Providence Technical High School - Review Yearbook (Providence, RI)

Page 65 text:

1928 THE TECH REVIEW 61 Backward Ho! By Willie and Max Ten thousand years ago one of Cleo- patra's suitors who was considered “no- body's fool said, “It takes all kinds of fish to fill an aquarium. In June, 1924, a matter of four years ago, keepers of the Small Aquariums de- cided to send the most developed of us fish into deeper water after more food (for thought). In September of the same year, we had to desist from our gambol- ings in the green (elementary) aquariums and betake ourselves to the Greater Aquarium termed “Tech. Here we were destined to remain four years. The first day was a dark horse (nightmare of course). We were evidently all con- sidered sardines, for we were packed into boxes (class rooms) air tight, having for oil soft words from fisher men and fisher women called home room teachers. We did many things wrong and, sad to re- late, some of us provoked the anger of our first Home Room Teacher on our first day of school. We floundered about the corridors, our fins interlocked and were prodded by Swordfish (Sopho- mores). A disappointing initiation no doubt but you must remember we were only little fish! Nevertheless, we were not depressed by the strangeness of the state of affairs and immediately formed the opinion—“Well, this ain’t so bad.” Ah! but that was uttered in our foolish ignorance. In the days that followed, we did so many strange and silly things and saw so many strange and—(oh, dear) faces that our minds were in a turmoil (they still are). Some fisher men mis- took us for shrimp and tried to make us wiggle. We swam wearily through a maze of books, the titles of which have long since been dimmed by Time's ever - moving finger. In our second year we became better acquainted with the “Principal Fisher- man (Mr. Manchester) who has been a friendly, noble guide and who has kept us out of shallow water. There was con- siderable excitement precipitated in the Lunch Room which resulted from the knowledge that we were cannibals partak- ing of Brother Salmon with much relish. (But then he always was the “pink sheep of the family!) The contents of books and more books were packed inside us, that is studied, picked to pieces, discussed, finished, and promptly forgotten. It’s wonderful how we took out the inside of books—just looked hard at them and the words came right up through our eyes into our minds. Yes, we had minds; in fact several of us had become sharks and knew a whale of a lot. Ho hum! Two years to go. The third scholastic year was the be- ginning of the end (those afore-men- tioned last two years, of course). In that year we dived into the society life of this school of fish in the form of our first class social. The Debutantes were there; and the inevitable Lobsters dressed beyond recognition, were “sitting tight” like barnacles on the side of a rock. This condition prevailed until the Turtles who chaperoned, acted as catalytic agents and mixed us, with the aid of some good dance music rendered by “Peter Pick- erel’s Orchestra as a stirring rod. A good time was had by all even the clams, especially when the refreshments were served, for the dancers melted away like fried ice, and talk and laughter were

Page 64 text:

60 THE TECH REVIEW

Page 66 text:

62 THE TECH REVIEW 1928 heard. In fact that’s all that was heard. Listen my children and you shall hear of the trials of the Senior Year. There are nominations, elections, rings, pictures and what not. After all, it’s a great life and “in the course of ichthioid events” we have learned to spout, “Well—these supernatural solicitings cannot be ill, can- not be good, but they’re not so bad.” There’s been another change also; we have grown from little fish into Big Fish. The books we have not read are the “Dic- tionary, “Encyclopedia Brittania,”“Book of Etiquette,” “Boston Cook Book,” and “The Social Register.” Some of us after graduation, are going on to the Greater Aquariums (colleges) and others are going into the Great Sea of Life where the waters are cold and relentless. Then, hail and fare ye well, ye kindly, patient toilers of the deep (Teachers) !