Samuel D Hanson School - Crescent Yearbook (Buxton, ME)

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--:vgnuq'-v- --... . -- 12 Eb: Crescent Around the walls is a race track, where all kinds of races are held. In the center is a place for jumping. After our tour of the campus and after having dinner, we again assembled at Winslow Hall, where speeches were made and songs sang. One of the most promi- nent speakers was Mr. William Tudor Gardiner, the speaker of the House of Representatives at Augusta. His talk concerning agriculture was very interest- ing. This made up the afternoon's program. That evening was the banquet, of which I can not speak too highly. Fol- lowing the banquet were speeches by some of the different club members. Then at 9 o'clock was the final meeting, which included the awarding of the prizes. The night was not as peaceful as it might have been. As it was the last night of 1926, the boys at Oak Hall watched the old year outg and I think from all reports the girls did likewise at Balentine. But, oh, next morning! 3.30 was the time stated for rising. Of course this was not exceedingly hard, as the night had been so noisy. Breakfast was served at 4.30 and then every one was ready to take the train for his home town. We left Orono at about 6 A. M. 'in a blinding snowstorm. The trip home from Bangor was spent in laughing and joking. Well, anyway, everyone arrived home safe and sound, and I daresay all would be ready at short notice to go again. HARRY TYLER, '29. WONDERS OF THE SEA Thousands of people look upon the ocean every year and exclaim at -its beauties, but how great would be their surprise and admiration if they could get a glimpse of some of the things which the diver sees. For in the ocean depths are veritable gardens. glowing with all the colors of the rainbow, blended together in every rare form of plant growth. One of these beautiful forms of plant life on the oceanis bottom is the Sea- Anemone or Aster. It is really a living creature, eating everything which it can digest. but resembling a Hower. The base is spread out, the top is expanded, and it has tentacles which are arranged around the top in one or more circles, just like the Hower whose name it bears. The mouth is situated in the center of its body and the tentacles are filled with sharp nettles that grasp any object which it touches and conveys it to the mouth. It is beautifully tinted. Sometimes the body is spotted with different shades of brown, blue, or delicate pink, while the tentacles are rose, purple or gold. This highly colored Sea-Anemone exists only in the warmer seas. .Another magnificent creature is the Arborescent Actinia, which means the tree animal. The body is a handsomely shaped living vase, beautifully striped, spotted and shaded, from which shoot up a large number of branches, each one adorned with a series of bud-shaped pro- jections much resembling moss-rose buds. This makes a living shrub of great beauty. The gardens of the earth are beautiful,

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The Qtrzstent 11 Q. :Y 'L I 411 A rgjgu-fi . D ' ' PW: 'V 7 I W ZZ 7 Q ' A Jus! in MY TRIP TO ORON0 As I was a club member in 1926 it was my good fortune to have the chance to visit the University of Maine. Four went from this town besides our club leaders. This trip came the last of December and the first of January. Cf course our only means of getting there was by train and electrics. As we did not get a fast train. we were from 10 A. M. until 3 P. M. reaching Bangor. This part of our trip was the most tiresome. We left the train just in time to see the Old Town electric leaving. This meant an hour's wait. Of course we were all glad when the car came. It was dark before we reached the campus. We at once went to Balentine Hall. where we registered and then were assigned rooms, the boys in Oak Hall and the girls in Balentine. The first thing on the program was a reception at North Hall. Here the rooms were decorated and lighted by candles. A social was the general line of program. After supper at Balentine Hall we all went to .Alumni Hall, where a general get-together was held, with games and dancing to help us get acquainted. There was also a short program with some speeches by the college teachers. The next day there was a general meet- ing at Winslow Hall. After this meeting judging contests were held. One of the things that' I was par- ticularly interested in was the tour of the campus. Different parties were formed. as some wished to go to some buildings. some to others. I was in the group which visited the library, the museum, and the large indoor gymnasium. The library is certainly a wonderful building. It seemed to me there was every sort of a book which could be of use in any subject. The next was the museum. I enjoyed visiting this. as I like animals and birds. Here were all kinds of birds, from the smallest warbler to the Northern raven and other birds as large as the raven. The animals. which were just as interesting. ranged from the deer to the star-nosed mole. Our last visit was to the indoor gym- nasium. This is a very large building, I cannot recall the exact dimensions, but to give you a little idea of its size I can say that it is large enough so that a baseball game can be played with every man in his proper position, except the outfielders. iss?

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Ciba Glresrent 13 but they are fading flowers, they bloom one day and wither the next, while these living blossoms of the sea are even more marvelous in their beautiful colors and delicate form, and excel them in life, for they last for a score or more of years. I think the Sea-pen is a wonderful creature and should not be overlooked. It differs from the others of its class because it spends most of its time floating on the surface of the sea, instead of living be- neath the water. It is from three to four inches in length, beautifully curved and filled with polyps. Its color is a paleish red or purple, passing into orange at the base of the quill. One variety has the power to send forth a brilliant phosphor- escent light, and it has been said that when they are clustered together in large masses, they so brightly illuminate the bottom of the sea as to enable the observer to count the fish or other objects which may pass between them and the surface. The coral is a wonderful formation, built by the little architects of the sea. called polyps. They are small round flower animals, having a disk fringed around with tentacles. Below the disk is the body, which is arranged to act as a mould, depositing the secretions of lime that form the walls of the coral. The sub- stance of coral is nearly pure carbonate of lime. In the Central Pacific Ocean are vast beds of coral, also a large amount is found in the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea. and the Mediterranean. The East and West Indies and coasts of Florida abound in coral formations. The coral used for ornamental purposes grows in clusters or sprays similar to shrubs. There is an outer covering which becomes dry and rubs off, leaving the pure hard coral. When alive, the delicate polyp flowers are seen all over the plant in little buds of six or eight rich white or creamy petals. The coral is of different colors, some being black, red or violet. The white variety is highly prized. One of the most beautiful and delicate of corals grows in long slender branches, each twig being adorned with a delicate polyp flower. When it is dead it is clear white and very hard. Still another of the interesting animal plants of the ocean gardens is the sponge. It is built by the tiny polyps, the same as the coral. When the sponge is examined under the microscope, it is found that the substance of which it is formed is made up of sharp spicules of silica and lime and an animal secretion. This combina- tion of stone and flesh is formed in tough fibres, twined and intertwined. The struc- ture of the sponge is very porous and elas- tic when cleansed from impurities, as it must be before it is ready for the market. The color varies through all the shades of brown to a pale yellow. The shapes also differ. Some are shaped like vases or cups, but the most highly prized are the round perfect ones. They attach them- selves to rocks and coral formations, and sometimes to shrubs and sea-weed. The last but not least of the sea won- ders are the star-fishes. The common st-ar-flshes which are found on these coasts are mostly five-rayed or five- pointed. They are of a dingy yellow and