St Clair High School - Clairvoyant Yearbook (St Clair, MI)

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duty, and knowledge of this kind would help considerably toward giving a just decision and weighing point for point. In any public meeting one is able to state his views in a masterly and clear way. Much knowledge and good thoughts are lost because of someone not feeling com- petent to say what he thinks. When before the public it gives one a bearing of confidence and ease, which he would not otherwise attain. Debating gives one the knowledge to know what is right or wrong and to figure out and suggest remedies or solutions. Debating is an educational pleasurable work. —ARNOLD METTIG ’23 THE ORCHESTRA The members of the orchestra were called together and a rehearsal was held Monday, October 1st. Dr. Francis Bacon directed the orchestra. During the pro- gress of the meeting the following officers were elected: President; Lawrence Autterson; Business Manager, Reed Jerome; Assistant Business Manager, Charles Moore. Rehearsals were voted to be held on Monday night of each week, throughout the year. About the first of the year, Dr. Bacon left. The work as director was assumed by Miss Mary Stewart, music teacher. Short ly after “Cappie Wilson, director of the University of Michigan Varsity Band, took charge of the orchestra for the remainder of the year and rehearsals were held on Thursday of each week at 12:30 p. m. The following were enrolled in the orchestra at the beginning of the year; First Violins, Aileen Wolvin, Laura Kelley, Myra Goodrich, Evelyn Watson, Vernoma Wilson, John Cyman, Lewis Werner, John Hart, Louis Paulis. Trombone, Charles Moore. First Cornet, Justin Munger. C. Melody Saxophone, Frederick Gliem, and Lawrence Autterson. Drums, Kenneth Chamberlin. Piano, Reed Jerome. This year Frederick Gliem, Lawrence Autterson, Justin Munger, Laura Kelley, Aileen Wolvin, John Cyman and Louis Werner are leaving, but we are confident that next year ' s orchestra will be larger and better, although the orchestra this year was the best and largest that the High School has yet had. We feel that the success of the orchestra is largely due to Dr. Bacon, who took a great interest in the orchestra, and with the cooperation of the members made it what it was. — L. AUTTERSON, ’22.

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DEBATE The debating teams this year met with disaster, for St. Clair suffered defeat in each case. The members of the teams were: Affirmative — Fred Gliem, Tryon Maclvor, Louis Durand. Negative — Arnold Mettig, Charles Moore, Ralph Pelton. The Affirmative debated Ferndale. The Negative debated Marine City twice, Ferndale and Birmingham. Nevertheless, a losing team gains more good from a debate than the winners, as the losing trio is excited to greater efforts and also puts the members on their guard. They are also benefited by the criticism received in regard to the weak points. Although defeated, the teams real- ize the untold advantage gained by having debated. De- bating is work from which we gain pleasure in the doing. There is a feeling of the exciting — of a contest. It’s not a contest of might, but a contest of brains against brains. Although it takes an immense amount of work, the pleas- ure attached offsets a greater part of it. The climax or the real debate itself provides thrills that are well worth the task of preparation. Debating is worth more than any other educational course, and is fast coming into notice. Debating and public speaking as a part of the school work are increasing daily. Debating is a wonderful developer of the intellect. It teaches us to think quickly and say what we wish to say in simple words and sentences. Besides considerably enlarging our vocabulary, it brings us in touch with great problems, as we are able to talk intelligently on about any subject, for one apparently small undertaking, we find upon investigating, includes great areas of the world ' s knowledge. W hen preparing for a debate we obtain the inside knowledge of and find a great amount of material concern- ing something we thought very simple, and having formed our opinion beforehand we may change it entirely after having progressed a little way. Therefore besides broad- ening the mind intellectually, it is broadened in the sense that we speak of as broad minded. That is, one is taught to look on both sides of an issue with equal fairness. The knowledge gained by debating is used in every phase of life. One is sometimes called upon to do jury

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ST. CLAIR HIGH IN THE FUTURE A great change will take place for the student of St. Clair High quite soon. Not only one great change but many, so many in fact, that school will seem a very differ- ent thing from what it has been this year. The new building will be, as our former places have not been, a comfortable, healthy, and inspiring place to study. ft will be comfortable because of being evenly heated and having plenty of room ; healthy for the rooms will be properly lighted and ventilated, and inspiring be- cause of its artistic and beautiful appearance. In the past we have seen that there were not enough subjects offered, and because of this students did not have much choice. This will not be the case next year for there will be many new courses added to those we already have. The new ones will include manual training, which instructs boys to do skilled hand-work, house-hold arts in which girls are taught the best methods of cooking, sewing, and caring for a home, and physical education will be given to all pupils. Courses will also be offered in commercial work, agriculture, and art. St. Clair High School has often fallen down in its out- side activities because it has lacked a place suitable for practice and presentation. One branch of these activities is athletics, but next year in the gymnasium will be found a first class setting for this important phase of school life. Again, whenever the school has desired to put on a play or entertainment it has bee n unable to do it successfully be- cause of lack of a proper place for carrying out anything of the sort. The High School auditorium will remedy this and one could not wish for a better place for the purpose. It will have a large stage, plently of scenery, seat a large audience, and will meet all other requirements that an up-to-date auditorium should. The music department, which has formerly been handicapped for a proper room, will also be well provided for in the new school. With all of these improvements we are sure to have more plays