Plainfield High School - Hermiad Yearbook (Central Village, CT)

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8 THE HERMIAD Thi y exams or the stu- dents who were lcastuharmed by them. High average students, Sir, have their ranks lowered by fallllig to pass exams but this lower rank is not detrimental. I plead for the pupils who would not beneht by my schoolmates plan, those whose average would be too low to enable them to escape the exams. Their failures would lower the year's rank d ' - ' ' ' 1 ' an It would be exceedingly detrimental, for it would mean their failure for the year. s refined policy of my schoolmate would do awa with f Excuse me, Sir, if I continue my remarks on the same line. Exams should he entirely eliminated by my plan rather than partially eliminated by my school- mate's plan and will now endeavor, without, I hope appearing to you to be too his flunking an exam will mean Hunking for the year, grows exceedingly nervous and does much worseg while the high average pupil consoles himself with the thought that if he flunk th ' ' g s e exam he can stlll pass for the year, remains calm and does lns best. I am sensible, Sir, that all that I have said proves the absurdit of m h I- I . y y sc oo mate's plan and will now endeavor, without, I hope appearing to you to be too nervy, to prove that exams should be entirely abolished. There are three main reasons why examinations should be abolished. First, they are not a test of the subject as a whole, certain parts only are touched upon it lies, Sir, entirely with luck whether or not the pupil is more and better prepared on these certain few questions than on the rest of the subject. Second, they do not represent the pupil at his best, they represent the pupil at his worstg the reason is, if I may have the right to present it, that so much hinges on the results of this exam, that the pupil's future itself hinges on it-which is indeed a terrifying fact to the pupil. Third, they take up too much of the pupiI's and the teacher's time. If the time thus taken up were spent in further study by the pupils and in further teaching by the teachers it would indeed be much more wisely spent. I pray, Sir, that if this plea displeases you, the austerity of your position will prevent you from kicking me from your genteel presence: I further pray, Sir, that if you approve of this plan you may execute it immediately in order that I and the others of my class may derive from it our due benefit. S? +35 THE NIGHT BEFORE EXAMS CLove Fleisher-19325 'Twas the eve of exams and all through that night, I lay groaning in bed in fear of my plight, The ghosts of the lessons I did not prepare Came trooping in line to enjoy my despair. , The history dates danced a jig on my pillow T ' Till I'm sure I cried more than a large weeping willow. French verbs that I most surely ought to have known For some reason or other from my mem'ry had flown.

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THE HERMIAD 7 TO A PENCIL CFrank Koss-19325 I know not where thou art. I only know Thou rested on my desk, Beautiful and contented, A moment back. And as I turned my head To view the clock, Some heartless wretch Went West with thee. I know not who he was Nor shall I ask Perchance, It may have been The man I stole thee from tie CONCILIATION WITH MR. CHAPMAN fWalter Reese-19303 HOPE Sir, that notwithstanding the Supreme power of your principalship. your exceeding good nature will incline you to some degree of indulgence to- wards your unruly pupils. As I came into your ofnce full of anxiety about the event of my plea and found to my inhnite surprise that your secretary treated me as a royal visitor instead of the humble petitioner that I am, I took this treat- ment as a providential favor and hope secretly to get some more like it. By the granting of this interview you have given us an opportunity to make an earnest plea for the elimination of a menace very detrimental to the pupils of this beloved institution. This menace we speak of is the final examinations. Snre'y examinations are an awful subject or there is none this side of the grave. Sir, the student body, by the practice of these examinations is kept in continued and constant agitation. One of my worthy schoolmates has already submitted a plan by which the exams may be eliminated for some students. He would have such pupils as have a high average for their work throughout the year excused from the examination. This, Sir, I call outrageous, refined policy which has ever been the parent of confusion. Plain good intention, very easily detected from the hrst, is my ideal. You, Sir, have admitted that there are grounds for our plea by carefully considering, as we know you did, that plan: you have gone further, you have given us to believe that the examinations may be eliminated upon the presenta- tion of proof of their deplorable intiuences.

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THE HERMIAD 9 The nouns of old Latin would not be declined And Minerva refused to give aid to my mind. A skeleton jumped from a corner at me And all of his bones were as mixed as could be. In one bony hand some numbers he held, Which twisted and squirmed and suddenly yelled: Don't forget the equation, and quickly they turned Into horrible snakes which crawled and squirmed. The skeleton moved and maybe he spoke, But the scenes were too much! I screamed-and awoke! No matter how hard the exams prove to be, They'll ne'er be as bad as that night was to me. siege UNE DECISION F ORCEE CLouis Lafrance-1930D L Y A quelques annees j'ai eu l'honneur d'assister a une seanee dans la Chambre des Representants at Hartford. Vous ne sauriez croire le plaisir que cette seance me fournit. C'etait un debat entre des femmes. La resolu- tion ressemblait fi ceeig les femmes doivent prendre part du jury dans l'Etat de Connecticut. Je suis sur que le plus grand pessimiste clue monde aurait joui de cette occasion. L'audience etait honoree par la presence de deux femmes juristes d'etats voisins. Elles ont donne leurs opinions favorablement. Les appaludissements resonnerent comme des coups de canon dans la chambre et on dirait que la victoire etait inevitable pour l'aHirmative. Voila qu'une femme, jusqu'ici restee inerte, se leve: Mesdan1es et messieurs, par la loi naturelle les femmes sont feminines et non feministesf' suivi d'un dis- cours plein de dedain pour la resolution. Ces seules parc-les suffirent pour donner aux negatives l'occasion de defendre leurs principes et de rendre inferieures ceux de leurs adversaires. A qui donnerait-on la victoire? La salle devenait de plus en plus reson- nante avec Yenthousiasme des deux parties, manifeste d'une manniere qui me paraissait extraordinaire pour des femmes. Le president des juges se leva et annonca que la decision serait remise au lendemam. Un peu vexees, les deux qui soutenaient la resolution, insisterent qu'on donna la decision immediate- ment. Alors les pauvres vieux, ne voulant pas etre la cause d'une confusion, se retirerent et apres une demi-heurei revinrent prendre leurs places tres solennellement. Tout etait tranquille. Personne ne bougeait et une deuxieme fois la voix du president se Ht entendre. Les femmes de Connecticut ne doivent pas prendre part du jury. -