Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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THE CHIMES 9 what he could not write by day. Another copyist added this: ' ' He who does not know how to write, imagines it is no labor; but, al- though only three fingers hold the pen, the whole body grows weary. ' ' Theirs was hard work, but the monks rendered the greatest service to mankind. Should we not hold almost reverence toward these treasures which are our Open Sesames? These companions are able to take us to the remotest lands, to let us speak with the greatest of men and women. There is a society continually open to us, of people who will talk to us as long as we like, whatever our rank or occupation; — talk to us in the best words they can choose, and of the things nearest their hearts — kings and statesmen lingering patiently, not to grant audience, but to gain it, Ruskin tells us. Books inform us about the trials of the past, and the developments of today; they show us the beauties an,d misfortunes of life; but best of all, they stimulate our minds and let us use our almost dormant imaginations. Up in the attic, a l:)lustering March wind blowing through the invisible cracks and sometimes sending out into the room spirals of smoke from the cheerful Franklin fireplace in front of which I am curled up on an old springless sofa, I am living again with Luc Manette of the Tale of Two Cities, and am traveling on a dirty boat to meet a l roken man — my father — whom I do not know. Again I am seeing the horrible guillotine take its penalty and am in the dirty prison with Sidney Carton as he rescues Charles Darney — I am far away, entirely lost. ON THE RISE AND DECLINE OF POPULAR SONGS Ruth Spear, ' 34 It is interesting to follow the rise and decline of a popular song. When a song is first written, especially if it is a catchy, appealing jingle, all the orchestras play it, every instrument wails it, crooners murmur it, male and female groups harmonize it (usually torturing it,) and everywhere you can hear it hummed or sung. In street cars, on the street, in shops, in theatres, — everywhere this song pen- etrates. The stage show or motion picture that the song originated from is patronized because of this infectious tune. Music stores get many calls for the song and the composer makes a great fortune be- cause of his inspiration. In dance halls it is played four or five times in one evening by popular request, or if you wish, demand. People work to it, .dance to it, ride to it, and play to it. It is not unusual to hear the piece on every radio program during the day. Some- times it doesn ' t sound the same as the composer intended it to; it

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8 THE CHIMES COMPANIONS Bett) ' Bartington, ' 35 I can think of nothing so cleHghtful as spending several hours among books — old, musty, famous books, new, illustrious, and glam- orous books. A book store has a certain fascination. Once you walk into it, you l)ecome a part of it, carefully lifting the volumes from their shelves, and with a most exciting feeling, looking again into the heart of an old acquaintance. A book that you really love will hold you spellbound for many long hours. Little do you care for warmth, nor do you notice where you are seated. You are traveling in Paris with the author or crying your heart out with Hugo ' s Cossette, who has been mis- treated; or you are happy and careless with Don Quixote. Other- times you are making the l eautiful scenes of Rio de Janeiro a pare of your life; or you are on the deck of a four-masted schooner braving a gale, or in the heart of the desert with Lawrence during an Arab attack. Never do I see a book without thinking of its struggle for exis- tence. Long ago the Bal)ylonians wrote their accounts of events upon pressed clay with sharp instruments which were difficult to handle. Later they used harder substances, such as wood, ivory, or lead, until the Egyptians found that by crudely placing papyru-s reeds together they could have a smooth sheet on which they could write and draw. The monks of the monastaries in heat or severe cold meticulously copied with a quill the words of the authors. Very often at the end of a book the monks would write a colophon such as this for the reader : I pray you good readers who may use this book, ,do not forget him who copied it (which was brought from a foreign country) endured cold, and was obliged to finish in the night

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10 THE GHIMEiS may be so distorted with boo-ba-boos, hot chas, etc., that it is barely recognizable. That is the picture of a popular song during its day. But — after two or three months it is heard only occasionally, if at all. The music stands under three inches of dust on the piano and is forgot- ten. How can you account for the sudden decline of a song that was so tremendously popular in its day ? Perhaps the old songs have to make way for the new ones that are constantly being written. The new one is perhaps smoother to dance to. Possibly the restlessness of this generation accounts for their changing favor. People are always turning toward something new. More plausibly, after hear- ing a song tortured by many would-be harmonizers, people get so sick of it that they turn the radio off at its announcement. But how do you account for the fact that songs like The Rosary, Home Sweet Home, The Bells of Saint Mary, and many others similar to these are treasured and sung for years after their introduc- tion? A comparison of the nature of the songs just mentioned and that of the briefly popular songs may result in an understanding. The beauty of the old songs is not ruined by many playings, while the currently popular, changing songs of today satisfy the jazz- loving youth only for a 1)rief while. NIGHT Harriet Poland, ' 34 The night silently steals o ' er the land; The moon in her stateliness sweeps through the sky; The stars gleam aloft in resplendent array, I love the night. The night is clear, cool, sparkling; Still breezes are wafted through the whispering trees ; Silvery moonbeams bedeck the world in shimmering loveliness, T love the night. Mr. Stewart: Did you take a showier? Ouinn ; No, sir, but if it ' s missing, I ' ll help you look for it. ' Peter; I met the laziest man in the world today. Herbert; ' Hov.- does it feel to be ex-champicn?