff which made the first Pierian possible follows : Editor-in-chief Hubert L. Wann, ' 09 Assistant Editor Mildred Kuhn, ' 10 Associate Editors Agnes Kelly, ' 09; Carlos Haas, ' 10; Edward Cox, ' 10; Elmira Kempton, ' 10; Marguerite Rush, ' 09; Abbie Shaefer, ' 09; Willard Kemper, ' 10; Clifford Plummer, ' 10; Mary Fisher, ' 09; Howard Hunt, ' 09; Blair Converse, ' 10; Vera Fleming, ' 10; Ruth Peltz, ' 09; Bernhardt Knollen- berg, ' 09. Business Manager Stonehill Keafes, ' 10 Assistant Business Managers Lucille Townsend, ' 09; Robert Thornburgh, ' 09; Margaret Ferguson , ' 11; Grace Woodyard, ' 10; Benjamin Johnson, ' 12. Although the early books had more pages than the last few editions, they had advertisements in them. We can no longer help finance our book with ads, because the Merchants ' Association has voted against advertising in any year book. This year there will be more than six times as many graduating seniors ' pictures as there were in the first book. With the cooperation of the student body and the faculty, the Pierian has been a great success in past years. May it long be a book which the members of every class will hold dear because of cherished memories.