Polytechnic High School - Caerulea Yearbook (Long Beach, CA)

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ll-1 IRLS! That is certainly a difficult subject for a boy to handle-I mean write about. I really should have chosen some other subject because I can't understand girls at all. QI sometimes think that they can't understand themselves., If I had chosen to write about boys, for instance, I should have an easier time of it. I am a boy myself, and I can study myself and other boys without embarrassment, but when I try to study girls-whew! Why, just writing about them makes my pen stutter with embarrassment. Supf pose I see a girl doing something that interests me, and I watch her. just as my stare becomes most intent, she seems to realize that someone is watch' ing her and looks straight at me and catches me staring at her. Most disconcerting! I feel the blood surge toward my head, my collar shrinks amazingly, and I experience that familiar, choky contraction of the throat that makes speech impossible. And what does the girl do? She smiles, or laughs, or sniffs, wriggles her nose, and turns disdainfully away. If she turns away, I am greatly relieved, but if she smiles, I am more embarrassed than ever. When I read about girls' Miner natures , 'Lshyness , frailty , QDid a girl ever slap you?j delicate sense of humor , romantic spirit , thoughtless coquetryv, QI always confuse that word with the words mean' ing onefneedle knitting or ish cakesl and their other fine attributes, I am overwhelmed. I am puzzled by countless questions. I recall an incident which occurred when I was a freshman at high school. A number of us had been rehearsing an operetta after school hours. Just as we were about to leave, I swiped a girl's pencil fas boys sometimes doj, and she immediately began to struggle to get it back Cas 4

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of the tribe, however. He was an old white man, the only one in the West, and he had taken his place among the Indians. This old missionary was looking on in despair. Vainly he had tried to dissuade the Indians from offering life in sacrifice, but their superstition overcame their personal, hu' mane feelings. The sun sank lower and lower. All eyes were turned toward the sun. Chief Brave Heart Hrmly lifted his unresisting daughter, and laid her on the ground placing her head upon a stone altar. Then with closed eyes, the maiden awaited the sun's disappearance behind the hills. Never before nor since had the tribe seen such a setting. Instead of going down naturally behind the hills, the sun was suddenly covered by a dark cloud. It grew dark, yet darker, until all the world seemed dense with blackness. And then large drops of water began to fall. Suddenly the hoarse cries from the parched throats of the people were heard saying, It is pleasing the Rain God. It is pleasing the Rain God. The sacrifice- quick! The medicine man stepped into the circle and raised his hatchet above the head of Silver Star, but the hatchet was held suspended. At that moment all eyes were caught by a streak of light illuminating the sky for a second, followed by a rumbling noise in the distance. At intervals it continued to thunder. The people were terrified. Never before had this western tribe heard thunder nor seen lightning. They cowered, and would have run away had not their knees trembled under them. But the old white missionary quieted them by shouting, Peace, do not fear! Have I not told you that your God of Rain is also the God of Love? He is telling you by his anger that he will have none of your life sacrifice. Go home, and take your Chief's brave daughter with you, and never, never offer your God life blood again. F -'- w - - viz ' f ' ' W X , 4 rllll IM' ,., QF, ----- Ll gi-nl .... M ' -mf f.. Q.. g lass 5: I -Jn...--o --...nu um I Vm :M L ui ANA ,,.o' .'qM'R.n,M- F, 5 ffrfl lBi.-s!152fe'1-1f's l''H.. .. - ., ., YLSMAAQ:-:zy.l -ff' , a 1- S . ,' . ' , - v .. gl- 1 '4. J fa ' - ' 'lf UB! iail, ,vi .1-5.f.Ef.gE5i'?' . --12 mi. .iilvli A nee' glue,-Yun..

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16 CAERULEA '25 IIIIIIIIIllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll lllHlllllHllllllllllllllIIIllIHIllIIlIIlllllllIlllIlIllllllIIIlIIIllIllllIlIIllIIIIIllllIllIIllIlIIIlIllllIllllIlIlllIIIIlIlllllIIHIIlllllllllllllllllllllllllllli girls sometimes dol. We scuffled for the pencil for about ten minutes, finally stopping when the pencil broke and we each retained a part. The question is, Why did we both want that pencil? It wasn't worth a nickel. I have finally decided that it was not the pencil that I wanted, but rather I wanted to struggle with the girl. I liked to scuffle with her. But when I try to determine what the girl wanted, I am hopelessly be' wildered: Did she want the pencil, or did she too like to wrestle for it? Gee! Girls are hard to understand. How does a girl feel when she comes to school for the first time with paint and powder on her face? Does she experience any feeling akin to that which a boy feels when he appears for the first time in public in long pants? Does a girl put on the first bit of lipstick or paint in secret, just as the boy steals away for his first shave? These questions are most puzzling! When a girl starts to curl her hair, to curve her fingers gently, and to half close her eyes when she smiles so that the Boy will notice her, does she have the same emotions that a boy has when he first begins to be particf ular about his clothes and the appearance of his hair and hands so that She will notice him? I was standing beside an old man one day when a flapper passed us. She was richly dressed but well exposed, she walked with a kind of loping sway which is popular with some women. The old man looked up at me quizzically and drawled, Well, I don't know, but it seems to me that there's an awful lot of lost motion there! And he pulled his nose and chuckled while I laughed outright. I believe that I had better stop thinking about girls, for the more I ponder about them, the less I am sure that I know. There is always some new question. ,lust now the thought occurred to me, Is that peculiar, asfyetfunfnamedfmotion fwobble, boys call itj of the hips that some girls affect in any way related to a boyish swagger?', Are boys and girls alike in any way? I wonder and I laugh. N