Somerville High School - Radiator Yearbook (Somerville, MA)

Page 16 text:

10 SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RADIATOR Poor People George Clarke, P. G. “Yes, said Mrs. Murphy as she eased her elbows to a more comfortable position on the back fence. “It’s toim we got a little swell. We arn’t down and outers even if we don’t live in such an illigant neighborhood.” “Oh, it’s illigant enough for me aven if I don’t kape a tin rattle in me back yard,” re- joined her neighbor, Mrs. Dugan, “and I warn yer, Kate, that it won’t be long before you’ll be good and glad to get rid of that thing if yer can. Poor people like us cain’t afford to kape cars.” “Poor people!” That galled Kate Murphy. Hadn’t she and Jim two hundred dollars in the bank, and wasn’t Jim getting thirty dollars a week working in the boiler factory? Poor people! She wasn’t going to stand for that; so she thrust her nose in the air and walked like a duchess up the back steps and into the house, leaving Mrs. Dugan leaning on the fence, apparently very well satisfied with her ideas on domestic economy. The cause of all this unpleasant conversation lay in front of the rather dilapidated tenement house in which the Murphys resided. Jim Mur- phy had purchased it the day before for the stupendous sum of fifty dollars; and .so far it had at least steadily, if not noiselessly, con- sented to go. Though it well matched the house in appearance, it took the proportions of a limousine in the eyes of the Murphys. At any rate they seemed to be determined to make the most of it, for it soon became a most familiar object on the street; so familiar in fact that the neighboring housewives forgot to rush to their respective windows when a weird mixture of squeaks, rattles, and honks heralded the fact that the Murphys were starting out on an adventure. The children darted back and forth in front of it, as if through long acquain- tance they had lost all fear of being harmed by this four-wheeled monster. In such a manner things continued for the space of a month, in which time Mrs. Dugan saw little of Kate Murphy. One fine Monday, however, both good ladies happened to be busied in the same occupation at the very same time, that of hanging out the family wash. At first they did not seem to be aware of one another, but Mrs. Dugan, noticing a dejected atmosphere hanging about her former friend, could not resist from conversation. “And how be yer, Kate, this foin day?” she called out. Kate, who was occupied at suspending a stocking by the toe, gave a start, then put her hands on her hips and gazed fixedly but not angrily for a full minute at the surprised Mrs. Dugan, following which she suddenly burst into tears. “Why, dearie, what’s the matter?” condoled Mrs. Dugan as she hurried into the Murphy yard, “has somebody died in the family or has jist Jim been batin’ yer?” “Shure, it’s matter enough,” sobbed Kate, “we’re all headed for the poor house—Jim’s went and spint every blessed cint we have on that auld piece of junk and—and—and now he says we’ad better get—t—t rid of it!” and here she burst into a flood of tears. Mrs. Dugan, as if crying were contagious, was herself choking, but she managed to an- swer Kate in a comforting voice. “Now dearie, don’t take it so hard,” she al- most whispered, “it isn’t like you wasn’t warned beforehand, and you’ll be much better off without that no-good thang, but—,” and here her voice changed, “if Jim wants to sell it real bad, maybe my man might buy it, be- cause he was jist sayin’ yesterday that we couldn’t hope to kape in with the swells any longer if we didn’t have a car, and Pat’s al- ways right.” The pupils of Somerville High School extend their sympathy to MR. CHARLES S. CLARK in his recent bereavement.

Page 15 text:

SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RADIATOR 9 Our Faculty OUR NEW TEACHERS The Radiator takes this opportunity to ex- tend the cordial welcome of the school to our new teachers, and to wish them a very profita- ble and enjoyable year. Several of our newcomers this year are grad- uates of this school. Miss Dodge, Miss Jack- son, Miss Lacount, Miss Wilson and Miss Crowne are among these. Miss Dodge has returned to us this year as a full-fledged teacher of mathematics. During the past year she was a cadet teacher here, and for this reason we feel that she has been with us for some time. Another Somerville High School graduate. Miss Jackson, comes to us from the Western Junior High School of this city. She is a grad- uate of Jackson College, and teaches Latin and English. Miss Lacount, still another graduate of this school, has taught in Amesbury, and graduated from Wellesley College. Miss Wilson, also a Somerville High School and Wellesley College graduate, has been a teacher in the Junior High Schools of this city. Miss Crowne is in her first position as a teacher since her graduation from Normal School. Miss Ellison, a teacher of English, comes to us from the Natick High School. She is a grad- uate of Middlebury College, Vermont. Miss Paul, also of the English department, taught in one of the high schools in Portland, Maine. HOW SOME OF OUR TEACHERS SPENT THE SUMMER When school reopens after the long summer vacation, there is always an ever popular de- sire in the minds of the pupils and others of the school, to know what our teachers have been doing during the summer. We find that their experiences have been many and varied. Some of them are very interesting. Several of our teachers have been attending summer schools. Miss Welch, Miss Sprague and Miss Dodge attended Harvard, and Miss Gatchell studied at Boston University. Miss Atwater was teaching in the Y. M. C. A. sum- mer school in this city. Mr. Hayward also was an instructor here, and afterward he spent a few weeks at Camp Kiwanis, South Hanson, Mass. Miss Burnham and Miss Saunders visited at Nantucket, where they spent most enjoyable vacations. Miss Tuell remained at home for the greater part of the summer. Reading history and do- ing light gardening were her chief pastimes. Miss Batt spent the summer vacationing with Miss Merrill. Mrs. Topliff toured through New York State, including the Catskill Mountains. Mrs. Hudson took various auto trips through the mountains. Miss Browne spent the summer sailing and swimming at her summer home in Maine. Miss Arrington was at Mount Washington. Miss Bowker spent her time taking auto trips. Miss Cunningham spent hers in the White Mountains. Miss Hastings was at Mount Desert Island, Maine. Miss Kenney traveled through Spain during the summer. Miss McAllister was at Sedgwick, Maine. Miss Gray had an enjoyable vacation at Peak Island, Casco Bay, Maine. Miss Cochran, very unfortunately, was in an automobile accident just prior to the opening of school. She was painfully, though not criti- cally injured. We are very glad to see her back with us again. Miss Whittaker was at her summer home at Lake Winnepesaukee. Miss Fury stayed at home most of the time. She made a short trip up the Maine Coast. Mr. Carrier was at Hancock, N. H. Mr. Hall spent his vacation at home in West Newton. Mr. Obear spent July and August at BustiiTs Island, Casco Bay, Maine. Mr. Colman spent the entire summer in Scituate. Miss Teele spent part of her vacation in North Conway, N. H. Be sure to read the ac- count of her visit to Polar Cave. MAPLEWOOD CADDY CAMP (Continued from Page 8) F. Dunspaugh, of New York, president of the Maplewood Club, turned over a farm to Mr. Franzeim to do as he saw fit. Mr. Franzeim had alterations made, and now we have sleeping quarters, a dining-room and an office here in this farmhouse. Since then a camp has been organized at Bethlehem, also under the direc- tion of Mr. Franzeim.

Page 17 text:

SOMERVILLE HIGH SCHOOL RADIATOR II A Visit to the Polar Caves, Rumney, New Hampshire HE advertisement of the Polar Caves reads in somewhat this way: “A Flace of Chills and Thrills. Don’t fail to see the wonder spot of New Hampshire.” For weeks I had been waiting for a party of people who would go south from North Conway. Everyone who came wanted to see Lost River and the Notches. But at last a group of people was as eager as I to see this newly advertised wonder. When we arrived at the reservation and were preparing for the trip through the caves, I was given the largest sized pair of maroon- colored overalls from the pile and a bright blue jumper for my outfit. A flash-light was fastened by a cord to the wrist of each member of the party. I was of course the butt of all the jokes, for the rest were all dressed in the regular knickers. One forgot, however, the minor detail of one’s appearance, when the work of climbing up and descending into the caves began. We entered first the cave which gives the name to the place. It was so low that one had to crawl in and crouch down to see the ice in the form of miniature stalactites clinging to the top. Then we went on to the “Needle’s Eye,” a very narrow entrance to another cave. Above this was a rock, shaped like the head and shoulders of a polar bear. Leaving this cave we climbed to a rock from which the huge figure of a reclining giant could be seen. We next crawled down over steep rocks into a dungeon-like cave—the Indian Council Cham- ber—large enough to hold sixty persons, where the guide told us that a .mass of two hundred and fifty feet of rock was over us. Then we came back to the light by a narrow, tortuous passage called “The Corkscrew.” At this point we saw high on the cliff a perfect form of the Masonic emblem, which we were told was not carved there, but was a natural rock formation. We followed the guide on into another deep cave where the thrill was “The Fat Man’s Slide.” One sat on a smooth rock and let one's self go down into the blackness, not knowing what the end might be. It seemed to be ex- pected that one would shriek all the way. After that, we felt that there could be no greater test of our nerves and courage. But there was still the “Lemon Squeezer,” so diffi- cult to pull one’s self through that the well- known one at Lost River pales into insignifi- cance beside it. All this, which is so brief in the telling, took a full hour to do, for besides these special stunts there was the working of one’s way in and out of the other dark caves over slippery rocks, and the climbing of many ladders. Besides the rock figures which I have men- tioned, were several others- two heads of dogs and one of a sheep, and as we left the caves, at the top of the cliff a full-length figure of a soldier. These were all as amazingly real as the Old Man of the Mountains, or the Indian Chief or the Martha Washington head at Dix- ville Notch. Our guide proposed that we climb the seven- hundred foot cliff up almost perpendicular lad- ders as a pleasant addition to our cave experi- ence, but we said: “Another day and another summer.” FLAYERS’ CLUB Friday, October 2, saw the inauguration of the fourth active season of the Somerville High School Players’ Club under the leadership of Miss Harriet Bell. The meeting was comprised of club business and a discussion of the first play to be presented this year. The club has been the recipient of many interesting dona- tions, which include a framed group of auto- graphs of the “Saint Joan” Company and a pro- gram of plays produced at the Boston Museum in 1866. Also a portrait copy of Mrs. Siddons, presented through the courtesy of Mrs. Top- liff. For the benefit of members, Miss Bell has furnished the club with a small library com- posed of books dealing with plays and play producing and current issues of the Theatre Magazine. The destinies of the Players’ Club are to be guided this year by the co-operative efforts of the new officers: President, Alden Edkins; vice- president, Pauline Baptista; secretary, Grace Sullivan: treasurer, J. Miles White; librarian,. Frances Hanson. Grace Sullivan, Secretary. IPSAS'