Stoneham High School - Wildlife Yearbook (Stoneham, MA)

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THE STONEHAM HIGH SCHOOL AUTHENTIC hundred northwest. I wondered while I was pacing what kind of a mine there might be in this dry desert country, and when I reached the end there was, as I did not exactly expect, nothing but a very sandy place, similar to many I had already passed through. Not believing this was the right spot, I retraced my steps and a gain, very carefully this time, paced the distance. On the last hundred paces I became in- tensely excited and when I saw ahead of me a pile of rocks I fairly ran to them. Quickly I examined them, and there on the flat surface of the largest in great letters was carved the single word DIG. Feverishly I threw the heavy rocks to right and left. It was hard work, but I soon found that one more rock would disclose the bottom. I slowly lifted this, and there, on a large flat rock imbedded in the ground there was carved in large letters — APEIL FOOL. Gone was my dream of riches, but even as I reviled my ancestor’s idea of a joke, there was a jerk, and I awoke to hear the conductor’s voice shouting, “Next station is Eound Hole.” B. C. C., ’27. (3ln£rasmn of pjorih The greatest invasion of the business world by women came in 1917. Before that, however, many had made their livelihood by activities along commer- cial lines, but never was so great an in- flux of women in business as was caused by the World War. The economic condition was, in part, responsible for women shouldering the burden of support, not only of them- selves, but of those dependent upon them. When the young men responded to the country’s call to arms, women were eager to aid in carrying on the indus- tries of the nation. Their desire to serve was so great, that although they could not all go into the field as nurses, they wanted in some way “to do their bit.” The typewriter can, perhaps, be con- sidered the key that opened the first door to them in the field of business. They have become experts in stenog- raphy, and, to a large extent, they have replaced men in this gainful occupa- tion. Because of the commercializing in- fluence all up-to-date towns and cities are putting more and more emphasis on the commercial training in the High Schools and are giving the best possi- ble foundation for future work. Some of the criticisms hurled against the woman with a job are that she becomes hardened — that she spoils the labor market for men — and also that “a women has no head for busi- ness.” If becoming hardened means learn- ing to understand human nature and so becoming less sensitive to personal hardships — if it means that in facing serious problems the business women is less yielding and not so easily swayed by emotions as her sheltered sister, yes, then a woman with a job is hard. But with a wider knowledge of human na- ture come a greater tolerance of it, and as one is knocked about the world she becomes more sympathetic with others. That women spoil the labor market for men can be answered the way the argument about machines is answered. Industrial machines, when they first came into existence put men out of business, but after a certain period of adjustment, plenty of work was found for all. There are many men behind the counters that might well be re- claiming deserts or building railroads. One cannot help feeling that a man is wasted selling pink baby ribbon. That women have no head for busi- ness, indeed! A fact that would have amazed our grandmothers is that there is a National Association of Bank W o men, about four thousand in number, composed, not of bank clerks, but lim- ited to women holding executive posi- tions. There are women manufacturers, about eight thousand of them, heads of successful industries, in some cases in- dustries that they themselves have or- ganized from the bottom up. Evident- ly women have a head for business! The great war gave women every- where such wide opportunities for their talents that they proved to have capac- ities hitherto unsuspected by men. Wo- men have established themselves in the. positions in which circumstances have placed them and filled them so efii- ciently that their ability has never since been questioned. Try to think of some reputable busi- ness in which men engaj e that is not 11

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THE STONEHAM HIGH SCHOOL AUTHENTIC of harnessing electricity and electrical impulses? And so let us think of rub- ber not only as an inanimate product to be grown and speculated upon, not something tangible, but something that unknowingly helps conquer those in- visible forces. Eubber is a silent friend of civilization. Kenneth Eice, ’24. Tired of looking from the window of a western-bound express train, I thot of the tradition which had been handed down for several generations in our family, about a lost mine. The story ian that one of our ancestors, who had been among the explorers of western America about 1800, had found a mine of fabulous riches, but he had died be- fore exploring it further. A record had been left which stated that if one stood at midday on the right place at the edge of the desert, there would be visible, on an isolated peak shaped like a sombrero, four bright spots forming a perfect square. When these were located, by following his di- rections, the mine could be easily found. As a boy I had pored over these rec- ords, and suddenly I realized that to- day’s date was the same as that of my ancestor’s discovery, April first. Here I was, riding through the country where it was reported to be. Might I not find it? However, I soon put these thoughts from my mind, as I refiected that many of our family had failed to find any traces of ic, although they had searched long. Suddenly I was awakened from my day-dream by the screaming of the brakes as the train came to a stand- still. As it did not immediately re- sume its journey, I got out to find the reason for this abrupt stop on the edge of the desert. A brakeman said there was trouble that would delay them an hour. Wishing to view the surrounding country, I climbed the nearest hill. The sun was shinging directly over- head, and as I turned • to enjoy the beauty of the scenery, I saw that which made me lose my breath and gasp with astonishment. There, at a comparatively short dis- tance was an isolated mountain shaped like a sombrero, purple against the cloudless blue of the sky. On its peak four bright spots forming a square sparkled and gleamed. Was it a mi- rage or w’as it real? As I stood in this dazed condition, I was startled by hearing the rumble of my train as it started. I sprang down the hillside and ran after it shouting and waving frantically but to no avail. The hot sun quickly tired me, and I stood helplessly and watched as the train disappeared. I was alone in the desert. Determined to make the best of a bad situation, I again climbed the hill where I had first seen what I now be- lieved to be a mirage, but to my sur- prise those four spots Avere still fisible. Even as thoughts flashed through my mind of the riches of the lost mine, I beheld a lone horseman coming toAvard me. Was help at hand? Fearing lest, as the sun mov’ed, the exact spot from which I had seen the mountain at midday might be lost, I marked it with some stones which I found near the railroad track. As I Avas on the edge of the desert, I soon found a large rock and sat doAvn in its shade to wait for the arriA’al of the horseman and to try to remember the further directions to that mine. I thought back to those records — what Avere they? Something about so many paces north, then Avest and then north- west. After puzzling myself for quite a while, I decided that the directions had been one hundred paces north, fifty west, and tAvo hundred northwest from the point where the four bright spots might be seen. I returned now to my landmark and as I looked for the horseman I real- ized he had turned and was passing about a mile to my right. Quickly tear- ing off my coat, I waved it wildly and shouted, hoping to attract his atten- tion, but to no avail. Again I was alone in the desert! Now I must find the mine and de- pend upon the flagging of some passen- ger train to take me from this desolate place. Judging the directions by the sun, for I had no compass, I quickly set out to pace the required amount — one hundred north, fifty west, and two 10

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THE STONEHAM HIGH SCHOOL AUTHENTIC equally open to Tvomen. It is not only true that the entire business field is open to them, but that they can go into any honorable business without at- tracting undue attention to themselves. It should therefore be axiomatic, that every human being, man or wo- man, should work at something. And to most it is evident that only the workers are happy, for they alone are serving. Marion E. Saxby, ’24. In a recent magazine article, a writ- er imagines what would happen if all advertising matter should suddenly disappear. The result is disastrous, all modern inventions become extinct, and the race goes backward. This imaginary experience leads to the conclusion that in our modern world, advertising has a definite and quite indispensable place. By means of this comparatively new science, com- modities are placed before the minds of the people in such an alluring form that it is almost impossible to resist the impulse to buy immediately. The economic value of attractive ad- vertising is constantly being demon- strated. Large sums of money are de- voted by shrewd managers of success- ful business concerns to secure novel methods of gaining public attention through the beauty, originality, or au- dacity of their appeal. This is done because it has been proved that the method pays. Magazines contain more advertising than literary material, and oftentim es the subtly worded announcements are completed by pictures and sketches. Because of the generous remuneration offered, artists of recognized ability in better known fields of art have turned their skill to this phase of advanced work. Among these are Coles Phillips, Arthur Kackham, Maxfield Parrish, and Jessie Wilcox Smith. Some of the magazines refuse to ac- cept contracts from questionable com- panies, and a few maintain testing plants to safeguard their readers by proving the worth of the article repre- sented. In this way, the purchasers are assured that, when buying an ar- ticle thus advertised, they are getting the best possible. The circulars and booklets are the most direct means of reaching the pub- lic. All people like to receive mail and although it is true that these circulars are evidently thrown away, many, es- pecially those removed from the great centers, purchase through postoffices. No expense is spared in making these ' booklets as attractive as possible — tlie quality of the paper, the cuts and the I illustrations combine in making them a pleasure to read. Besides these book- lets advertising merchandise, there are those issued by the several railroad companies which contain information and adventurous appeal as well as the merits and equipment of the re- spective systems. Daily newspapers have an important place in department store advertising. Other mediums are calendars and post- ers in the street cars w ' hich in later years have developed from mere print- ed appeals into highly colored placards, many with catch phrases, showing that, as a people, we constantly demand new devices to engage our attention. In great cities the night is made brilliant by the flaunting lights of many hued electric signs announcing, in letters of flame and with intermit- ; tent flashes, the location of theatres, hotels and the headquarters of auto- I mobile concerns. By these means, cu- riosity and expectancy are aroused. The art of advertising may be said to have reached its greatest height, when an airplane writes upon the sky, in great letters of smoke or flame, the name of some well known commodity. Legitimate advertising is important and helpful, but w ' hen conspicuous bill- boards intrude on natural scenery, pub- lic sentiment demands their removal. Out of respect for this idea, and in- fluenced by the Women’s Clubs, certain large firms, among which are the ! Standard Oil Company, Colgate Co., ! Kirkman Sons, and the Pillsbury I Flour Co., have placed themselves on record as doing away with billboards except in cities and near their places of business. Since the advent of the radio, indi- rect advertising, termed advertising by concealment, has been used. Certain : firms furnish entertainment for the “listeners in” and thrust the informa- tion upon their unsuspecting ears dur- ing the program. In time this will be ch anged by standardizing a method of 12