Rensselaer High School - Chaos Yearbook (Rensselaer, IN)

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FRESHMEN

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Class Colors: Brown and Yellow Class Flower : Gfolden rod (Elans ffiatnrg (Elans (i)tttrrra •Jane Parkison Ernest Beaver Edith Sawin James Babcock Edith Sawin Siio ' i ' ci you ask mo whence these Freshman ! hence these Freshmen with their luggage With their luggage and their school-books Y ith their sweet unspoiled expressions And their frequent exclamations And their joyful expectations? 1 should answer, I should tell you, “From the corners of the county From the center of the townships From their protected homes they came; Came to drink the wine of knowledge.” So the Freshmen came to High School. They knew not the rides of High School i hose ondrous rules which bringeth knowledge Xor did they know or find their class-rooms AY here their classes were reciting; President Vice-President Secretary Treasurer Class Historian But they wandered in the hallways In their helpless indecision And in the dreaded assembly All the Freshman sat and quiver ed. For around them were the Sophomores All the Sophomores and the Juniors All the Juniors and the Seniors. There the Sophomores looked and giggled At the quivering bunch of Freshmen; In the same old High School building. And the Juniors smiled upon them In a condescending manner ; But the Seniors only snubbed them. Then the meek, submissive Freshmen, I earned to step aside unnoticed, That the Seniors grand and stately

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Might not snub them as before. After days of meek submission They forgot about their scornings And returned with consolation To the thots of much hard study. Dear to all beginning Freshmen Is the “lab” in which they study All the birds and beasts of nature All their markings and their habits And enjoy it all immensely. But when they were sent to capture All the insects of the forest Of the forests and the road-side Of the road-side and the meadow, Then they groaned with cries of horror O’er the task which was before them. But the teacher stern and mighty A ith a threatening look and gesture, Marked so very many zeros That the Freshmen were alarmed And decided to go hunting For the insects in the country, rims the eager active freshmen W ith their nets and jars were laden; And they started to the forest hen the sun came up at dawning In one bunch they started hunting But ere long they were all scattered And in several bunches wandered In the solitary forest. Then their hearts within them fluttered Trembled like the leaves above them Lest some snake or other monster Might be hiding in their pathway. All day long they gathered insects, Each eating of the food he carried A hen the noon-hour came upon them, But they then resumed their searching For the butterflies of nature, And were finished when the sunset Shown upon the tired and hungry. Soon each Freshman found his comrades A hen the search had been completed. Thus they started toward their lodgings, But they found one Freshman missing! Then with cries and shouts excited Loud they called unto the Freshman; But when no answer shook the forest They began to search in sorrow. So some boys went thru the meadow Thru the meadow to the forest, There they found him gazing upward Toward some birds which were above him And with longing murmuring slowly, “()! ye Robins! 0! my brothers! A ould, that you could share my glory! A ould, that you could see my captive!” But the boys in loud derision Laughed until the echoing forests Rang with their unseemly laughter, For they saw his whole collection Was a small and lonely locust! All the wise in plant lore also Sought in vain for rarer species Of the wild-rose in the forest. But they also searched the meadows For the lilies of the prairie. Oft they strayed into the forest A atching for the glorious sunset Till the darkness fell around them. Though the Freshmen spent their play-hour Hunting for the gems of Nature, In their periods left for study Science entered not their schedule,