Somerville High School - Radiator Yearbook (Somerville, MA)

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SO SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RADIATOR. The Death of the Old Year. Selected from Tennyson. Full knee-deep lies the winter snow, And the winter winds are wearily sighing: Toll ye the church-bell, sad and slow, And tread softly and speak low; For the old year lies a-dying. Old year, you must not die; You came to us so readily, You lived with us so steadily; Old year, you shall not die. He lieth still; he doth not move; He will not see the dawn of day; He hath no other life above; He gave me a friend and a true, true love, And the Ncw-year will take them away. Old year, you must not go; So long as you have been with us, Such joy as you have seen with us,— Old year, you shall not go. He frothed his bumpers to the brim ; A jollier year we shall not see. But though his eyes are waxing dim, And though his foes speak ill of him, He was a friend to me. Old year, you shall not die; We did so laugh and cry with you, Pve half a mind to die with you, Old year, if you must die. He was full of joke and jest. But all his merry quips are o'er. To see him die, across the waste His son and heir doth ride post-haste, But he'll be dead before. Every one for his own. The night is starry and cold, my friend, And the Ncw-year blithe and bold, my friend. Comes up to take his own. How hard he breathes! Over the snow I heard just now the crowing cock. The shadows flicker to and fro, The cricket chirps, the light burns low,— 'Tis nearly twelve o'clock. Shake hands before you die. Old year, we'll dearly rue for you, What is it we can do for you ? Speak out before you die. His face is growing sharp and thin; — Alack ! our friend is gone. » Close up his eyes, tie up his chin, Step from the corpse, and let him in That standeth there alone, And waiteth at the door. There's a new foot on the floor, my friend, And a new face at the door, my friend, A new face at the door.

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SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RADIATOR. 79 New Members of the S. H. L. Faculty. Miss A. Florence Moulton, recently appointed secretary and librarian in the Latin School, was a teacher in the High School at Haverhill. Mass., in the departments of Latin and history. Formerly MISS A. FLORENCE MOULTON. she taught Latin in Chelsea High School. Miss Moulton is a native of Portsmouth. X. 11.. gradu- ated from Dover High School, and attended the State Normal School at Salem. Mass. MISS BESSIE D. DAVIS. Miss Bessie D. Davis, who has lately been made secretary to the E. H. S., was born in Somerville, and attended its public schools. A graduate of the Latin High School in the class of t)5, she entered Radcliffe College, and was graduated from there in 1S99, with the degree of A. B. Since leaving col- lege, she has been assistant principal and teacher oi languages in the High School at Chatham, X. Y. She has also taught at the State Industrial School, Lancaster. Mass. Her many friends will be pleased to learn of her new appointment. George Winburn Earle, who has been elected to the head of the department of chemistry, corner from the Classical and High School of Salem. Mass., where he had charge of the departments o! physics and chemistry. Mr. Earle has had an ex- perience of over ten years in science teaching, and foi several years before his appointment at Salem he was principal of the Hitchcock Free Academy at Brimfield. Mass. While Mr. Earle is an enthusiast in his own do MR. GEORGE WINBURN EARLE. partment, and expects to make the teaching ol chemistry his life’s work, he takes a great interest in electricity, and has made considerable research with Hertzian waves,” and experimented wit!» wireless telegraphy between different cities. Mr. Earle is a native of the state of Maine, a graduate of Dartmouth College, and has done pos. graduate work at Harvard and at Clark University. ---------------------------------------- “Young man. asked the proprietor of the store, “how can vou afford to dress so elaborately and ex- pensively on the salary we pay you?” I can't.” gloomily answered the salesman; “I ought to have more salary.”—Chicago Tribune.

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SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RADIATOR. 81 THE WAGER OF TALLIENUS. Frank O. Vose, L. H. S., '04. Rome was a mighty city in the reign of the Caesars It had many a mile of streets and ave- nues reaching out into the surrounding country, until no one could tell where the city ended, al- though every soul knew that its centre was on a hill at the capitol. Far from the capitol. but still within the city, was the amphitheatre, or circus, where the most wonderful shows were given that the world has ever witnessed. There were held chariot and running races; gladiators of even- nation met in deadly combat: wild animals were made to tight by thousands; and the vast sandy area of the arena was often stained with blood of men and beasts. In one of the outbuildings of the circus, adjoin- ing the great dens of wild beasts, was a kind of jail, in which were kept the men who were in train- ing for the races and combats. Many of these were mere slaves put there by their owners, in the hope that some time, in a race or combat, they might win a prize for their masters. Among the slaves was a youth. Castor by name, who in his appearance seemed a Greek. Castor was a slave of a Roman senator. He was stolen from his home at Athens when about twelve years of age by a villainous uncle and carried on a ship to Rome, where he was sold to a Roman noble, named Tallienus. He had for six years been at labor in the house of Tallienus. and had been given the care of the pet animals of Flavia, his mistress. One day Tallienus said to Castor. “Last night at the banquet of Tullius, the senator, my bitter enemy, the braggart Claudius, wagered me a for- tune that I had not even the sense to train a com- mon runner. Tn the heat of his statement T ac- cepted his wager, and my good name s now at stake. I look to thee. Castor, to save thv master. To-morrow thou wilt be put in the circus to train for the races. If thou dost win. T give mv solemn promise as a Roman thou shalt be made a free man!” It was on the first day of the week when Castor was marched out of the prison with a gang of nearly fourscore others »o sec. in the presence of the august ruler of the Roman empire, how many of them were really fit to run for a prize. “Run thy best, thou Syrian panther,” said Tallienus to Castor, as he came out of the prison, “or sorrow will wait thv return! Castor had no thought of failure, for his master was a kind man and he did not want him ruined on his account. He said to himself as the runners gathered at the starting line: “T am sorrv for those who do not keep up with the race: thev perhaps will be scourged or sorrow will fill their homes.” The word was given and the runners were off. One Roman, whom Castor recognized as hav- ing seen in his master's house, mounted on a horse, cantered briskly along with the runners, and seemed to be intently watching them. Away went Castor, as light of foot as a wild roe. and the Roman on the horse was compelled to put the spurs to his nag. which was somewhat a clumsy steed. On. on. around the circus oval, and still the rider spurred his horse. Hut as they returned to the starting point, no runner was near them, for Castor was four horse-lengths ahead. Most noble Regulus, thou friend of Claudius,” came the sneering laugh from the lips of Tallienus. thou hast need of a better horse if thou art to beat my Syrian panther I will wager thee a thousand sestertia, he wins the race against thy barbarous Scythian! Taken! Aisnax can beat him!” shouted the angry Regulus. Castor had once while in the prison spoken with the Scythian boy. who was supposed to be his rival; he had learned that he had won prizes twice before in the circus: but now they were kept apart, by order of the prefect of the games, and no other trial of speed was permitted until the day of the races. The circus was a great spectacle for the people of Rome: but none of the men who were to strive in the arena were allowed to witness other per- formances. They, like the lions and wild beasts, were kept in their dens until it was time for them to play their part. Then thousands were to go out to die. but the races came before the more barbarous combats. Just before the hour of the race, the owners of the slaves who were to run and certain men of distinction were admitted to »he rooms where the runners were gathered. Among those Castor recognized Regulus. Aisnax turned pale, for the expression on the face of Regulus was dark and stern. Tie advanced and said unfeelingly to his noble bondsman:— “I promised thee a favor if thou wert among the first four. Xow. T tell thee if thou art not there T will send thee to the gallcvs for life or slav thee. Tf thou art onlv there. T will give thee a prize, but if thou wilt win the race. T will give thee life and liberty.” The Scythian boy heard in silence, for Regulus had twice before made the same promise, but he was too much of a gambler to keep his word. The trumpet sounded at the door, opening into the arena, and four lines of runners, ten in each rank, came forth, each man's place being decided by lots drawn from a box. The amphitheatre all around the oval level of ih •