Stoneham High School - Wildlife Yearbook (Stoneham, MA)

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THE S. H. S. AUTHENTIC 3 make lip their studies for that purpose Oue boy being down in five studies when the baseball season came, quickly made them up. Despite these favor- able cases, we honestly admit that athletics do not generally make the marks for studies any higher. The true solution would seem to consist in the establishment of a perfect understanding between the school authorities and the students, together with a sympathetic interest on the part of the prin- cipal and a strict enforcement of the rules for re- moving a player from the team when down in his studies. In this way resentfulness on the part of the speaker removed will be banished, the team will not sutler from measures too harsh and radical, and lastly tolerably good standing will be maintained in class, even bv those habitually indolent. The student must be brought to realize that the real business of school is study and he must act ac- cordingly. The majority will not make a living from Athletics, but rather by the use of the mental training so well started in school. Their duties will call for the use of the brain, which accordingly should be well stocked with knowledge. Since there are so many tilings which demand tlie time of a student, home duties, social events, school work, matters of class, school and societies, lie must think twice before entering the arena of Athletics. If he cannot do all these things he must eliminate the least important with common sense and good judgment. He must sacrifice some of his pleasures if lie puts much time on practicing. En- gaging in Athletics, far from constituting an excuse from study, should make the scholar more diligent, so as to overcome this handicap. Of course if a student does not maintain stand- ing in class, it is only justice to himself tiiat lie should be kept from playing until the work is made up. Although he may not realize it at the time and although he may feel injured it is for his own bene- fit and welfare. To give athletes a better chance to study, it has been suggested that they play but one inter- scholastic game a week. It is a good rule, but in a small school it would so break up the team as to cause the loss of important games. It would work well where there is a large supply of good players, but in a small town like ours it would be too radical a change. We play to win if win we can. To be sure the English idea of sport, to play for the fun and exer- cise there is in the game, is a good one. But we Americans are not satisfied with exercise alone. We must needs have a contest a struggle, actuated by rivalry and a determination to win. To excel is the spirit of the times on this side of the Atlantic. To summarize: Although Athletics are now an important factor in High School life, they must not so monopolize the student’s time as to leave him none for study. There is room for both if a little common sense and a pinch of the salt of good judgment is used. Athletes must use common sense, and as a general principal never place Ath- letics before school work. A good understanding must exist between pupil and principal, so that no ill feeling may exist when a player is removed from the team. Moreover, the student must aim for a happy medium in Athletics. Neither must he study and grind till the color of health has left his cheeks nor must lie so wear himself out in Athletics as to be unable to study. The student himself must solve this problem and lie can easily do it by following the sane doc- trine of the “happy mean.” William F. McHai.e. Class History N gathering these notes much diffi- culty has been experienced. Some records have been lost, some but faintly held in memory, hence some of the incidents mentioned herein do not conform exactly to the truth in all details, luit in a general sense they are accurate and reliable. We can hardly realize that our school days are over, that we shall never again assemble as a class in our dearly beloved High School. No one who lias not been through such an experience can real- ize how hard it is to break the bands forged by many years of congenial comradeship. We shall always feel that our High School course.was a vital part of our lives, and it is more than likely that in the future years we shall look back upon the time so spent as the happiest we have ever known. We entered the present High School building in the fall of 1001, with Misses Bryant and Clark for teachers. We were compelled to remain in the ninth grade three months longer than usual, on account of graduation day being transferred from March to June. Consequently we entered upon our

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2 THE 5. H. 5. AUTHENTIC it possible that the surf men would try to reach the vessel. Even an ocean going tug, which went to help her, turned back in despair. But the life- savers, knowing their duty, started out in the surf boat, and after struggling for hours against the wind and the huge waves, succeeded in reaching the schooner. They found to their horror that the sailors had become insane from exposure. They pulled so hard and fast on the rope which was thrown to them that the surf boat was almost swamped. It was not until the keeper threatened to cut, the rope that he could control them and take them off the wreck. With the addition of the seven men from the schooner, the surf boat was almost overloaded. The rescued sailors were worse than useless and were stowed away lengthwise in the bottom of the boat. On account of the exhaustion of the life-savers and the strength of the wind, it was decided to remain on a neighboring shoal until the tide should turn the next morning. Imagine the feelings of a crew of wornout men, waiting in the darkness for the tide to turn ! At last “Purdie,” as his friends called him, exclaimed, “I’d like to go to sleep if it were only for ten minutes?” After that each man, in turn, was relieved from the oars and allowed to sleep ten minutes, no longer for fear of freezing. This shortened the night somewhat, and when the tide turned they started for the shore, arriving there just before sundown, after twenty-six hours in open sea. Amid the cheers of the crowd who had been watching and waiting for them, the keeper said, “Come, boys, hurry and get your supper, it’s most time for the sunset patrol to be out.” For this rescue the members of the crew were awarded gold medals by Congress, but to one of them they came too late. “Purdie” was the son on whom his mother depended. He was taken ill from that nights exposure and lived only a short time. He knew that the medals were coming, and when the keeper saw him at his mother’s home just before lie died, lie said. “Say, cap., haven’t those stove covers come yet?” When his “stove cover” did come, it came to the mother and not to “Purdie.” Such is tin work of the American life-savers, the guardians of our coast. For their bravery and self-sacrifice their sole reward is a “knowledge of days well spent and duties well performed.” But is this enough? Shall not the people of the United States make some provision for these men, who give the best part of their lives for ours? There is help for our heroes of war, their wives and their orphans, but for our heroes of peace there is — nothing. Bkutma M. Emkksox. The Happy Medium in Athletics SECOND HONOR UITE needless it would be to de- monstrate the benefit of Athletics, since the majority of people recog- nize their wholesome effects. They perceive that the harmonious ex- ercise of body and mind, such as is enjoyed in Athletics, tends to develop both mind and body. ' They realize that Athletics educate as well as do Latin and Mathematics. Moreover in that they bring all classes on a common footing where wealth and bluster count for nothing, where real worth alone is commended, they have a great equalizing tendency and produce as well as promote manliness. An old college man of the sixties said that in his time, no athletic disturbances broke in on the thought tilled quiet of those half monastic days. But those days have passed. A live, healthy Amer- ican of today must have action and healthy rivalry. Today is not whether Athletics shall exist in schools, but rather to what extent shall they he car- ried? The problem is, how much Athletics can a student stand and still do good work in class? As a general rule, students playing on school teams do not turn out such good work as usual. This must be expected. Practicing and playing take time. Of course there are some students who, by extra effort, maintain as good standing while engaged in athletics as before. Others fall in their studies but not below the passing mark. Still others so engaged fail utterly in their examinations and recitations. Although the cause of these fail- ures is generally pointed out as athletics, it is true that they might have occurred anyway. In fact there are cases when athletics are the cause of great improvement in studies. Since no one is allowed to play on the teams unless he is up in his studies, efforts are often made by students to

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4 THE 5. H. 5. AUTHENTIC Freshman year with unusually good preparation. We began our freshman year under the very able instruction of Miss Trowbridge, a very wide awake and exacting teacher. Now Mr. McLaugh- lin came to school one morning without his les- sons, at least that is our private opinion, for just before an algebra recitation lie went soundly to sleep. The class was called but no Mr. McLaugh- lin went with it. What awakened him, and a surprised boy lie was, I leave to your imagination. As a freshman class we were of course sub- jected as usual to hazing. The sophomores, or rather that part known as the “Wire Gang, thinking one of our smaller boys altogether too fresh, captured him one recess and tried the egg cure on him, but sad to say, without doing him much permanent good. Poor Dodie seemed to get it from almost everyone, during his freshman year. Our first social at Mr. Padgett’s, on Chestnut street, will never be forgotten. The “Wire Gang” came down in force, bent on trouble. One of our young ladies, when almost within the door, was politely relieved of a nice large cake made especi- ally for the occasion. This cake was much appre- ciated by the heavy eaters in the “Wire Gang.” At the same time, one of our young men, anxious to defend the girls, shot an arrow gun out of a window. The Sophs vowed vengeance and unfor- tunately for poor Dan, later succeeded in getting it. We also held socials at Mr. Poor’s and at Miss Payson’s. At the latter place, Dan of the arrow gun, was seized by the irate Sophs and dumped into a nearby brook, much to the detriment of his clothes and temper. We broke the record for socials during this, our freshman year. The summer vacation passed quickly and we entered upon our sophomore year. We began the study of French under Miss Buzzed, and it imme- diately became one of our favorite studies. That excellent instructor had a way of making it extremely delightful to us. About this time there was a threatened division in our class, over the choice of the class colors and pin. The girls wanted one thing and the boys another. The matter was finally settled by a com- promise, the boys choosing the colors, Yale blue and white, and the girls the pin, the Fleur de lis. We were very glad to welcome Mr. Merryfield to our class at this time. He became one of our best members. We however, lost Padgett and Mr. Knapp, both good members, so the balance was on the debit side. We had taken our share of hazing during our freshman year, so we thought we would do a little on our own account. Accordingly, the night of the first freshman social, at Miss Hoffer’s, the gang went down to make trouble. Soon after we arrived, however, a large party of outsiders put in an appearance. Of course we were blamed for the fracas which took place, and the next morning the edict came forth, “No more hazing.” That settled hazing, as such, in the Stoneham High School. We were represented on the ’04 base ball team by Mr. McHale and Mr. Brown. In the great ball game with Wakefield that year, it was Brownie ' s hit which won the game. Perhaps there wasn’t something doing that night! At the beginning of our Junior year we were very sorry to learn of Miss Bingham’s resignation. She had been one of the best teachers we ever had. Miss Miner also resigned, Miss Turner and Miss Sherman coming to take their places. Mr. Sherman became a member of our class at this time, but we lost quite a number of boys, Mr Mann, Mr. Houston and Mr. Poor joined the ranks of the enemy, and graduated in the three years’ course with the class of ’05. We took up the study of geology. Mr. Emer- son made it an extremely interesting study. Many enjoyable trips were made to surrounding towns. The one to the Winchester sandbank is especially remembered because of its perilous but fascinating jumping off place. Astronomy in time took the place of geology, and we learned how to determine the latitude and longitude of a place, also the different constella- tions in the sky. While examining Jupiter s moons one night, Mr. William McHale’s head came within range of the telescope. Mr. Emerson who was looking through the telescope at the time exclaimed, “Willie, your head is in the way, and I can’t see a thing in it either.” In this fall term of our Junior year, Miss Vin- ton held a barn party. It has become famous in our minds. The other classes came up and lie- sieged us. Some windows were broken, croquet Dalis flew through the air. It was a miniature attack on Fort Sumpter over again. Well, they had their fun, but as the old adage says, “Those who dance must pay the fiddler,” and the besiegers had to fish down deep in their pockets to pay for their fun. Dodie, hearing a rumor that they had come after him in particular, was scared most to death. The girls surrounded him, went out the back way through an apple orchard, and escorted him to a safe distance from the fray, from whence he safely ran home. He doesn’t seem very grateful