Siskiyou Union High School - White and Gold Yearbook (Weed, CA)

Page 31 text:

GLIMPSES OF THE OCEAN Third Prisv Essay O my mind the most interesting place to study nature is at the sea shore, for here teems a great variety of life, both large and small. It has been said that life originated and developed in the warm waters on the tropical coastsg but be that as it may, many kinds of small animal life can be found in the salt water, as well as larger kinds. The small life may best be studied during the exceedingly low and high tides of the late fall, when the rocks are covered with shells wherein lie peri- winkles, worms, and the like. Vtfhen a large animal or a human being comes near these miniature homes they quickly drop into the water with a small plop ! One day my dog was exploring in the water with his paws and nose, sniffling and snorting at the tiny waves as they tickled his nose. Seeing the periwinkle shells on the rocks, he tried to paw them into the water that he might play with them, but they clung to their refuge more closely than glue. Then, seeing numerous small shells floating about in the water, he began to pursue these, but these shells wherein lived the little periwinkles and worms, would not move so long as he was near. VVhen the danger was past, how- ever, they scrambled to safer places. Besides these small shells there are larger ones called sea-urchins. These- usually live in colonies, each one in a hole just large enough for himself. The urchins are a deep purple in color, with sharp spikes covering the whole shell. This shell is round, but slightly Hattened at the ends, usually about one and one-half to two and one-half inches in diameter. When taken from the salt water, their spikes droop and the urshin soon dies. One day when the tide was very low I had been exploring a large rock, going farther out on it than ever before, when climbing over a sharp ridge of rocks, I saw a pool of water. 'When measured with a pole I was carrying, I found it to be about six feet deep. The sides were very steep, and in niches were many sea-urchins. I could see the bottom of the pool, but since the water was in the shadow it was dihicult to count the urchins. They do not carve their homes for themselves near the surface, but deeper in the pools. It is said that they sleep in the day time and feed at night. As interesting as these smaller forms of life are to me, the most exciting are the large types of sea animals. Vlfhales often come rather close to the shore, usually for the purpose of feeding on schools of small fish. These whales can be seen spouting water several feet into the air, reminding one of a fountain suddenly turned on. Besides these great animals, several times I have seen the bodies of sea lions washed up on the beaches, but only once have I seen them near shore in the water. It was on a gray, quiet day when the fog hung heavy over the landscape but was not damp and drizzly as usual. On a high point that extended quite a distance from the land I was seated com- fortably, having eaten my lunch there with a friend. Suddenly I saw a sleek GENERAL LITERARX' SECTION IZ7l

Page 30 text:

HONOR Second Prize Essay fundamental principle of an upright character is that virtue we call honor-a virtue that implies loyalty and courage, truthfulness and honesty, trustworthiness and self-respect, justice and generosity. No wonder it has been said, Honor guards the way of life from all offense, suffered and done. Emerson says: Not gold but only 1nen can make, A people great and strongg Men who for Truth and H onor's sake, Stand fast and snjfer wrong. The man of honor keeps faith not only in others but also in himself, recog- nizing what is right and dares to fight for it both in word and action. He dis- likes cheating, lying, thievery, bribery and all dishonesty. He lives up to his promises, written and oral, and his word is as good as his bond. He is faithful in the performance of his task. Carlyle says, The post of honor is the post of difficulty, the post of danger-of death, if difficulty be not overcome. The honorable man, sooner than desert that post, will say with Addison, Better to die ten thousand deaths than Wound my honor. Nile have an old proverb which all people should keep in mind at all times: A hundred years cannot repair a moment's loss of honorf' A person put in office is put on his honor-personal and official. Trust is put in him. VVise, indeed, is the saying of George MacDonald, To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved. A high conception of honor will make a man do more than the world expects of him. It makes an Abraham Lincoln, a George Vlfashington, for instance. It is a keen sense of honor that makes people tell the truth when a falsehood would save them from a dis- agreeable situation, that keeps them faithful to their work when there is no one near to watch, or when their neglect would never he discovered. A man that agrees with Black when he says, Be true to your word. your work and your friends, our friends see the best in us and by that very fact call forth the best from us, is sure to succeed as an ofiicer. Official honor is not a small thing. Officers, above all, are subject to severe criticism. They are set as ex- amples for other people and should by all means live an honorable life. I. G. Holland gives us a description in verse of the men whom he thinks should hold our offices: God give us n-zen! A time like this demands Strong nrinds, great llearfs, trne fafitlz, and ready lmnds: Men whom the lust of office does not killq Men whom the spoils of ofice cannot buy,- lllen who possess opinions and a will,- lllen who lmzlc honor-nlen who will not lie. lX'lARlE B. MILNE '28-Fort Jones High School. l 26 l GENERAL LITERARY SECTION

Page 32 text:

tan body moving in the water about one hundred yards away. My chuni noticed it at the same time. Look ! she exclaimed excitedly. XVhat do you suppose that is? I was just as excited and puzzled as she. The forms disappeared as quickly as they had come, but not until we had seen enough to convince us that truly they were sea-lions. No matter how many times I have gone down to the sea shore-and I am not far wrong when I say I went almost every day during an entire summer-- there awaited me always new and captivating studies in nature. MARCIA SMITH '28-McCloud High School. LUMBERJACKS I love the cry of timbers, The crash of falling trees, I love the donkey's whistle, The fresh clean mountain breeze, The song of men of the forest, Carefree, happy and gay, Who never think of tomorrow W'hile they make merry today, The chug of the locomotive As it hauls the logs to the mill, The warning shout of the swampers As the Wheels roll down the hill. These and a thousand more sounds, All blended, make noisy the day, For Industry's logging the forests 5 The woods are running full sway. TOMMY LINVILLE '29--Weed High School. l281 GENERAL LITERARY SECTION