Pennell Institute - Whirlpool Yearbook (Gray, ME)

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“« %, % THE PENNELL WHIRLPOOL 9 began to grow nervous and cross. Faster and faster she worked, and did not notice that her work was not so smooth and even as it had been before. At last the tray cloth was fin- ished, and she gave it into her mother’s charge to be pressed and made ready to send away. “Part of this embroidery isn’t as nice as vou usually do, Gertrude,” her mother said, pointing to two or three flowers on which the work was rough and uneven. “And, Gertrude. see this,’ and she showed a place where the silk thread had not drawn in tightly enough, so that it had formed a loop. “Tm sorry, Mamma,” Gertrude said, impatiently, “but I had to hurry so to finish it. If I had had another hour, it would have been all right.” “There doesn’t seem to be any way of fixing it.” Mrs. Ben- nett said, regretfully, and Grandma added, “It’s almost as bad as finding a dropped stitch when vou've finished your knitting, It makes a bad place, the best you can do. Dropped stitches make so much trouble wherever vou find them.” “Why, you never find them anywhere except in knitting, crocheting or weaving, do you?” Gertrude asked wonderingly,. Grandma smiled. “You'll find them all through your life, my dear,” she said. “And if you don’t mind my saying so, I think this embroidery which you finished up so hastily that you did not do it well, shows a dropped stitch in your own life.” “Why, how, Grandma?” “When vou knew for vourself that you ought to sit right down and go to work at it, and then went over to Mabel'’s and spent an hour, vou dropped a stitch of duty. And you know, dear, that it has made a bad place, for the hurry that was necessary afterward made you nervous and cross, therefore making it impossible to do the work as well as you would have liked.” “T guess that’s true, Grandia,” Gertrude answered slowly. “A dropped stitch is more serious than I thought. Ill try not to drop any more.” “Yes,” her Grandma answered, ‘and, Gertrude, always re- member that the girl who is so anxious to be obliging that she is always promising to do more than she can possibly accom- plish, makes a big mistake. It is no kindness to promise to do a favor and then fail. Make no more promises than you can keep, but keep all the promises you make.” D. M. R.

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8 THE PENNELL WHIRIPOOL NAPOLEON AS A RULER. Napoleon’s prowess as a ruler is open to extensive comment. Many, because of his remarkable success, consider him a mar- velous ruler. On the other hand, a great many others, be- cause of his marked aggressiveness and domineering nature, consider him little less than a tyrant. Napoleon was resourceful. Probably the most able general the world has seen, his achievements on the battlefield have as yet been unequalled. This made the nations admire him, and served to make them faithful to him. But it seems to me that he was a more ideal general than ruler. He wished to dominate the world, and his word was law. Any opposition to him brought forth marked hatred. He would not flinch at anything to gain his ends, and his word was worthless. These qualities, it seems to me, should not be lacking in a good ruler. He was not a ruler to be served faithfully by his subjects, and this is a supreme point in suc- cessful government. JOSEPH J. LEONARD. Let us all be brave and true, Ignorance never stands any show, Little mistakes are soon forgotten In all we do and say.. A girl without this wisdom Never gets what she wishes. A. M. S., 723. THE DROPPED STITCH. “T ought to sit down this very minute and go to work on my tray cloth,” said Gertrude one bright Saturday morning. “Mamma wants to do it up this afternoon and send it in the three o’clock mail, so that Cousin Grace will get it Monday. There’s not very much more to do on it, I’m glad to say.” But just as Gertrude took up her embroidery materials, she happened to see Mabel Clarke passing by. “I must speak to her,” Gertrude said, and, hurriedly throwing a wrap about her, she rushed out. There was quite a conference at the gate, and then Gertrude went along with her friend, for Mabel had some things at home which she “really must see.” It was more than an hour before Gertrude came back to her embroidery. Then the moments seemed to fly, and she

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10 THE PENNELL WHIRLPOOL A BIOGRAPHY. Ernest Ambrose Coffin was born in a log cabin on Dutton Hall, July 4, 1898. From the time of his birth until he reached the age of seven, he is said to have possessed a pair of cast iron lungs, much to the pleasure of the neighbors. When he was seven years old, he went to a school taught by Elizabeth Douglass and was a shining light for the other pupils. He was always their inspiration for mischief. At the age of ten he came to the grammar school of Gray under the tuition of Florence Brown. He was forever arguing with her on the theory of Evolution and always took the affirmative side. He possessed a clear, musical voice and often sang at T.adies’ Bazaars for the benefit of friendless cats. He attended Pen- nell at the age of thirteen. THis first two vears were unevent- ful, but he kept the faculty more or less worried. In his senior vear he edited his first book, “The Menace of Study Hours.” This was a remarkable success and was read by all the pupils, but the authorities did not get the hint, as intended. When he was thirty he became a tonsorial artist in Dry Mills. He did very well at first. but later his eyesight com- menced to fail, and his vietims looked as though their head had been thru a stone crusher. Later he was interested in radium, and the town bought a hen-house in which to conduct his experiments. He tried to extract radium from alligators’ ears, but was unsuccessful, so he had to give it up. In 1930 he and Arthur Sawyer became veterinarians, and, thru a chiropractor’s advice, they were quite skilful in the treat- ment of coughs, colds, sore throat and hoarseness of animals. They continued in this business till the majority of the domes- tic animals died from pneumonia. When Ernest Coffin died. he was greatly beloved by all the dumb animals. His name will long be remembered by the citizens of Gray. as his picture and autograph appear on some of the leading hair tonic bottles. Bovs are a very curious class. Under any circumstances Right is the thing they seldom do, Never caring in the least So long as they don’t come to grief. C. A. S., 723.