Paris High School - Arena Yearbook (Paris, IL)

Page 29 text:

noteworthy of all the receptions given by any Junior Class at any time. A word in conclusion. Has 11 fullfilied her mission? Has she been faithful to the performance of her duty? A glance at the past will answer. Who can look upon the matchless beauty of her past history with an eye that is not enraptured? Who can behold the Class of 1911, radiant amid the glories of her many vi tories, more numerous than the objects painted upon the shield of Achilles; who can gaze upon the stars of her crown, before the brightness of which» the star on the brow of the night grows pale, and the dia- monds of Brazil are dimmed; who can behold all the unspeak- able magnificence and not appreciate her brilliancy and success? For brilliant and successful has been our career thus far. and brilliant and successful shall it be to the end. Vive la ’ll. —Herbert Sheltenberger. ’ll. □ □ □

Page 28 text:

HISTORY OF THE CLASS OF ’ll HAT a prodigy, is the Class of ’ll! How wonderful in intellect! How strong in opposition! In plan and action, how cunning and successful! To the High School, how great an honor! The admiration (?) of the Faculty! The glory of this institution of learning! The model of classes! When the Class of ’ll crossed the threshold of the P. H. S., there was a sound of distant thunder; the lightning played wild in the heavens, the .stars danced for joy. the comets swept around the perihelion and switched their tails and sped on into infinite space, proclaiming the glad tidings, that a new light had now begun to shine upon the earth—that ’ll, the great, grand and glorious 11, the lover of justice and excellence, the champion of liberty, had been duly in stalled and was now ruling with undisputed authority. Seldom is it the privilege of a class historian to record for his class such a long and brilliant list of triumphs as may lie placed to the credit of ’ll. It matters not. whether it is in the class room, on the athletic field, or in a rush against an opposing class, ’ll is always victorious and her every effort is crowned with success. When in September. 1907. we entered upon our “Dark Days,” the fact that a class of more than the ordinary ability and quality had made its debut, was very evident and for a few days our time was completely taken up by admiring Seniors, who fed us taffy with a very noticeable label. A member of the Class of 1910, looking down upon us from the dizzy heights of Sophomorism. remarked in one of those sane moments which occur so frequently to the members of ’10. There have been classes, there are classes, there will be classes, but there are no classes, never have been any nor ever will be any that will equal the Class of 1911, of the Prris High School.” Through the grind and grill of three long years of School High, the members of ’ll have toiled faithfully in the class rooms, have sung sweetly and cheerfully in the music room and drilled well and honorably uj on the campus, have ran swiftly and victorious upon the track, have hit the line hard upon the football field, have smote the pill mightily upon the diamond, and have played scientifically and champion- ideally upon the basketball floor. Yea. verily, the Basketlmll team of the imortal class of ’ll has yet to meet its Waterloo. It has met the foes, both foreign and domestic, and always after the smoke of battle had cleared away and the wounded were disposed of. was found to have triumphed. And in the social circles, we have always been promi- nent. Perhaps of all the successful functions given by our illustrious class, the Junior reception given to the out-going class of 1910 (whose intentions were always good but whose realizations were most imperfect) was the most brilliant and

Page 30 text:

A LESSON IN ANCIENT HISTORY HE class in Ancient History was wearily digging into the “Past” exhuming battles, dates, governments, statutes, and men. The usual bright pupils had recited and the routine had settled into a succession of monosyllabic replies which the teacher extracted from the pupils as a dentist pulls teeth—with effort on one side and pain on the other. Now and then the teacher, for she was just from college, and very wise, soared skyward on some theory, leav- ing the class on the ground gaping after her, or watching the dogs play on the school ground. The radiators sputtered cheerfully and the drone of recitation was soothing and rest inspiring. Hunched on a chair in the back row. absorbed in a football annual. Jim sat. tearing holes in the enemy's line. Like all mediums, his gaze penetrated space until it reached a spot—the football field. Casting his practiced eye over the field, he noted the X yard lines gleaming in white, the masses of people and color, and then he was dressing in the room under the grandstand. Here in the air thick with the smell of sweat and dope” he drew on his battered armor and walked onto the field. The signal practice, toss up. and kick off passed like a dream. He was in the thick of the scrimmage, in two places at once, blocking, tackling, or rushing short bucks against the weak guard of Charleston. His twisting run, corkscrewing through half the team, brought the crowd to it’s feet, and made the side blossom into a mass of orange and black. During the second half, despite his sui erhuman efforts, his team was pressed back relentlessly. Shouting himself hoarse, he tried in vain to rally his exhausted men. His efforts were unavailing. Slowly but surely, the big “full of Charleston hammered holes in the worn out line. With three minutes to play, and the ball on their fifteen yard line. Charleston tried an end run; the ball somehow 01 other rolled out of the scrimmage and. diving on it. Jim started for the opposite goal.