Quincy High School - Goldenrod Yearbook (Quincy, MA)

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24 THE GO LI) EN-ROD ion was two-to-one in favor of Revere. They also adjudged John Mitchell of the negative the best individual speaker. Mr. Collins act- ed as chairman and Mr. French as time-keep- er. Although Quincy was defeated, her rep- resentatives and Mr. Barr, the coach, deserve great commendation for their efforts. The present year has not been so successful a one as it might have been for the Debating Society. The chief criticism, generally speak- ing, is the lack of preparation of debates which are given at each meeting. There is fine material in the Junior class, however, and every Senior or Junior boy who possesses de- bating qualities should endeavor to join the society next fall. THALIA CLUB At a parliamentary drill held in Room 13 during the afternoon of November 27, Mar- jorie Leach, alias Prof. O. Howe Wise, acted in the capacity of chairman, and each mem- ber present with a fictitious name joined heartily in the discussion of several important questions. The most important and interest- ing. perhaps, was: “That money should be raised to build a house for stray cats.” A brief meeting was called in January to make plans for a contemplated skating party. The party took place on January 25 at Sailors’ Home Rink. Miss Brooks and Miss Davison were chaperons. After skating until 9.30 P.M. the girls were very kindly en- tertained at the home of Edna Mellish. Re- freshments were served and a very pleasant evening was spent in singing songs. A debate was held on February 15. The subject discussed was, “Resolved, That press censorship in the U.S. should be further re- stricted.” The Misses Irwin, Hodge and Leach presented the affirmative side, and the Misses Joyce, McGrath and Hoagland, the negative. The judges. Miss Howe, Miss Brooks and Miss Thayer, concluded that the affirmative arguments were of sufficient merit to entitle that side to the decision. Florence Hoagland was adjudged the best speaker of the debate. MUSIC A very enjoyable Christmas concert was rendered on December 21, under the direction of Miss Howes. Miss Hazel F. Clark was the soloist secured for the occasion. Several songs were given on the victrola. Both of the Glee clubs, together with the Latin and French departments, assisted in making the occasion a complete success. Miss Howes and Miss Tuthill deserve the greatest of credit for their work in preparing the concert. The annual high school concert took place on May 14. The Girls’ Glee club and the or- chestra assisted in making the affair a suc- cess. “Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast”—Coler- idge and Taylor—was rendered by the school chorus of 150 voices, accompanied by the or- chestra and assisted by Vernon Stiles, for- merly song leader at Camp Devens. Mr. Stiles, appearing in uniform, also delighted the audience with camp-songs. A unique feature of the program was a group of original compositions, two piano duets by Floris Wilson, 1920, Irving Jackson. 1920, a piano solo by Paul Aikin, 1021. violin selections by Ruth Murphy, and group songs by Anna Irvine. 1918. The concert was planned by Miss Howes, and to her belongs most of the credit. DRAMATICS “The Rivals” held on the evening of Feb- ruary 21. was a complete success, socially and finacially, netting the Senior class $225.67. Owing to the failure of the express company to deliver the programs in time for the play, there was some inconvenience and dissatisfac- tion in the audience. This was unfortunate, but unavoidable, and should not cast unpleas- ant reflections on either the printer or com- mittee, for both did their part. The Thalia Club entertainment, given in

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THE GOLD EX-ROD 23 SCHOOL NEWS DEBATING SOCIETY Since the last issue of the Golden Rod the most important questions the Debating So- ciety have discussed have been: “Resolved, That a bachelor is happier than a married man; Resolved, That it is for the best inter- ests of the states of the United States to adopt the recent Prohibition Amendment passed bv Congress; Resolved, That the draft age should be lowered to eighteen; and Resolved, That the Philippine Islands should be given their independence within ten years.” The prohibition question was discussed on January 13. Lindsay and Shaw spoke in favor of the affirmative; Abele, Forsyth and Trumper, the negative. The interest of the club upon the question was manifested in the general discussion. The judges awarded the decision to the negative faction; and the per- sonal convictions were 18 in favor of the af- firmative of the question, with 5 on the oppo- site side. The following officers were then elected for the second half year: President, Nicholson; vice-president, Mc- Brayne; secretary, Dimmick; assistant secre- tary, George; treasurer, Curtin. Nominating committee: Blanchard, Sar- gent, Abele, O’Brien and Markham. Question committee: Weymouth, Ring and Carlson. Entertainment committee: Gesmer, George and Dimmick. Historical committee: McBrayne, Gesmer, and Weinhouse. Mem. committee: Mr. Barr. Forsyth, Ring. McBrayne and George. The meeting adjourned at 10 P.M. The draft question was considered on Feb- ruary 14, with the president in the chair. Ring, Shyne, and Dimmick upheld the af- firmative. On the negative were Earle, Mc- Brayne and Weinhouse. The judges finally cast their ballots in favor of the negative. Edward Taylor then gave a very excellent and interesting reading. All regular business being completed early, the greater part of the club went to the gym and enjoyed a game of basketball. On March 27 the question debated was “Re- solved. That the Philippine Islands should be given their independence within 10 years.” Weymouth and Banks defended the affirma- tive, with Henry Carlson defending the nega- tive. Carlson’s arguments were so convinc- ing that he was given the decision as well as the title of “best speaker,” despite the fact that he was the lone speaker on his side. The club members then gave their views on the advisability of having some form of entertain- ment with the coming public debate. Finally a committee made up of Ring, Dimmick and Markham was appointed by the chair to con- fer with the office on that topic. At this meet- ing, too, the Juniors in the club were urged to fill the existing Junior vacancies by persuad- ing some of their classmates to join the So- ciety before the vacancies should be filled by the many Seniors desiring admittance. An interscholastic debate was held in the hall on the evening of May 1, with a team from Revere High School. “Resolved, That the United States Department of Agriculture should fix the wholesale prices of foodstuffs in the United States” was the question de- bated. Quincy was represented by Laurence Curtin, captain, Aubrey Nicholson, Trescott Abele, with Eugene Shyne, as alternate. Quincy upheld the affirmative. The Revere speakers, taking the negative, were George F. Mitchell, captain, Mycr Widgerson, and John Doyle. In the rebuttal, Laurence Curtin spoke for Quincy, and George F. Mitchell for Revere. The debate was very interesting as well as hard fought. Two of the judges se- cured for the occasion failed to come, and Mr. Perkins of the Coddington School and Mr. Rice of Woodward substituted. Their decis-

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TH E GO LI) EX-HO I) 2. ) the school hall on April 26, netted the Red Cross $115. The program, in charge of Miss Howes, assisted by Miss Thayer and Miss An- derson, consisted of a French play, “La Fille du Docteur,” a group of modern war poems combined in the sketch, “A Scene in Blighty,” and a number of pantomimes and tableaux, ranging from Gelett Burgess’ “Giant Baby” to “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean.” Eight girls in Red Cross costumes acted as ushers, and sold candy between the numbers. All concerned in making the entertainment a success deserve great credit for their work. Regina La Tour. AUDUBON CLUB At a meeting of all interested in bird study and bird protection, held in Room 12, April 17, 1918, the Merrymount Audubon Club was organized. The officers of the Club, which already consists of sixty-eight members, most of whom are in the biology and botany classes, are: President. Elsie Peterson; vice-president, Evelyn Currier; secretary, Clare Frohock. The members of the program committee are: Miss Bushnell, Laura Ross, Floris W ilson, Hilda Cedarstrom, Alma Hurd and Katherine Bean. The club is taking early morning bird walks and planning on monthly meetings. LATIN CLUB Several meetings of the Latin Club have been held during the winter months. At one of these a new Consul, Ruth McGrath of the Junior Class, was chosen to succeed Laurence Curtin. A new group of Aediles was also elected. “The Roman Wedding,” a play in three acts, was given by the club on May 10. In Act I, the parents of the groom propose to the parents of the bride in behalf of their child; in Act II, the marriage, there is an of- fering to the gods; and in Act HI. the proces- sion to the groom’s house, the groom hands over the keys of the house to the bride. The performance was directed by Miss O’Neil. “The Roman Divorce,” another play is to be given later on. It is planned to present a scholarship to the student attaining the high- est merit next year. The club is in a very prosperous condition at present, and the treas- ury is in the best condition it has been for some time. The Juniors have been especially active in carrying on the affairs of the club this year, and if the present outlook is to be considered, they will have a very successful year in 1919. SCHOOL LIFE At the weekly assemblies, the school has been addressed by Mr. Collins and several outside speakers. Mr. Collins has urged as patriotic duties: the remaining in school as long as possible in order to obtain the best education before entering on a business ca- reer ; the necessity of engaging in garden work at even a small compensation, citing the num- ber of men who are doing war work without remuneration; and the donating of readable books, worth-while books, to the libraries at the cantonments. On January 28, Mrs. Lucia Ames Mead dealt with the opportunities this country pos- sesses of giving “permanent peace” to the world. The school was urged particularly to support the government during the war. An illustrated lecture on Italy, by Prof. A. H. Gilmer introduced the school to the part being played by that country in the present conflict and the necessity of preventing the Germans from obtaining a naval base on the Italian coast. He spoke with great feeling of the respect due Italy at this time. Through the efforts of the local Boy Scout authorities, on April 26. the boys enjoyed a talk on “Camp Life.” given bv Mr. H. O. Templeton, a Maine trapper. He displayed a miniature camping outfit, stated that any kind of food could be cooked on it, narrated several anecdotes pertaining to his experiences with bears, and told about the beaver’s mode of living.