South High School - Black and Gold Yearbook (Winston Salem, NC)

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.. . PROPHECY OF IANUARY CLASS, l937 lean Simpson The scene is the colossal, magnificent, stupendous, gigantic World's Fair in New York city, and the time, a few years after the present. Amid the noise that always issues from a Fair midway, we find cautiously walk- ing along, stopping every few minutes, and peering about, Mrs. David Lanier, formerly Miss Estelle Kimel, who seems to have lost Mr. Lanier some way or other. As she looks about she sees walk- ing along a very quaint figure-quaint in that she is walking slowly as if in a daze. Estelle recognizes her as Louise Lineback. Louise, it seems, has become a very famorus poet and is composing a poem about the glamour of the midway. As they stand talking they look up at a ferris wheel and see on the very top seat lean Simpson with a spy glass--of all things-to her eyes. She's standing upright in her seat. Whoops! Louise and Estelle both exclaim, She's lost her balance, she is falling. No, she caught herself. The ride stops and Iean comes toward them. Well, well, well! she ex- claims, fancy meeting you here-I'd love to talk but you see I have to make a deadline at twelve and its nine now! let's see, oh, yes-You see I'm a collumist and you just get ooddles of things here and l've just got to rush. So long! And off she dashes leaving two breathless persons behind. And just then there comes into sight a Paris poodle dog, followed by a long chain attached to-of all people-Alma Brooks. Girls, she says, l'm delighted to see you. How do you like Gertie? I picked him up on one of my trips abroad. You see I'm very fond of travel. The three friends, deciding to see something, together, enter a hluge tent. In the middle of the ring, clad in a scar- let, blue, orange, and green suit is Wil- BLACK AND GOLD burn Manuel, the most famous clown of the century. Looking around the ring they see Mr. and Mrs. C. F. Cooke. Mrs. Cooke is raising a racket that is drowning out all the other noises in the tent. Mr. Cooke is looking about very sheepishly. Louise Alma, and Estelle hold their sides and exclaim, A perfect hen-pecked hus- band. Leaving the tent, they run into Opal Lancaster. Cpal is a picture out of a fashion magazine. She tells them she is a fashion expert in a store and gives the name of Saks on Fifth Avenue. They wander on, and who comes into sight but Octa Cooke. Octa has a very business-like look about her, so they are not very much surprised to hear her say she is a secretary, but when she says she's the secretary to the Mayor of New York they fairly gasp for breath. They enter a huge exhibit hall of a certain tobacco firm and find one of the directors talking about the merits of good tobacco in a cigarette. And who is the director, but Bill Knott. Bill blushed when they asked him how he attained success and said, I owe it all to my English teacher, Miss Dunganf' Hearing an exciting commotion, they rush to see what has occurred. They find a group of female fans grouped abofut Romeo M. B. Byrd, the idol of the sil- ver screen. M. B. waves a wan hand of salute as he is fairly borne down the lane by avid autograph-hunters. just then Mr. Lanier rushes up and Es- telle gives him one of those wifey stares which mean, lust wait 'till I get you home, and the friends part and go their respective ways. The stars twinkle in the same way, calm and vundisturbed, as if this famous meeting had never occurred--as indeed it may never! Page seventy-three 1 M

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-es 'L . L 1 ,- HISTORY OF NORTH CAROLINA HIGH SCHOOLS Octa Cook, Historian Since this is the hundredth anniver- sary of the public schools of North Caro- lina, we of North High have chosen the topic HISTORY OF NORTH CARO- LINA SCHOOLS instead of HIST- ORY OF OUR CLASS . The first form of public education in North Carolina was that provided for the destitute orphans. Various citizens promised to take orphans and teach them a trade and to read and write along with other children in the family. In 1776 the first free school was estab- lished in Newbern. lt was financed by a one cent tax on each gallon of rum carried up the Neuse River. Although the original Constitution of 1776 had made it possible through the legislature to establish schools, nothing was done until 1825 when the act creat- ing the Literary Fund was passed. The principal support was a combination of local taxation and income from the Lit- erary Fund. In 1850 Calvin H. Wiley introduced into the House of Commons a bill to provide for the appointment of a Superin- tendent of Common Schools. In 1852, Wiley was appointed the first Superin- tendent of Common Schools. Wiley's task as the first superinten- dent was not easy. In spite of all the difficulties, Calvin H. Wiley went for- ward and out of apparent chaos built the foundation of the present education system in North Carolina. Probably no better view of the educa- tional status at the inception of the state school system is given anywhere than that presented by Wiley in his first ann- ual report in 1853. The children of all grades and classes, in Wiley's day, were all together in one class. The teacher taught the children out of any books they had, Wiley did not like this idea so he wrote a book for Page seventy-two the children, The children were put into classes after this book was written. Wiley wished to establish a school in each section of the country. The people who had been sending their children to boarding school gave money to these public schools. By this method all the children in that section of the country were able to go to school. Although the statistical data contained in this first State Superintendent's report are very meagre compared to a report of the present Superintendent of Public Instruction, it does show certain inter- esting facts concerning the progress of schools and education in the state. In 1840, there were 2 colleges and universities, 141 academies, and 14,937 other schools. There were 56,609 whites over 20 years of age who could not read and write. ln 1850, the enrollment had increased greatly: there were 100,591 children en- rolled in the common schools. The re- port of 1853 showed 177,629 children had enrolled in 70 counties, and 85,322 children taught. The average salary per month was from S9 to 536, and very few of the teachers were properly licensed. Many serious difficulties had been en- countered, and notwithstanding these,and notwithstanding the imperfect organiza- tion of the system, and a partial neglect of the State, the schools have made a continued though slow progress. The following paragraph might well be said today, it would be just as appli- cable as it must have been when Wiley was superintendent: Our position is not high, but in no country on earth can greater industrial, commercial, and educational progress be made in the next years than it is in our power easily to accomplish for North Carolina. fContinued on page 1971 BLACK AND GOLD

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53? AQ X LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT IANIIARY CLASS 1937 Bill Knott We, the members of the Ianuary, 1937, graduating class of North High, being of strong minds and character, having been strengthened by our absolute knowledge of history, do hereby pub- lish our last will and testament: Article I To members of the faculty we express our sincere thanks for patience in help- ing 'us during our stay at North High, and we do graciously forgive them for the headaches and homework they have given us. Article II To the class of Iune, 1937, we leave our athletic ability which was the back- bone of our noble class. Article III We give and bequeath to our re- spected and beloved principal a twig of forget-me-nots, so that when teachers are needed, the class of Ianuary, 1937 will be remembered. Article IV To Iohn Wooten we sadly bequeath that art of talking just as much as Flet- cher Fulp, and we trust that Iohn will be excused from just as many classes on account of it. Article V To Lillian Currin we will, with keen joy, Red Manuel's penetrating under- standing of literature. Article VI We will to the entire class of Ifune, Page seventy-four 1937, Estelle Kimel's excellent motto: To ask questions is the way to find out. Article VII We leave to M. B. Byrd's desk a long and much needed rest. Article VIII We bestow, grant, and convey to Moir Lancaster, C. F. Cook's Dancing Hall, which has been a great asset to him in teaching the fair ones the pro- per way to dance. Article IX To the class of Iune, 1937, we will our senior dignity. May they wear it welll Article X We joyfully will and bequeath to the class of Iune, 1937, all of our dear fac- ulty who will always cherish fond mem- ories of us, and we sincerely believe that they will change their disposition for the better toward the next senior class. We hereby constitute and appoint the Golden Dragon of North High sole executor of this our last will and test- ament made under our hand and seal, this the 19th day of November in the year 1937 in the city of Winston-Salem, N. C., in the County of Forsyth. Bill Knott, Testator Witnesses: Shirley Temple Popeye's Pappy BLACK AND GOLD