Reading Memorial High School - Pioneer Yearbook (Reading, MA)

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THE PIONEER. 19 all with conflicting emotions. The only young man in the class was detailed to serve as escort to two of the more adventurous young ladies. [How we pity him ! Eds.] Look out for the scholars of the physics class ! They are studying light, and are apt to see things double. A few days, and the Freshies are Freshies no longer. The Senior class object to the motto, “ Feslina lenteP Why? The lunch counter was, ind eed, short and sweet. Perhaps the young men will be kind enough to give the girls lessons in counting, this vaca¬ tion, to help them in drill. Information regarding the habits and diet of mice will be freely given to parties addressing C., ’97. Three of the young men of the Senior class took an early morning walk to Andover, May 20, where they spent the day witnessing the 250th anniversary of the founding of that town. At least six of the Senior class are intending to pursue their education in higher schools. The following young men have received the highest mark for excellence in the Setting-Up drill during this term : E. S. Taylor, F. E. Burn¬ ham, J. Mead Adams, L. O. Dyer, W. E. Pratt, W. S. Badger, Harold Parker, Frank Wadsworth, C. E. Prescott, Q. S. Brown. The Sophomores have parted company with the rest of the school this year.—A good rid¬ dance. Freshmen, take courage ; you have only three years more of school. GIFTS TO THE R. H. S. Portraits, Bryant, Whittier, Class of ’96. Painting, Sunrise at Sea, Class of ’78. Picture, Lago Maggiore, Class of ’67. Engraving, Charles I Demanding the Five Impeached Members, Class of ’98. Engraving, Kiinigin Elizabeth von England. Engraving, Franklin before the Lords in Coun¬ cil, Whitehall Chapel, London, 1774, Clnss of’71. Engraving, The Return of the Mayflower, Class of ’79. Engraving, Adieus D’Hector a Andromaque, Class of ’80. Engraving, Guido’s Aurora, Class of ’77. Pictures, The Roman Forum, The Coliseum, The Arch of Triumph, Classes ’92 and ’93. Portrait, Mr. Cole. Picture, Two Spanisn Girls, Class of ’83. Portraits, Longfellow, Lowell, Nathaniel Haw¬ thorn, Class of ’88. Portrait, Columbus, F. E. Whittemore. Bust, Longfellow, Class of ’85. Busts, Milton, Shakespeare, Cl ass of ’72. Statuette, Minerva, Class of ’73. Bust of Webster. Bust of Agassiz. Walnut bookcase, Class of ’75. Clock, Class of ’76. Piano stool and cover, Class of ’84. Books of reference, Class of ’86. Books for library, Class of ’87. Revolving book-case, Class of ’94. Album of photographs, Class of ’95. French Dictionary, Class of ’91. Latin Dictionary, Class of ’91. Whittier’s Poems, Class of ’96. Myra K. Parker, ’97. Any information concerning the name of the the donor will be gladly received by the Princi¬ pal of the school. TWO METHODS OF STUDY. The methods of study in our R. H. S. are manv. To give an idea of some of them, I will try to describe faithfully those of two young ladies, whom I will call Miss Ann Maria Hutchins and Miss Eliza Bartlett. Wheu Miss Hutchins goes to her first recita¬ tion in the morning, (that of English History), she is prepared on very little of the lesson. It so happens that she is the first one called upon to recite. She begins very confidently, thinking

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18 THE PIONEER. Singing—Down in the Dewy Deli, Henry Smart. Essay—The Trial Scene from the Merchant of Venice, Edith Barrows. Valedictory Address — The Value of Character, Grace Ethelwyn Copeland. Singing—“The Children’s Hour,” Alfred R. Gaul. Presentation of Diplomas. Singing—“Lullaby,” G. W. Chadwick. LOCALS. The Senior class in Greek have read the first four books of Homer’s Iliad and the sixth, and have been recently reviewing Xenophon, with the Juniors. Will some one of the Sophomores please in¬ form us what a “ stationary vibration ” is? Special credit is due to the Misses Skillen, Flint, Berry and Danforth, for their earnest and successful efforts in securing advertisements for this issue. The enthusiasm of the botany class causes the unfortunates not in it envy and wonder. The eager botanists tramp miles, in rain and shine, for a specimen. They return in a bedraggled and weary state, but still supremely happy if they have found it. All flowers are fearfully and wonder¬ fully made, they tell us, and moved by over¬ powering curiosity, without a pause for admiring its beauty, they cruelly dissect their treasure. Well, when we get there, we may understand. A certain musical fowl has made herself un¬ pleasantly noticeable during the morning periods. If something is not done about the matter, the owner may experience a loss. If the Junior class are puzzled to know what to present to the school, we would suggest a set of mouse traps, as being inexpensive as well as useful. For Sale or To Let — A back seat in good condition. The owner has been obliged to move nearer the front. Terms cheap. Apply to “ Duck.” There are plenty of “little brown jugs” hang¬ ing on the wall in the main room. Our compositions are completed ; We ourselves are quite conceited That what we wrote is just the stuff, To make the paper quite enough. Those wonderful Juniors have issued invita¬ tions for a “complementary” reception to the Senior class, June 19, 189G, at 9 o’clock. Not desiring to be behind the times we, too, have a “ poster.” Have you seen it? We are glad to notice the friendly relations between members of our school and the high school in our neighboring town. Wanted — Fewer anniversaries in the sur¬ rounding towns. Wanted — A new lunch counter and some more soup. There is one toilet article which is very much needed and wished for by the young gentlemen of the school. That is a comb, and it is hoped that one will be purchased from the funds re¬ sulting from the sale of the commencement issue of the Pioneer. Please have it ready for use next September. Wanted — Some of the time wasted by various members of the R. II. S. Geometry Teacher: “Which angle are you talking about? This one, or that?” Pupil: “ No’m ; the other.” First Pupil: “ Here’s a conundrum for you. Where was II —, when the Caesar exam was finished ?” Second Pupil: “ In the soup.” The following was an excuse handed to the principal of the R. H. S by one of the young ladies for tardiness: “A combination of un¬ precedented lassitude and continual procrastina¬ tion.” The day when the geology class visited the Natural History rooms will be remembered by

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20 THE PIONEER. that she is sure of that part, at least, as she has spent the whole of a half-hour on it. She re¬ cites very well for a time, but suddenly stops, confused, and says to herself: “Bother! what does come next? Does the king behead his sub¬ ject, or does the subject behead the king?” In the course of her recitation, she makes some rather astonishing statements ; and, if she had been telling facts, they would have been rather startling ones. The teacher tries to con¬ trol the muscles of her face, but she cannot help smiling. “Consider a moment, Miss Hutchins,” said she ; “ do you really mean that Queen Elizabeth reigned during the nineteenth century? You are only a little confused. How did you study your lesson yesterday?” “ Why,” said Ann Maria, “ I sat in the sit¬ ting-room and studied just two hours on this one lesson.” “ Were you alone?” asked the teacher. “ No, the children were playing games in the same room, and then Mrs. X. Y. Z. came in for a few minutes and of course I talked to her for a short time.” “ What had you been reading before you studied ?” “ Oh, I had a lovely library book and I was reading the most interesting part when I had to leave it to work on my lessons.” “ You need not tell me anything more, my dear Miss Hutchins, I see your trouble now. It is in your method. With your mind full of that story which you had been reading, you could not study your lessons as you should. I have found lately, some of your notes, scribblings, etc., on the school-room lloor, and so I know how yo 11 spend your time here. I advise you to change your ways, if you wish to succeed in life.” After this talk, Ann Maria felt verv much ashamed, as she knew that every word which the teacher had spoken was true. As she admired her teacher and respected her opinions she de¬ cided to try to do better, and to take for her ex¬ ample, Miss Bartlett, whose method was well known throughout the school. This pupil studied faithfully, and, though by no means a model, was attentive to her work. She very seldom forgot a thing when she had once learned it, and very often her friends would say to her, “ How is it, Eliza, that you remem¬ ber these details? We do not understand.” “It is very simple,” she would say, in her laughing, cheerful way; “ I just put my mind on the lesson and do the best that I can.” How to learn their lessons quickly, and yet to gain profit thereby, is a problem which is troub¬ ling many of our boys and girls, and I think that this is the solution of it. Let us only put our minds on our lessons and do the best that we can, being willing to spend a moderate amount of time on them, and we shall do more and bet¬ ter work in the coming year than we have done in the past. Mary H. Barr, ’99. Webster’s First Bunker Hill Oration, (impromptu.) Webster delivered his first Bunker Hill ora¬ tion at the dedication of Bunker Hill Monument, on Breeds Hill, Charlestown, June 17, 1825, fifty years after the battle wa3 fought. The composition is one of the masterpieces of the language, the diction being intensely Eng¬ lish. The subjects of the paragraphs are plainly set forth in topic sentences ; the thoughts follow one another smoothly and logically. The para¬ graphs are thus models of unity. Webster’s imagery is clear, strong and beauti¬ ful, and adds much to the finish of the composi¬ tion. His addresses to the “Veterans” and to Lafayette are perhaps the most beautiful in the oration. Webster alone was physically able to properly render his productions. If a simple reading of his -works is able to deeply stir one, what must have been the effect when he gave them with all his great power? A most vivid word picture is the one in which Webster contemplates the scene on board the ship of Columbus, the night before the Discov¬ erer sighted the New World. The part of the oration which treats of the erection of monuments is complete in itself. The oration should be read and re-read in every school in America, that the scholars may use it as a model of effective style. A. H. P., ’96.