Quincy High School - Goldenrod Yearbook (Quincy, MA)

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THE GOLDEN-ROD n is hung with colored lanterns; and the pinate is more gorgeous than ever. All the guests wear full dress. A banquet, served at midnight, is followed by dancing until nearly morning. If we told a little six-year Mexican of Santa Claus, of stockings hung in the chimney corner, and of the other delights of our Christmas, he would listen with wide-eyed interest, but when he was asked which Christmas he preferred, he would answer without an instant’s hesitation, “Ours, of course. You have only one and we have nine.” Erlcne Hurd. 1914. The Madonna The mother and the child sat alone in a small, broken-down hovel, situated in one of the dark alleyways of a large city, anxiously awaiting the return of the father, or rather, dreading it. The mother was speaking, “No, my child, Santa will not stop at our house to-night. We are too poor and your father—”. Here the poor mother began to.sob bitterly, thinking of the worthless man who gave her such care, of the life he led, and of what he might be if he would only re- form. But alas, it was of no use. IIow many times had she tried to talk to him but he would not listen to her and would keep on in his lazy, shiftless ways. It was almost more than she could bear. Outside, the father, turning away from a sa- loon. walked up the main street of the city. It was snowing, and in order to find shelter, he stepped into the doorway of a picture shop. He turned to look at the various pictures and the next minute he stood like a stricken animal under the rod of the master. It was the Ma- donna. Ilis thoughts wandered. He saw his wife and child, were they not as beautiful? He looked at the picture again and then with bowed head, went once more out into the storm, but this time an entirely different man. , The next morning the little family of three sat around the table, happy over their new turn of life. A simple breakfast lay on the table be- fore them; a doll was grasped in the hands of the little child. A smile broke over the face of the mother as she heard the little one ex- claim, “Santa was good to us after all, wasn’t he, Mother?” Jennie Gibb, 1915. PERSEVERING “Tomorrow, tomorrow, not today, Lazy people always say. “Today I do not wish to work; Surely it’s no crime to shirk.” Just remember while you’re shirking, Someone else is busy working, Gaining on you and your kind, Till he leaves you far behind. Far ahead you see him rising Why weren’t you more enterprising? Now you work but ’tis too late. Laziness has sealed your fate. Don’t build up awhile and then Tear the whole thing down again; Say “I will,” and stick right to it, That’s the only way to do it. Andrew Deane. 1914.

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JO THE GOLDEN-ROD You’re fired, go and get your pay and give up your suit.” he said laconically. “My Christmas present,” muttered Tom to himself. He received ten dollars which was more than he had expected. As he was leaving the store, the sleeping bag with its price tag, nine seventy-five, struck his eye. The ten dol- lars burned in his pocket. “If I was to be such a fool as to spend it on them kids, there’d be just a quarter left for a drink and a smoke.” he mut- tered. He hesitated. “I s’pose them poor little tikes is expecting me.” With sudden decision he turned back to the store. “Hand me out that smallest sleeping bag,” he said................. An hour later Tom Kelly, no longer a Santa Claus, shivering from the cold breeze but with a warm glow at his heart, stood undecided on the street . Not even his quarter which was to make his Christmas celebration was left him. It had gone for a white woolly dog and a candy cane. “Gee, those kids will be down right tickled tomorrow,” he chuckled, “and as for me, I can always break a plate glass window and get arrested, so I’m settled for a while. Margaret Park. 1915. A Mexican Christmas American children will probably pity little Mexicans' when told that Santa Claus is unknown south of the Rio Grande River. Perhaps he might feel lost in a country with no snow, save on the peaks of the volcanoes, and absolutely no chimneys. Their pity, however, may change to envy when they find that throughout Mexico, Christmas is celebrated by a festival which lasts from the sixteenth to the twenty-fifth of Decem- ber. “The Inns” is a festival in commemoration of the wanderings of Joseph and Mary seeking shelter in Bethlehem. Here, on account of the already over-crowded inns, they were forced to take refuge in a stable. The guests assemble at about half-past eight in the evening, and each holds a lighted candle. Two of the smaller children carry between them a miniature stable, containing wax figures of Joseph, Mary, and the Christ-child, wooden cows in the mangers, and often a tiny Mexican burro in the fore-ground. The other children carry hoops hung with bells. The guests, led by the hostess, form a procession and follow the children. Singing songs descriptive of the birth of Christ and holding aloft the lighted candles, the long procession winds slowly through the parlors, out on the balcony and around it nine times over. During all this time no sound is heard except the singing and the whizzing of the rockets, which are sent off from the roof. At the end of the ninth circling, when the door of the parlor is reached, it is found closed. Such a discovery is followed by responsive singing, those on the outside asking admittance, those on the inside, refusing. At length, with a burst of joyful music, the door is thrown open. The children ring the bells, and every one shakes hands with his friends and offers them his good wishes. Then the company troop down to the stone- paved court-yard to break the pinate, a huge, grotesque figure in the form of a clown, an In- dian, or a goose, which is suspended from the balcony and inside which is a stout paper bag filled with nuts and sweetmeats. Each one, in turn, is blindfolded and with a long stick strikes at the pinate three times. It is a difficult feat to hit the figure, for a man standing on the balcony above twitches it out of the way just as the blow is struck. When, at last, somebody hits the pinate and bursts the bag, the dulces fall in a shower on the mat spread below. In a twinkling every child falls on his hands and knees, grabbing with both hands and pushing with both feet. In the parlors, seed candies are passed in quaint little dishes, which are kept as souvenirs by those present. Cake and wine are served, and the evening closes with dancing. This program is repeated each evening until the ninth, Christmas, which is the last and most important of all. On that night the house is decorated with huge scarlet flowers; the patio

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12 THE GOLDEN-ROD About 35 of the football squad responded on Sept. 8 to the call of Capt. Young and Coach Mansur. There was good material for making a successful team. There were available from last year’s team Capt. Young, White, Hamlin, Larkin, and Jenkins. The schedule arranged by Mgr. McAnarnev was as follows Sept. 26, Newton High at Newton. Sept. 30, Weymouth High at Quincy. Oct. 7, Arlington High at Quincy. Oct. 10, Cambridge Latin at Cambridge. Oct. 10, Dedham High at Quincy. Oct. 24, South Boston High at Quincy. Oct. 31, Brockton High at Brockton. Nov. 4, Melrose High at Quincy. Nov. 15, Revere High at Revere. Nov. 22, Waltham High at Waltham. Sept. 26, 1913. Quincy opened its season with Newton High at Newton. Quincy’s line played well but the backfield showed a lack of experience and frequency for fumbling which cost them dearly. After Newton had been held for three downs on Quincy’s 30 yard line, Jacobs dropped back and kicked a pretty goal from the field. Hyatt went over for a touch- down after Newton had got the ball on a fumble by Quincy on her 15 yard line. Brady kicked the goal. In the third period Page was thrown over his own goal line for a safety. Hyatt scored his second touchdown in this period and also kicked the goal. This ended the scoring and throughout the last period Quincy had Newton continually on the defense. The feature of the game from a Quincy standpoint was the 20 yard run by White. Hamlin. White, and Larkin played well for Quincy while Hyatt and Brady excelled for Newton. Score: Newton 19, Quincy 0. Sept. 30, 1913. Quincy christened its new football field by defeating Weymouth 41—0. The whole team showed a wonderful improvement and the penalties were fewer and the fumbling less. The ball was in Quincy’s possession prac- tically all the time, but not once were they forced to punt. The touchdowns were made by Murphy, Larkin, Donnelly, White, Mullen, and Hamlin, each getting one. Hamlin kicked 5 goals. Murphy and Larkin excelled for Quincy, Ries for Weymouth. Oct. 7, 1913. Arlington met defeat at Merry- mount oval, 6—0. Despite the wet ball there were comparatively few fumbles by either team. Quincy was repeatedly within striking distance of the goal only to be penalized 15 or 20 yards. Arlington plugged the middle of the line while Quincy used a more open play. The touch- down was made by White on a tackle around play. Larkin, Hamlin, and White played well for Quincy. Oct. 10, 1913. One of the most hotly contested games of the season was played at Cambridge against the Cambridge High and Latin School. Quincy was beaten by the narrow margin of 6—0. There was a hot argument in the third period when Hamlin fell on the ball over the goal line for a touchdown after a punt had been fumbled by a Cambridge man. The umpire alleged that it was a Quincy and not a Cambridge player who had knocked the ball over the line and therefore