Scituate High School - Chimes Yearbook (Scituate, MA)

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21 A nickel, she answers, with llii ' altiliidc of a martyr. So down 1 fjo to search amonj; the litter of bubble fjuni, caiuiy papers, and popcorn for that elusive nickel. Arc you sure it isn ' t in your pocket? 1 ask. Oh yes, I looked, is (he positive answer. Well, look again! With a sheepish grin she pulls forth the precious nickel. Suddenly. I claj) inv hands to niy head. Mv hat is gone. Casting at the child a glance which I hope she can ' t in- terpret, 1 start the search. When my hat is in its rightful |)lace, I set out to stop the racket which always arises when my back is turned. 1 separate two especially belligerent boys. During my travels up and down the aisle, I colled no less than three odd mittens, five hats, one jacknife, and six whistles. Finally the show is over and everyone leaves — everyone, that is, except me, one dog, one hysterical mother who can ' t find her son, one bawling boy who can ' t find his mother (fortunately they match I , nine children who can ' t find various articles. At last I trudge wearily home and sink into a chair. What are the first words that greet me? Anne, you forgot to clean your room. Do it inmiedi- ately ! Flying Cloud jack Stark, ' 51 A Yankee ship came down the river; Her spars were gold, her sails were silver. Her bow was sharp, her decks were clean; Of sailing ships she was the queen. Her captain, no doubt, was very proud, For this ship was the Flying Cloud. Early Life Saving Robert F raser, ' 51 Not many people know of the Coast Guard or of its origin ; they simply take it for granted. The Coast Guard was started in 1790 by Alexander Hamilton. At first it consisted of a few revenue cutters which were used to collect taxes evaded by the smugglers. Since then the activities of the Coast Guard have been extended until they now contain iceberg patrol, destroying derelicts, guarding convoy and keeping submarine patrol in time of war, and finally the activity that has made them famous — lifesaving. The lifesaving work of the Coast Guard didn ' t come until lt)48 when a lifeboat station was erected in New Jersey. The first lifesavers were the members of the Massachusetts Humane Society. This societ) was started in 1787 by Doctor Moyes, a blind phy- sician, with the help of a few of his friends. The first thing they did was to build houses of refuge for shi|)w recked survivors. The first four were built at Marshficld. Lymi, Lovell ' s Island, and Nantasket. These houses were so often ransacked by crooks that keepers had to be a.ssigned to them. During storms, boats were needed to assist the survivors to shore; so in 1807 the first life- boat was pla(;ed at the Cohasset station. This lifeboat proved so effective that by 1860 ninety- two similar stations had been erected along the coast. The greatest lifesaver of them all was Joshua James, who served in the Massachusetts Humane Society from the age of fifteen to his death. In those sixty years he saved over 700 persons from death. Joshua James ' s greatest accomplishment was during the Gale of 1888 when he rescued twenty-nine persons in below-freezing weather in twenty-four hours. The lifeboat station erected at Cohasset in 1807 is still standing. Its lifeboat, a whaleboat with cork floats, has long since rotted away. This station stands on a little rise off Atlantic Avenue. From the station you can see along Nantasket, over to Boston Harbor and up to Cape Ann, as well as parts of Inner Boston Harbor. Towards the East are the open sea, the Ghost Walk fog- bank, and Cape Cod. Down the coast can be seen the shore to Manomet Head. The land upon which the station stands is nothing but a rocky ledge; while out to sea are exposed rocks. These ledges must have given the lifesavers quite a time during bad storms. Little by little the Coast Guard bought up these Humane Lifeboat Stations for two reasons. One reason was that the Society couldn ' t keep the sta- tions well equipped; and the second reason, that the members were volunteers. As far as I know, none of these lifeboat stations have been torn down. Some are still standing and others have been rebuilt for the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has proved to be needed just as much as an army or an air force. God Nancy D wight, ' 51 Who is God? What does He do? Where does He live? Does He know you? What does He love? What does He fear? What does He see? What does He hear? God is our Lord. Whom we all love. He has his own home, Which is up above.

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20 realizing more fully the meaning of school spirit. All these give us the wonderful feeling of belong- ing. We begin to feel like part of the school; it becomes our second home and we enjoy living up to the standards we are trying to set. To be awarded a varsity letter or service pin is a great honor to the receiver. It stands for the recognition by the school of his loyalty and good sportsmanship: it also gives him the opportunity to realize that he has become part of the school which will mean so much to him as time goes on. On the whole, school spirit is closely connected with loyalty. The only difference is that school spirit is the action by which we show our school loyalty. Have you ever seen grown men take their hats off and stand solemnly when their school or college alma mater was played? If this isn ' t loyalty, what is it? Out of our loyalty, which has been the product of interest, enthusiasm, and school spirit, Avill grow a feeling of satisfaction which has no equal. We shall be proud of all that our school has stood for. and we shall always remember the little in- cidents which will make our school life come back to us in fond memory. Saturday Afternoon at the Movies from the Usher ' s Viewpoint Anne Nitzsche, ' 51 There is more to the job of ushering at the movies on Saturday afternoon than meets the eye. Here is an account of my weekly sojourn in — well, you read it and see what you think. Arriving at the theatre. I dash to the dressing room to lay aside my coat and don my uniform. As I cheerfully greet the manager, I am invari- ably confronted with the annoying question. Anne, where is your hat? I rush to put on that part of m uniform which is to cause me so much trouble, and then I )3repare to man my battle station at the head of the aisle. The doors are opened and the stampede is on. Would you please remove your hats, boys, is my first re- minder. Why do we have to? You re wearing one, is the answer. I wearily reply, You have to take off )our hats because all gentlemen do when they enter a theatre. You are gentlemen I hope, but I am not. When that is settled, my wary eyes spot iwo children fighting. Come on, stop your fight- ing, I bark. Then I duck some popcorn boxes that come flying from another direction. Who threw those? I angrily demand. When the cul- prit is found, I give him firm warning, and then I ' m off to find out who spilled a box of popcorn. Realizing by the expression on the boys ' faces that it was no accident, I hand the broom to the guiltiest-looking one, and the dustpan to his ac- complice with the firm command. Sweep it up! Finally the lights go off and the show is on amid wild cheering and shrill whistles which I try in vain to quell. Where do you want to sit? ' I inquire of some late stragglers. i h, where do vou want to sit? ' savs Jane to Mary. Well. I don ' t care. Wherever vou want is O.K. Is down front all right? Yah, but not too close. We ' ll sit down front, says Jane to me. O.K., says I untwiddling my thumbs. How ' s this? ' Well — what do you think? says Jane to Mary. Um, um. a little closer. So we proceed a little farther. How ' s this? I ask a little grimly. O.K. Ooh look. Mary! Bugs Bunny! Sh! I say, trying to tone down their squeals of glee. However, Bugs Bunny proves too fas- cinating to resist, so I start to walk backwards up the aisle, only to trip over a child who finds the floor more comfortable than a seat. Oh, I ' m sorry. Are you all right? is my anxious in- quiry. When I receive a disgruntled yes for an answer, I proceed to lecture the child. You mustn ' t sit on the floor. The next time somebody trips over you, you ' ll probably be hurt. Now, where were you sitting? With my sister. And where is your sister? I dunno. Well, come on, let ' s look for her. 1 don ' t wanna. Why? She hit me. Were you a bad boy? I only just put my gum in her hair. Well, let ' s go find her and tell her )ou re sorry. The brother and sister reconciled. I perk up my ears to find out where the talking is coming from. When I think I have found the source. I flash my light in that direction to find an irate woman returning my glare with equal hostility. I beg my pardon with alacrity. As 1 continue down the aisle, flashing my light on various offenders, a little girl comes up to me and says, I lost my money. Well, I ' ll help you find it. How much did you lose?

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22 iMe§ But though He ' s above. He knows what we do. He watches the old And welcomes the new. A Pilgrim ' s Day in Old Scituate Ann McAulifje, ' 53 Mary Matthews woke to the sound of the wind howling around her window. The cabin was very quiet as she lay comfortably in bed. She thought of the long and hard trip she. her mother, father, and little brother had gone through on the way from England to the newly-discovered America in the Mayflower. They had arrived safely and had begun a small settlement which they called Plymouth. There had been many hardships, but they had overcome them and it was all rather exciting. She remembered how later a group had decided to venture farther up the coast for better farming land. They found a good spot and made a settlement which they called Scituate. Now she could hear her father piling wood into the large fireplace. Her mother was up, and her little brother was crying. She jumped out of bed and hurriedly got into her clothes. Her bedroom was very cold, and her warming pan which heated her bed had become cold long ago. She went out to the large kitchen, the center of their family life. The fire was blazing, and wonderful aromas filled the kitchen. It was her job to go to the brook for water: so she started out. She came back to a wonderful breakfast of homemade bread, porridge, and milk from their old cow. After breakfast her father went into the forest to cut wood while she helped her mother with the baby and the chores. Everything was done by hand : so it took all morning to do the chores. After lunch it was time for school. School was held at the minister ' s cabin because as yet no school house had been built in the settlement. It was really quite a privilege for Mary to be able to go because girls usually were not allowed to go to school. But the people had permitted it because there were so few young girls in the settlement. It was a mile ' s walk to the minister ' s cabin. The subjects which were taught were reading, writing, arithmetic, and Latin. The teacher was very strict and before the afternoon was over someone would be sure to get a good strapping for misbehavior. At four o ' clock school was over and the long walk home was ahead of Mary. When she arrived home, her mother was al- ready preparing supper and she began making bread. After supper was time for relaxation. The fire was blazing and the room was warm. Her little brother was sleeping quietly, her mother was spinning, and her father was reading the Bible aloud while Mary listened attentively. When bedtime came, she got her warming pan, kissed her mother and father good night, and set off for her cold bedroom. She loved this new country and she was going to do all she could to help it to grow strong. THE TEST George Mitchell, ' 50 I was led into the room with my eyes covered by a blindfold. 1 wanted to forget the whole business and get away with my life, but it was too late. I was in their hands now. but I can ' t say that I didn ' t ask for it. I had been warned by many of my friends that 1 would be treated without mercy by these heartless creatures. Oh, how I longed for the solitude of my little room- ing house. But no. I had to aspire for bigger things: 1 thought that 1 could take some small discomfort in order to get the resulting honor. The discomfort did not seem so small to me now, but 1 had kept on where others had faltered, knowing that it would come to this. As I stood there, blindfolded, with the gang around me. I wondered what special kind of tor- ture would be inflicted on me. I had heard that the gang had ways of learning each person ' s special weakness or fear, and devised a torture that would play on this defect. 1 wondered if they knew mine. Some of the voices around me were strangely familiar. A very familiar voice, obviously heav- ily disguised said, Let ' s take him for an airplane ride. I felt like crying out in anguish. They had discovered my weakness! Since I was a boy. I had had a dread of high places: so you can imagine how I felt about an airplane ride! Besides, where were they taking me? Get in the plane, a gruff voice interrupted my thoughts. 1 was led to the plane, and told to step up. Two of the mobsters allowed me to steady myself by resting my hands on their shoulders. I stepped on something that seemed like a board of some sort. Hold on to our shoulders, for you ' re going up, said one of the men. Suddenly 1 felt the plane lift off the ground. I wasn ' t worried until the shoulders I was lean- ing on began to slip farther and farther below, so that 1 could no longer rest on them, and I had to balance myself as best I could. Then the plane started rocking precariously. Hold ' er steady, pilot. I said, in an obviously shaky voice. I then got an indication of how high I was,