Pennell Institute - Whirlpool Yearbook (Gray, ME)

Page 7 text:

THE PENNELL WHIRLPOOL 5 LITERARY ° THE HAUNTED POOL Deep in the forest it lies, this haunted pool, in the center of a small, thickly-wooded dell. The dense foli- age of the massive trees nearly shut out even the sunlight from this se- cluded spot, and makes it, at night, a weird and somber rendez vous for gchosts of the past. As the moon begins to rise, its ghostly light filters through the trees. and casts mysterious shadows over everything; even the pool gleams in this light like the wicked eye of a murderer, whose mind is filled with evil designs. The ferns and rushes on its banks rustle and sway in the damp air as if moved by some unseen hand; and the branches of the trees creak and rub together as the night- wind sighs and moans about them. The frogs and lizards in the stagnant water make queer noises, magnified by the stillness; and even the ser- pents and other small animals creep- ing stealthily in the bushes seem to forebode evil. As the “witching hour of mid- night” approaches, a twig snaps, and a faint clank as of metal echoes through the forest nearby. Silently then, as if walking on air, the ghost of a lonely traveller, murdered in this very spot many years ago, appears. It proceeds slowly to the pool, bares its throat, on which an ugly scar is clearly discernible even in the dim light, and then steps into the water, and vanishes. The dell is deserted and lonely as before. This has happened every night now for many years; and, as the old le- gends say, the ghost of this lonely traveller is doomed never to rest, but to visit nightly the scene of the mur- der by the haunted pool, until the Angel Gabriel shal] call him to eter- nal rest. A. Cushing, ’25 —— 9 IMAGINARY SPEECH DELIVER- ED AT CONSTITUTIONAL CON- VENTION HELD AT FAL- MOUTH, 1819 Gentlemen of the Convention: We are gathered here today, not as members of the political parties, but as citizens of the District of Maine. We can rightly say we are the repre-

Page 6 text:

4 THE PENNELL WHIRLPOOL branch of medicine, where the work is easier than in the country towns and districts, which are left to get along the best way they can. If this continues, what will be the result in a few years? What will be- come of the small, out-of-the-way country districts? What to do con- cerning this problem is the question now; a question that needs immediate attention. ———————————————SS——— The Whirlpool regrets to record that Miss Dorothy Dolloft, a talented and be- loved member of the class of 1928, passed away on June 15, 1925, after a brief ill- ness.

Page 8 text:

6 THE PENNELL WHIRLPOOL sentatives of Maine. Our fellow citizens have chosen us to represent them and not ourselves; so let us represent the people back home and not our own selfish interests. Our grievances against Massachu- setts are many and great. ests of Maine and Massachusetts are on an entirely different plane. Mass- achusetts is a state of farmers and tradesmen, while Maine’s chief occu- pation is lumbering. Do the citizens of Massachusetts properly safeguard the interests of Maine? They care not for the petition of Maine; their only interest is to collect unjust taxes from Maine. We are not properly represented in the General Court of Massachusetts. The governor has repeatedly refused to grant us just representation. Is this right? Gentlemen, you know it is not. Why then should Maine con- tinue under the rule of a state whose arrogance and narrowmindedness are the talk of all New England? We have another and far greater difference, which is that Massachu- setts is governed by a Clique of Fed- eralists who stop at nothing to obtain their ends. The Federalists raise the cry that the wealthy classes are better fitted for positions in govern- ment and should have the right to rule. Are not the men of the people better fitted to direct the affairs of the state? Why should the lauded aristocrat be better fitted to govern than the plain common citizen who fears his God and pays his debts? My ancestors were simple Highland farmers, laying The inter-. no claim to aristocracy. Am I not as well-bred, and as good a citizen as if I had been knighted by King George or some other Monarch? Birth makes no material difference. A man born in a hovel shall be equal to the knight in his castle in this new state of ours. Massachusetts does not protect our struggling plantation from the depre- dations of the Indian tribes of Can- ada, our frontiers are unprotected, and Massachusetts declines to send troops to our aid. Are not we entitl- ed to the aid of the Militia of Massa- chusetts? We sent our sons to die on the bat tlefield of Bunker Hill, and to starve at Valley Forge. Our sailors have maintained the rights of Ameri- ca on the sea. Why are we not enti- tled to protection? If Massachusetts refuses to listen to petitions, the time will come when we shall be forced to take our liberties by the sword. I have shown you the disadvantage of a union with Massachusetts. I have shown you the advantages Maine would have by becoming independent. Gentlemen, I ask that you cast your ballots for separation. W. Caswell, ’28 O THE PILGRIMAGE TO FLORIDA During a raging wintry blizard, When the air was thick with snow, A tourist party in the Pine Tree State Left, with hopes that tempted fate, For the land where the grapefruit grow. The farewell was nothing to Flori- da’s greeting The rain drizzled steadily every night. Land agents harried them every-