Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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20 extant in this school a band of such creatures, under the outlandish name of Camera Club. How great an opportunity for intelligent re- search must these amazing and educational in- sects have offered! ON A LOCOMOTIVE Theodore Holland, 44 In my estimation the most infernal machine ever invented by a human being is the locomo- tive or train. It breathes fire and smoke. From its ravenous-looking mouth exude noises that would deafen an ordinary mortal who had not got used to the sound. Although I have heard many argue in favor of trains. I still am not convinced that they should not be bantied from the eyes and ears of the world forever! As a child my native habitat was in such a secluded part of the L nited States that I never dreamed such a monster existed until I reached the age of learning, namely, thirteen. Now it ' s time for you to see the world, an nounced my father, one crisp day in January. Get your coat ' n ' hat and we ' ll go see the rodeo. I complied without suspecting that I was on the eve of an adventure that I would not soon forget. We tramped for two days, and on the morn- ing of the third we sighted the sclllement of North Scituate. I had made the accpiaintancc of automobiles before so the didn t bother nic much: but I did get a sort of stifif neck while peering at the skyscrapers, some of which were four stories high! Finally I heard what sounded like the howl of a wolf and the roar of a mountain lion combined into one. 1 s(jught my father for protection, but he said thai it was only the train. It suddenh tore into iew ! 1 knew at once that I w as gazing upon a dragon! Fire and smoke it breathed, all the while letting ofT hisses like a snake and roar- ing like a bull. A great crowd of people rushed forward as if to overpower the creature when it came to a panting stop, but they were all en- gulfed in its dark recesses. M father rushed along w ith the rest, and I was dragged after him. To my s urprise I was not mangled and swal- lowed, but I saw a large chair and promptly sal in it. After a while the monster got under wav. with many a creak and groan, and we were soon traveling at a terrific pace! A queer-looking individual in a uniform, not like that of the cav- alry which 1 had seen before, came up to me and said. Where ' s your fare? Now I had always thought a fair was a sort of lawn part given in the sunnner by the local church in mv community; so I said. I don ' t know. I haven ' t seen one since last summer. Before I knew what had happened. I was lying in a heap on the ground, and the creature was disappearing around a bend. Ever since then 1 do my traveling on foot and never venture near a train: and when I hear the far-off hoot of its whistle. I look to see if m rifle is primed and read . CAMOUFLAGE Amalia J. Gillespie. ' 44 W K in the world today are great users f)f camouflage. Though we may not think so, we use camouflage practically every day of our lives. The women of the world camouflage their faces in pink and white masks, long black eve- lashes, and glaring red lips. Thev camouflage their hair by pernianent waves which are defi- nitely not permanent. Now. everyone camouflages his thoughts, fo- we in America today must keep our eyes and ears open and our mouths shut. Many devices have also been made for the camouflaging of our armed forces — tanks of splotched green and brown for use in the woods, or soldiers in costumes blending with their sur- roundings. Even the ships ha e their faces lifted to meet the situation. Nature herself camouflages manv animals. White rabbits are ecpiipped with a camouflage for winter by their very whiteness. The ostrich vainly tries to camouflage himself bv hiding his head in the sand. The leopard is camou- flaged for life in the shadows of the forest bv being spotted. And greatest of all camouflagers is the mother kangaroo who hides her babies in a pouch. Nearly e ery body ' s home is camouflaged. Dirty clothes are in attracti e baskets, garbage is in a pretty can. and in some places carpets camouflage the dirt. Camouflage must be an ancient and honorable device with hypocrites for in the Bible thev speak of gilding the lily. In the famous book The Inside of the Cup. Winston Churchill had reference to camouflage when he wrote of the outside that everybody sees, and the inside into which only a few souls may peer. The outside may be golden and engraved with manv noble deeds. while the inside has never been washed. We may feel quite certain that we have never done any camouflaging in the course of our lives. However, nature disagrees vehementlv. As we see, camouflage is one of nature ' s oldest tricks.

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19 THE CAMERA BUG M. Miles, ' 43 (BXmP faiih well known by llie cognos- ceiiti that this high school is a popular stamping ground for that species of insect called photos insecta by the erudite, and Camera Bug by the un- learned. Indeed, it is said that this locality possesses all the qualifications necessary for the well-being of this most interesting bug: days containing sunshine, beginning with a sun- rise and ending with a sunset: occasional fog: a few cloudy days; snow; wind; rain, et al. Since the climate hereabouts meets these exact- ing specifications so well, it follows that this s jecies thrives reinarkabl . Authorities state that, unfortunately, it is in no danger of becom- ing extinct. Let us then take our magnif)ing glasses and spend a day in the life of this amazing creature. Today, the conditions are very auspicious; there is a sunrise, and our bug is up before most of the other species of homo, all ready to go. On the front of the insect we see a curious contrap- tion encased in a membrane and joined to the neck and shoulders by a narrow cord which has the appearance of leather. As we soon find, the membrane around the machine drops away ingeniously. The insect points his device to- wards the sunrise, and from time to time we hear mutters of f.S.6., a hundredth, infinity. Super Plenachrome ' and the like. This gibber- ish is accompanied by a metallic clicking sound. Experts have not been able to account for this. Some surmise that the machine which the insect carries is connected in some wa) with this f|ueer sound. It is interesting, although tiresome, to attempt to make words out of the mumble- jumble ritual chanted before this strange noise. We notice that it is now almost eight o ' clock, and as the younger of the species eat at approxi- mately this hour, the creature makes a mad bee- line or insecta-line for his domicile, only stop- ping to make more clicking sounds at some birds. This process is repeated at the morning meal, during which several of the young of the species submit U) the clicking. This noise, and the reason behind it. is as yet unfathomed. and a for- tune awaits the man who unveils its mystery. During the day. this operation is continually repeated. The machine is pointed at anything from a cloud to a math teacher, although the favorite subject seems to be any (jung female of the species homo, who undergo the process almost willingly. At the end of the day comes a series of proces- ses which are rarely witnessed by any except the creatures themselves. Masfjuerading as mem- bers of the species, several outsiders have been ])resent at these ceremonies, only to have been unmasked and almost killed by the strange in- sects. This account has been pieced together mainly from the last gasps of dying men. who gave their lives that science might live. A small number of insects (large congrega- tions seem to be the exception I gathers in a small room. At a signal from the leader, the light is extinguished, leaving the procedure cloaked in darkness. Gradually, as one ' s eyes become accustomed to the Stygian gloom, one sees shadowy forms bending over one of the machines. It is opened and from it is extracted a thin, rolled membrane. Muttering mystical words, the leader leans over a shallow receptacle and solenml) dips into it the membrane, now stretched out. This operation is repeated twice more. Some assert that the third receptacle is filled with a 95 ' { solution of sodium thiosul- fate. called hypo by the creatures , but of this we cannot be sure. Several miimtes afterwards the light once more shines. While regarding the membrane, held in front of the light, the insects give cries of exultation and ecstasy, and in some cases, we are told, groans of sorrow and disgust. After the membrane has dried, a process which sometimes takes as much as three hours, th( ' creatures once more enter the tinv. darkened room. This time, part of the membrane, which astoundingly is said to have lines and spots upon it, is placed in a boxlike contraption along with some whitish paper-like substance. Then the light is snapped on. and while the box is held towards it, a chant ensues, sounding like one chimpanzee, two chimpanzee, three chim- panzee, or one thousand one. one thousand two. etc. Scientists are undecided as to the significance of this rite. Then the |)aper is re- moved and plunged into the aforementioned re- ceptacles. It is then said that a curious image results, being the exact opposite of the lines and spots on the membrane, black becoming white, and white, black! After this ceremon it is the custom of these bugs to carry the negative and print, as they are called in the jargon, on their persons and to exhibit them to their fellow bugs in a boast- ful mamier. 1 ote: We have learned that there was once

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©DDimes 21 LONDON BEFORE THE WAR Frederick Veale, ' 43 IRST isiiali o tli ' ' litllo suhiiibaii town of Barking, with its brick instead of wooden houses. We leave my house and as there is no driveway, walk down a paved path throuf h the front garden into the street. The sidewalk is now the pavement and the shop at the end of the road, a sweet shop instead of a drug store. Our drugstores are chemists ' shops and sell medicine, hot water bottles and cosmetics. How- ever, this little sweet shop sells mineral waters (tonic I, candy, and Wall ' s ice cream. We turn the corner and see a fish shop on our left, and next door a greengrocer ' s. In the fish shop one can buy fried fish and french fried potatoes. They have compartment seats like those in the drugstore, and will serve with the meal tea and rolls and butter. You may take the fish and chips home with you. and it is nothing strange to buy a penny worth of chips. The greengrocer ' s next door is a vegetable shop, where one buys vegetables and fruit. One thing is missing, and that is squash, for we never have that in England. The proprietor is a cock- ney who gives his prices in a typical fashion : The ' taters — oh, tenner er pound, lady. This is sixpence or twelve cents, but then there is no uniformity in our money. The coins one wants to get rid of are threepenny pieces ( 6 cents), for they are twelve-sided and very cum- bersome. Just here we see a white sign with a red band: this is the bus sto|) and here we wait. The bus coming now is ours, for it is going to Marylebon. It is a two-decker bus with the top enclosed and painted silver; it is petrol (gasoline I driven and is coloured bright red. The driver is in a little compartment by himself, and at night pulls down a small blind (shade I behind him to sto|) the interior light reflecting on the wind- shield. There is no door on the alighting platform at the back and no place for one ' s nickels. Instead, the conductor collects the money and gives a stamped ticket in return. The tickets are dif- ferently |)riced. and are stamped by means of a |junch. We are going to Aldgate, and so pay fourpence. or eight cents. We go upstairs to the top deck and sit in the front seats to get a better view. After leaving Barking, we are soon in Poplar, which is the East End, and where a family lives in a single room. Just past here is Linichuuse, wlicre inostl) oriental jieople live. This district is so tough that the policemen walk in pairs and are armed, with a patrol car nearby. The East Side of New York is just as bad, but has more modern buildings. We go on the underground railway at Aid- gate, and here again there are no turnstiles for nickels. This station is very modern with mas- sive stairways and white-tiled sides. Here we catch a train to Charing Cross, and after going down another flight of steps, catch the tube. which is a smaller train. We go on the Picca- dilly line to Piccadily Circus, which is not a vild animal show. As you come out of the tube, ou ask me what all those women are doing around the figure of Cupid in the middle. We go over and they are selling violets in typical charwomen language and are pretty good sales- men. After walking around the rotary circle, we take the first road on the right and come to the well-known movie theatre. Dominion. On our left is Oxford Street, which is jammed with the usual amount of traffic. The large building with the great golden clock is Selfridge ' s which is extremely popular for sales. It is bigger than Stearns in Boston, and probably makes the most money of any store in London. We now feel thirsty, and seeing a milk bar nearby, go in and have a milk shake. These milk bars are the first signs of the American soda fountains. We go into Hyde Park and see the cars driving through, while sheep graze on the grass on one side. In the driveway I remem- ber once watching the coach of the Duke and Duchess of Kent as they went on their honey- moon. The escorting horse guards looked very striking on their well-groomed horses. We enter Park Lane and see Grosvenor House. This hotel has a marvelous fairy-like ballroom, with soft lights, great mirrors and marvelously carpeted stairs. After admiring the old houses in the lane, we decide to go to Trafalgar Square. Here we see a great column with four lions seated at the bottom, and the great Nelson stand- ing at the top. Around this are four great fountains which are continuously kept going. The people who sell bread crumbs do a marvel- ous business, for the pigeons perch on one ' s shoulder or hand to eat the food. They are so tame that they will remain there, and prove a great attraction.