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

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Page Eighteen The Pioneer Therefore I cry, with all the strength of my lungs, “DOWN WITH SLAVERY.” W. SYLVESTER ’17. “ADVERTISING.” Advertising of the present day is a combination insult and blessing. This varied and monotonous part of the average civilian’s daily life is carried on in newspapers, street-cars, and on fences which would enjoy their exis¬ tence a deal better without this gaudy superfluity. It is also to be found extensively on the sides of dilapidated and weather-beaten structures crowd¬ ed in among several notices to “POST NO BILLS.” Perhaps the most common forms which have been put before the pub¬ lic, however, are those found in the daily papers, causing an interesting paragraph to be “Continued on Page ■-,” and thus attracting the casual (?) glance of the startled and irritated pursuer of information. In order to tease and belabor the minds of peaceful and law-abiding citizens, the street-car companies have arranged to locate an elaborate and varied border of this commodity on each side of the interior of their cars. Who is he who cannot boast of at least one stiff neck derived from conscientiously and attentively re¬ garding an advertisement of some “Home Necessity” as may have caught his eye in the street-cars? Yet with all of the preceding for¬ malities, advertising has its good points. It puts before our minds in more or less attractive form, all the ancient and modern varieties of shoe- polish, stove-blacking, soap, and face- powder. Anything from a hat-pin or a package of breakfast food to a safety razor or an automobile, may be located in this compulsory com¬ pendium of useful information. More¬ over, if it were not for advertising, we would doubtless be unable to get all the latest news for one little red cop¬ per coin. Various forms of advertising pre¬ vail, but most of them contain their subject with all its glory of colored ink, printed in type many times the size of Great Pica. Many an other¬ wise aspiring and capable poet has been spoiled for all future application and usefulness by composing verses and rhymes for advertisements. Thus we may see that while “ads” explaining the latest breakfast foods, “free from germs,” are a blessing to hygeinic Twentieth Centuryites, it is an insult to those who must tolerate the infernal contrivance for spoiling perfectly amiable tempers. ORVIS H. SAXBY ’17. He was a careless fellow. He came into the room, his boots all mud, for¬ got that there was a mat outside the door, threw his hat into one chair, his gloves into another, his books on the table, one of which went sliding to the floor with a bang, and evidently was to remain there for a while. He stamped out into the kitchen, like an elephant, went straight for the pantry, took out the cake-pail, removed as much of the cake as he thought his big mouth could devour, left the pail on the table, cover off, and pantry

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The Pioneer Page Seventeen ing the house on all sides, were fire¬ men. Firemen, big and little, stood around clad in rubber coats and hel¬ mets. I think they had rubber boots on, too, and there were numbers on their coats. Yes, undoubtedly, they were firemen. There was nothing alarming about these firemen. They were simply fire¬ men. But why were they there in front of my house, in back of my house, all around my house? There was no fire. Why should firemen be there? Then I remembered. Yes, there it was; the gong coming back again. As sure as fate, that strangely equipped apparatus was returning. As if drawn by the thread of Destiny, it turned the corner at the top of the hill and was dashing down upon the firemen. What firemen? Where were they? Vanished into the air. How in the w T orld was I alone to cope with such a strange quartette as this? I couldn’t do it. I may have screamed. However, I jumped over the edge, (jiant hands reached out and clutched and held me. Still the bell rang. I kicked furiously and cried out. I awoke on the floor, wrapped in the bed-clothes. Big Ben was telling me it was five o’clock. R. SHEPARDSON ’16. DOWN WITH SLAVERY! Slavery still exists among us. It not only exists, it flourishes even as it did in the South “befo’ de war.” I refer, gentle reader, to the slavery of fashion. But wait, it is not of feminine fash¬ ions, with their fleeting and much dis¬ cussed changes that I am to speak, it is rather of a custom, prevalent among the masculine element of our popula¬ tion, the custom of wearing around the neck a high, white, stiffly-starched linen collar, for no more evident pur¬ pose than that of propping up the chin of the wearer; or, in the case of V-neck collars, the adam’s apple. I, personally of an iconoclastic turn of mind, have always loathed “con¬ traptions,” for such they are indeed; and although driven by the exigencies of my environment to become accli¬ mated to them, have nevertheless wished most heartily for their down¬ fall, which,. I firmly believe, would bring an era of unparalleled prosper¬ ity to this country. I will now set forth my reasons for this belief. At a rough guess, there are about fifty million males in this country, at least ten million of whom are within white-collar zones. At two collars per week, two cents per collar, fifty-two weeks per year, twenty million eight hundred thousand dollars is transfer¬ red from the pockets of our tax payers to those of the bloated laundry trust. Not only this, but at one hour per month per man, thus allowing for times when the collars could wait, one hundred twenty million precious hours are lost, absolutely lost, annually, by going for the collars. On this alone there might be based an argument for the complete extirpation of the vari¬ ety of collar mentioned, but who can calculate the value of the characters, ruined beyond repair every day, and solely by a buttonhole too stiffly starched, or a tie that would not slide.

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The Pioneer Page Nineteen door open. He next went into the parlor where his mother was sewing, flopped himself into a chair, stuck his muddy boots on another chair, and taking a book from the table, began to read. This did not last long, how¬ ever, for he was as nervous as a witch. He slammed the book on the table, got up and left the room, leav¬ ing mud on the chair where his feet had been, and crumbs on the floor where, undoubtedly, most of his cake had gone. He went up to his room, went in, slammed the door, and if the hinges had not been fairly strong, he probably would have had something to keep him busy and quiet for a while; neverthe¬ less, that did not bother him in the least, for he went straight for the mirror. They say ladies are always standing before the mirror, priding themselves on how pretty they are. Now this fellow was no lady, or gentle¬ man either, but he was just about as pretty as a boy could be, and he knew it, too. He wore good clothes, had a clean collar and a different necktie every day, and needed them too, be¬ cause when he went to look for any¬ thing it was never there, and he might as well look , in the cellar or attic as anywhere else for the things worn the day before. He threw them here, there and everywhere, and never put them in their place. He always made a good appearance, however. He was straight as an arrow, tall but well pro¬ portioned, he always had his hair combed and his teeth were as white as snow. His face and hands were always washed, that is when he start¬ ed for school mornings, but all his good appearance was due to his mother’s careful work, and if he keeps on the way he has started, his wife, if he has one, will be a hard working young lady. H. H. LIBBY ’18. DEBATING. When the debating society was first organized the pupils entered into it with good spirit and supported their speakers strongly. Gradually the lower classes fell out, their enthusiasm died down. We started out with success and we feel that a new interest has sprung up in the school, and hope this work will be faithfully carried on. The first debate was between Stone- ham and Wakefield, the subject was on National Prohibition and Wakefield won. The second debate was between Reading and Wakefield and the sub¬ ject was “Resolved, that in view of the present situation, the United States should take immediate steps to increase materially its national de¬ fenses.” Reading won. This debate was ably coached by Miss Vale. Reading speakers were Orvis Saxby, Chesley Stevens and Louis Whit¬ church. The third debate was between Read¬ ing and Stoneham. The subject was, “Resolved, that the United States Government should own and operate the railroads.” Stoneham won the debate. The Reading speakers were Erric Turner, Chesley Stevens and Louis Whitchurch. Miss Bertholde coached the speakers. A shield was offered as a trophy for the victorious team. Wakefield held it first, then Reading. Stoneham has