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

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“TAKE IT FROM ME” A best seller, but not so renowned as its author, is the 1939 publication “Take It From Me”. Certainly everyone has heard of Neal 0 Hara! He’s been a sports writer for the Boston Post, a columnist for the New York Evening World, a scenario writer in Hollywood, and now is a writer for the Boston Traveler. What com¬ muter doesn’t look forward to Neal O’Hara’s “Take It From Me” column every evening? What would the sub¬ scribers to the Traveler do without those three daily questions and that daily joke? This book has no theme, it has no struggle; it is merely a collection of curious and unique facts, which are organized into specific chapters and interspersed with jokes and favorite questions and their answers. In the chapter “All About Yourself”, for example, we learn that “While you’re sleeping, your brain becomes slightly smaller and your body a trifle larger.” And in “Around the World”, a story is told of a French banquet to twen¬ ty-five thousand mayors and dignitaries of all France, where the set-up was so vast that the head waiters had to ride around on bicycles to make sure the service was proper! Today most people seem to enjoy a book which they can pick up and read at any time without missing part of it. “Take It From Me” certainly fills the de¬ mands of this hurrying age. Because it includes such varied fields, it will appeal to everyone, particularly those who are interested in the unusual, the incredible. If you have the Ripley type of intellect, read “Take It From Me”. Betsy Foxcroft “NEXT TO VAFOR” “Next to valor, the best qualities in a military man are vigilance and caution,” Brigadier General James Wolfe said in an order issued to the troops before Que¬ bec in 1759. On that statement, “Next to Valor”, by John Jennings, is based. The author’s vivid portrayal of the hardships endured by Roger’s Rangers, a scout¬ ing faction of the Provincial army at one time, and of the excitement of their hard-won victories must produce in the reader of a new and profound admiration for these men. Jennings brings home vividly the high standing of Wolfe, both as a man and as a leader. The main characters are James Ferguson, his fam¬ ily. and his friends. The last stand of the Jacobites against England, in which Ferguson’s family partici¬ pates, and the French and Indian War furnish the early and main backgrounds for the story. This book appeals primarily because it is full of action from beginning to end. Furthermore, it presents glowing accounts of the life and times in Scotland during the heyday of Bonnie Prince Charlie, as well as abundant description of places in New Hampshire and other New England states familiar to most of us. “Next to Valor”, a recent favorite of library pat¬ rons, has a strong appeal to those who like historical novels. Carolyn Campbell “CAPTAIN HORATIO HORNBLOWER” C. S. Forester has produced exciting reading in his “Captain Horatio Hornblower”. The book itself is fic¬ tion, although the background is historical. The story is developed around one Horatio Hornblower, a captain of the frigate Lydia in his majesty’s navy. The story starts in the Pacific Ocean at a time when England was at war with Spain. T wenty

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CHRISTMAS 19 3 9 down the oil lamp she had carried with her and taking a large burlap bag that had been stuffed around the windows to keep out the cold she emptied all her cloth¬ ing into it; then she pushed the bag under the bed. She did not bother to undress, but only blew out the lamp and sat on the bed. Impatiently she listened to the clock strike the hours and half-hours until her parents went to bed. As soon as the house became quiet, Harriet picked up her bag and slowly descended the stairway to the living room. Here she walked lightly from one braided rug to another until she finally reached the front door, which she pushed open and closed noiselessly behind her. Still silently, lest she rouse the neighbor’s dog, she hurried across the yard and climbed over the picket fence to avoid using the squeaky gate. Now, she could really begin to enjoy herself! As she passed each dark shop, she tried to imagine the expression on the propri¬ etor’s face the next morning as he discussed her disap¬ pearance with the villagers. In the inky blackness of the moonless night, however, the rough road that was the main street of Gloucester was far from a cheerful place. At the head of the common, where during the day cattle grazed but which was now barren and empty, was the little white church with its steeple that seemed to guard over the people in the village. Next to the church was the graveyard, its blackness broken by the irregularly placed headstones. Harriet began to run past the shops, the general store, the bakery, then the small postoffice. As she turned the corner which would bring her to the water’s edge her determniation to go with her father became stronger than ever, for here fac¬ ing seaward was the one spot in Gloucester that Harriet really hated, the grammar school. She resented sitting hour after hour in the stuffy little schoolhouse when she could be out of doors with her brothers. Completely out of breath, she arrived at the water¬ front, and after a short search along the dock found a small rowboat. Carefully she climbed into the boat and directed it toward the schooner. She should be enjoy¬ ing herself immensely, but hers was not the satisfaction of rowing through clear crystal-like blue and watching the ripples caused by the oars as they raked the water for now the harbor was a cheerless black, and the sounc of the oars dipping into it seemed hollow and eerie Hanging from the bow of the fishing schooner was a lamp, which swung hack and forth in the breeze and cas ominous shadows on the water. Guided by its rays, sh soon located the rope ladder that was fastened to th side of the ship and climbed the few steps to the deck She pulled the bag up after her and heaved a sigh o relief. Familiar as she was with the ship, each tim she came aboard it seemed to hold a new fascinatio for her. Below deck were the crowded living quarter which, nevertheless, had always to her seemed com fortable and homelike. On the deck, as usual, were nea piles of nets, mended and ready for use. lowering above all were the strong masts to which the heavv can¬ vas sails would soon be fastened. But Harriet couldn t waste time on reflection. There was but one place on the ship where she felt sure she would not be discover¬ ed—the fish bin. This was the enormous box-like struc¬ ture in which the fish were stored and salted down as they were caught. After lifting the heavy trap door that covered the bin, it was a simple matter for her to slip down to the bottom. Exhausted but happy she lay down, using her bag for a pillow. But sleep was far away. She was much too excited even to think of sleeping, for now it was but a matter of a very few 7 hours before she would hear her father and brothers arrive and prepare the ship for sailing. As time passed, the rough boards that she was lying on seemed to become harder and harder, and in the close air of the bin the disagreeable odor of long dead fish combined with salt seeped from the wood and seemed to be suffocating her. More than once Harriet heard near at hand a small scratching sound. She knew the sound to be mice that lived between the boards ot the ship but she was far from comforted by the thought. The water of the Atlantic slapped rhythmically against the sides of the boat, and as if in obedience to its master the boat rocked in time to the rhythm. This was what Harriet had wanted, but suddenly she sat bolt upright, clasped a hand firmly over her mouth, and as if she were being chased climbed from the bin as best she could. Now that she was once again on the deck, the clear air restored to her the resolve to remain on the ship. Instead of returning immediately to the dreaded fish bin, however, she wandered aimlessly about the dock. Leading downward through a trap door to the living quarters below 7 was a ladder. This Harriet descended, feeling her way until she found herself at one end of a fairly large room. Running practically its entire length was a long table, along the sides of which were backless benches. Most of the space along the walls was occupied by bunks built two deep, and at the end opposite the ladder was a stove which appeared to be very incapable of preparing even the simplest of foods. It seemed funny to her that the cabin had never looked so bare and ugly before, or that she hadn ' t realized how much space there actually was in her cubby hole at home. Disappointed, she returned to the deck again, to find that it was no longer pitch dark. Now there seemed to be a gray veil overhanging the earth. In the distance, where the sky met the water, it was hard to tell the gray of one from the grav of the other. But although the water was no longer black, neither was it the clear blue of a sunshiny day. Suddenly the thought entered Harriet’s mind that every night on the ship would be the same; in fact, nights would be even worse when the boat was on the high seas. No longer did the trip seem so pleasant as it formerly had. There wasn’t much time to think, and—oh dear—she was getting that peculiar feeling Continued on page 28 Nineteen

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CHRI STMAS 19 3 9 1 he adventures that this master seaman encountered in the tranquil waters of the Pacific are nothing short of amazing. The author gives vivid pictorial descrip¬ tions of the terrific sea fights undergone by Hornblow- er’s sturdy little frigate. The plot is ably complicated by the entrance of Lady Barbara, a young English noble¬ woman who is seeking passage to England. The hero’s adventures continue in the service of England in the war with Napoleon, the despotic Corsican. His career is marked with brilliance and with a genteel capacity for leadership. He wins the recognition of his king for valuable services rendered to the crown. Finally there is a happy ending through his reunion with Lady Bar¬ bara. This book is a book principally for masculine tastes. It is crammed full of valuable as well as thoroughly exciting adventure. C. S. Forester put a tremendous amount of research into “Captain Horatio Hornblower”, and it justly deserves all of the credit that the popular literary critics have given it. Boys, if you want to satisfy your lust for adventure books, read the present favorite among historical novels—“Captain Horatio Hornblower”. Irving Holcomb “REACHING FOR THE STARS” “Reaching for the Stars” is a story of Germany during the past four years. The author, Nora Wain, lived there with her husband, who was studying German music, and so was able to observe the customs of the German people very thoroughly. After being in Germany for a little while, Nora Wain naturally became interested in the government, of the country and in comparing it with ours. She points out that Hitler has the majority of the people supporting and worshipping him as their leader. Although the} realize that he has persecuted the Jews, murdered the innocent, and monopolized free speech, they say noth¬ ing because they feel that unless they abide by what Hitler says they are doomed. This book shows that all s not war, sorrow, and grief in Germany, however. On the contrary, the German people are a very industrious and ambitious group, who are loyal to their fatherland They take an immense pride in their forests and high¬ ways, which are the most beautiful in the world. Nor; Wain has a great admiration for them, which shine through this book. She presents interesting descrip¬ tions of many German customs and recreates on papei the atmosphere of Germany just before this war began “Reaching for the Stars” is especially to be recom mended because it presents a trulv unbiased picture o Germany, the most discussed of modern nations. Grace Bowers “THE COUNTRY LAWYER” Young Bellamy Partridge writes his first book about his father and about his home town. In this semi¬ biography one is able to discern clearly the author s nostalgic attitude toward the childhood that was his. Old Bellamy Partridge (the country lawyer), Mrs. Partridge, and the horde of little Partridges laboriously copying in longhand case records, wills, and probates on the dining room table, are presented very clearly and simply to us. Prospective lawyers of today should consider themselves fortunate and thank their lucky stars they were not born in the 1800’s as was this coun¬ try lawyer. In that by-gone era, a lawyer was not only a lawyer, but also a doctor, a storekeeper, a fireman, a setter of styles, a politician when times necessitated, and a philosopher always. “The Country Lawyer” has headed the list of popu¬ lar non-fiction for several weeks. For its directness, simplicity, and humor, it is truly an enjoyable piece of literature. Mary Maling “THE PATRIOT” Almost everyone who enjoys reading has a t one time or another made the literary acquaintance of Pearl Buck. Almost everyone, accordingly, knows that she is famous for books like “The Good Earth” and their de¬ pictions of Chinese life. Her latest book, “The Patriot”, is of special interest to her followers because this time Pearl Buck uses not only China but also Japan as back¬ ground material. “The Patriot” is both a stirring love story and an attack on war. It expresses Chinese life and Chinese people in a way that does not conceal their weak¬ ness and decadence. It is at the same time a book which tells of Japanese life, of Japanese individuals and what has happened to them and why. It is not, however, a bitter book nor in any sense propaganda. Nor is anything concealed of Japanese brutality when discipline relaxes. “The Patriot explains fully the resurgence of a new China and the heroic determina¬ tion of spartan Japan. Donald Hitchcock “ESCAPE” “Escape”, by Ethel Vance, is a recent novel about the situation in Germany and its ellects on those living in that country. In the course of the story, people from our country become involved in a very serious plight and have to strive to save themselves. A young Ameri¬ can goes to Germany to rescue his mother, who has been condemned to death for treason to her country. He has three friends to help him and thev have to outwit the army of German officials. Bv means of a daring plan, these people endanger their own lives to help this woman to escape from the country. “Escape is a good book to read now because it deals with a subject that most of the world is interested in. It is an exciting stor written in such a vivid man¬ ner that it captivates vour interest and holds your at¬ tention from the first page to the last. Lillian Davies Continued un page 38 T uenty-one