Rye Neck High School - Scraps Yearbook (Mamaroneck, NY)

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Essays ON HICCUPS Bacon has defined his essays as certain brief notes, not vulgar but of a kind where' of men shall find much in experience and little in books. Even you have had experif ence with hiccups., Don't dare deny it. In this article I shall endeavor to expound my own personal theory of -hiccups, their na' ture, source and circumstance-as attained through practical .experience. A hiccup, as found in the dictionary, is a short, catching sound due to spasmodic conf traction of the diaphragm and windfpipef' It is more than this, it is ga curse to mankind. Biologists, mathematicians, chemists and doc' tors have failedtin their duty to humanityg for search where you may there is no work which treats on this great-and serious subject of hiccups. They comewhen they will and leave when they may. You either turn blue in the face trying to swallow nine gulps of water without breathing, fone usually gets to about the eighth.-and chokesj waiting for some kind- friend to surprise you with- a fine thump on the back. -,I think this is to thump the diaphragm andfwindpipe back into proper working condition. If neither of these works, the best cure, is to just hiccup away until thehiccups are tired of hiccupping. This malady is usually followed with a queer inner feeling of giddinessior embarrassment, all dependent onthe time 'and place in which they occur. A H ' I But hold! Do not flatteryourself on being' the only one who gets hiccups-dogs have themg but as they are quitepincapableof say' ing oops or excuse,me ,after each one, they usually crawl underpthe table to enjoy them in solitude. Closely related to the hiccup is that catch' ing of the breath which follows a good cry. This also has been attained through pracf tical experienceg but along with the new sen' sation, there comes-a feeling of satisfaction or self pity, rather than of giddiness or embarf rassment. Like the dog's hiccups, it is usually enjoyed by oneself-but not under'a -table. Now the lesson to be learned from this little, discussion, gentle reader, is never to op' pose the Fates. Julius Caesar and other great men did it. and received death as their ref ward. They all suffered from hiccups, but failed to take a lesson fromvthemg for strange things may happen-just as hiccups dog let them have their own wayfjust as the hicf cups do-and maybe, perhaps, they too will pass away-just as the hiccups do. Victoria Maxwell , POETS AND SLUGGARDS He sat there sunning himself, in the new born virility of an early summer sun. He was seated upon the green-sward, his back rested against a habitation of the strangest' sort-constructed of every conceivable mate' rial that might be found upon a virgin mounf tainsideg oddfshaped stone, twigs, limbs, and hacked logs, stuffed in between with green moss and gray, weatherfyvorn! grass ,of last year. thin stackgrose ,incongruouslyat a rakish angle from the. thatchedjroof, from which trickled a .straggling line of smoke, undisturbed by air currents, . One hand of the man rested .upon the tousled. neck of his dog, which seemed as content to drowse in the warmth, contem- plating lazily in the pleasant lassitude., as His gun lay across his lap,,its worn contrasting dully with the carefully .oiled brilliance of the barrel. It was pleasant to sit thus, to thinkof nothing, and content with- everything. Now there are several reasons Awhy a man should wish to be alone. As this one was: for companions his affectionate dog, as tousled as himself g his gun, which he treated with the passionate care as one would her nrstfborng and the.tall, rugged trees, now silent, save for an occasional sleepy twitter. .The urge of the hermit may drive a man into the wilderness: quitting his fellow men for some ideal which has -inspired him with terror of the world's wickedness. But this man, was he a hermit? After all, a hermit is, in a way, a sort of fanatic. But there is not the fire of an unhealthy ambition for salvaf tion by his withdrawal -from his -sinful brothers in his eyes., lndeedfhis- eyes are calm, and filled merely with the agreeable philosophy induced by the languor of late spring. , 'A A . Page Five

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EDITORIAL STAFF se as Editorsfinfchief 'Judson Benjamin ' Herbert R. Houghton, jr. ar wk A Assistant Editors School Notes ....,....,...,....., Q ...,.,,,.....,................ James Fee Everett Houghton Athletics .,,..,.... 4 ,.,...,..................... Edith Meyer f George Ockershauscn Essays, .................,...........,.,....,,....,.....,...., Glemana Parker Business -Managers ...,.........., Albert Langvforthy A John Donnelly- Typists ........., ......i.....,.. G lemana Parker i Gertrude Guthrie I EDITORIAL 4' - T' Respectfuly dedicated to the memories: of' the past. Is that a fitting epithet to 'be written oaths page 'following the last chap' ter of schoollife, with a grand flourish, 'the cover tackedon, and-the book tucked in 'the archives of youth? Or should there be write' ten oh the page: continued? Life isa book, -not a set of multifhued pamphlets. 'It' has a' plot, it has continuity. Afteri the first page 'is a second, and after that -another, and many more, but all the pages are part of the same book. ' '- I These few days remaining may be the last that this graduating class may see fof Rye Neck. But it cannot be forgotten, for it -is an integral part of the formative period during which each personality has been' fitted' for the final- plunge into independence and worldliness. It is a center about which ref volves all'other youthful activities., - a V. The Senior Class of '30 presents Scraps, with a little fatherly pride, respectfully dedi- cated, thefinal product of its editorialhlaf bors. We have produced three previous numbers, and altho we did not realize our ambition toput out' an eight -page paper, we feel that we have been successful insofar as literary value is concerned. I I We are including two innovations: individf ual pictures -of the Senior Glass and a sec' tion devoted? to the underclassmeng We hope our -effort at underclass fraternalism is appref ciated. ' Q. I , Judson Benjamin I I EDITORIAL why do we auf L'scRAPs ? why do we have a paper at all? It uses up much valuable time and takes a lot of trouble to put out. ' But it's worth it! Not one of the minutes we spend on it is wasted. Every one is counted in 'experience and pleasure+pleasf ure derived from a thing done, not perhaps tor perfection, but toiithe best of our ability, and that is what counts. ' This year we have outfdone all previous Senior classes in the history of Rye Neck High School by editing four edtions of SCRAPS of which,.we printed two ourf selves. The first appeared as a travel numf ber, including poems and articles on travel. The secondiwas. given over 'principally to school notes. Much praise was heard over our third edition,,especially, which was def voted -almost entirely .N to deseriptionsrof the most interesting historic spots of Westchesf ter County. .. . . iAnd now we come tolTlHE 'SGRiAPS 'of the year, the June year book which you are now reading. Our last effort has been made and it isin your hands. Do you like it? V Herbert R. Houghton, jr 5- , , .' . , .i . ,wtf COMING or THE :SPRING ' ' How desolate a wi.nt'ry day V 'Neath leaden clouds of snow, For such a time you scare can say Or hear a friend's, Hello! The windows, every one, tight shut, The doors call 'double barred, Make match for Mother Nature's crust, The earth, so' cold: and hard. A A But, when Erst signs of 'Spring appear, The world is changed a-new, A And voices, sounding loud with cheer, A Break forth to welcome you. I . What! once was bare and-barrentsoil, Is feathered now witlrgreen, And mysteriesof bloom and leaf I Have burst from buds unseens. 7 Oh, where now, Winter, is thy realm? You have :not left a thing To interrupt that great advance, The coming of,the Spring! . - Herl:iert1R.-Houghton, Jr: Page Four

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Perhaps, his mind has been captured by the unruffled serenity of such a tranquil exisf tence. XVhy hurry? it is bad for the health. Here are no grating sounds to disquiet the mind. For the screech of brakes and the shrill of the policeman's whistle, he has but the caw of a distant crow and the vexed clamor of the jayg for the thunderous rush of the engine -over rumbling tracks, the tinkle of an unobtrusive brookletg for the terrible racket of the headachefdealing riveter, the woody ratftatftat of the woodpecker. ' Maybe the man had too many relatives, Maybe his business irked him exceedingly.. Maybe he isa poet. God help him if he is not at leastiin part a p0Ct. If he were, we might call his profound lethargy contemplaf tion, if he were not, we must call him a slug- gard. Poets and sluggards, it seems,'enjoy for suffer?J pretty nearly the same tribulations. They are both cursed for their worthlessness, until they are gone. Then the- sluggard is forgotten, and the poet sometimes placedlupf on a high pedestal. Sometimes, he too is forgotten. - H We return again to our hero. He must be either poet or sluggard. But how are we to teiimvhich? - Where lies the keynote to 'his character? At present, he seems strongly un: inclined to- pour forth any poetical effusions. The insane hut, the dog, the gun-ah! the black gleam of its shiny barrel has caught our wandering eye. The .dwelling might bea sheep fold, the dog, is just a dogg but the -gun -what care, what tender nursing has cleaned its shiny face, and tended its muzzle! No sluggard ever owned that musket. Ah-our hero is saved! A ' if I 'Judson Benjamin . NEws Extra! Eiitralu, cried airagged little boy. Read all about the big train wreck. Paper, Mister? It's my last one. V All right, sonny, I'll take it. Here's a hdime, never mind the change. Oh, thanks,,I hope you enjoy the train iwrecki it sure made me rich today. U But, my boy, aren't you sorry that Also many people were hurt? ' ' Yes, I suppose so, but 'Ma' said if I brought home lots of money tonight, we would go to a 'talkie' after supper. : Be sure to have a good time. Goodbye. This boy was the typical' newsboy. One among hundreds of shrewd youngsters from the city slums who help to put bread into the mouths of younger brothers and sisters. Whether they sell a large number of 'papers or a small number depends upon the news of the day. Many successful newspapermen began their careersa in just this way. Even on' this first step of 'the ladder, their eyes glistened when it was'whispered that their paper had been lucky in getting a catch ahead of the other papers. Gradually they had risen in this great game until they reached their present positions. iWhat then, does their business depend upon? 1 Nothing more or less than news M L ' ' Why did the Persians build that great road from Sardis .to Susa? .They 'did it to connect the two principal cities of that vast empire: in order that messengers might travel more swiftly with news of their armies. The great' est roadfmakers of history, the Romans, built a network of roads throughout their empire for the same identical reason? The swifter the news of the provinces could be carried, the better the ruler could 'govern the con- quered territoryf e 4 -Jr 1 fDown through the ages,eman has been conf tinually bettering the means of communica- tion until the present day, when we have those great carriers of mail such as the loco' motive, the 'automobileland the aeroplaneg we have also the direct carriers of news in the wireless, telephone, and the more recent radio. By merely' pulling a knob of this in' vention we receiveknowledgeof happenings while they are going on or immediately after. Our grandmothers were apt to tell us that bad news traveled quickly but good news took a slower pace. Now, news, whether good or bad travels hand in 'hand' in the race over the air or through the press. Clemana Parker SPANKINGS! There's nothing warmer than a spanking, spiritually and physically. Spiritually, it is a warm memory of happy, young, helpless days. Physically it is the momentary heat of the sore and red spot to which--the hand or the back of a brush was so rapidly applied. Page Six