Theodore Roosevelt High School - Saga Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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LA DEIQNI ERE CLASSE Ting-a ling-a lingl I rolled over and gradually came to the realization that today was Friday and that the final marks were to be computed that afternoon. Well , thought I, if I shine in my lessons today, they'll give me a good mark for the term, maybe. Five seconds later I was gulping scalding cocoa and munch- ing a roll. Ten seconds after that I climbed on a bus to dash to school to do some homework. What earthly good homework at such a time could do, I can't now possibly imagine, but, at any rate, that thought entered my head and stuck. Never before or after have I ridden on such a slow bus, but at last I reached school, raced to my locker, put my coat away, picked up a book and began to study Latin. The bell rang, interrupted my studies and brought back to my mind the fact that we would not have Latin today because of a meeting of the language teachers. With a dejected air I went to my class, took out what was supposed to be my mathematics book, and waited. Benjamin, said Miss Deutelbaum, addressing me, please read the first paragraph on page 287. I opened my book to page 287, glanced at the first paragraph and began, That make the bells of Heaven to peal Round pillows frosty with the feel Of Death's cold finger tips- The laughs of the class and Miss Deutelbaums expression made me turn the book overg I saw the title, Contemporary Poetry, Edited by Marguerite Wilkinson. Well, Benjamin, said Miss Deutelbaum, thank you for the rather flowery mathematics so early in the morning. Louise, will you please read the paragraph? Needless to say, my chances of a passing mark in mathematics were wrecked by that episode. Thoughts of the next period were more cheering. Our art class was going to look at slides of Roman buildings and such, which left me in the dark anyway, so I had a little nap. My glimpses of the Coliseum, Parthenon, and the like helped my appetite and, despite the misfortunes of the day, I ate a hearty meal. With my vocal chords carefully adjusted to the intricate mechanical effects required by him who would converse freely in the French language, I swallowed hastily the last bite of a baked apple and hastened to the French class. There I was called upon to conjugate some French verbs. Perhaps the presence in the room of Mr. Flood, the teacher of that lovely language, Latin, confused me, at any rate I construed some Latin, much to the delight of the class, who thought I was 7

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as Q99 1 9 Q9 p PQH a Q A PQ 'tk ' a A9 fy ,439 iq P09 19 37 vo S Q 9 'o D Q0 'pq PQ dQQPv 9 9 po PQ Qlq DQ pq pq :Q Q pq p9 P99 9 U 0 vantage, and so have fallen by the wayside. Countless numbers have trodden this path to success before us, some of whom had little or no training. We are fortunate in being well armed with superb equipmentfknowledge, and we are, we earnestly hope, about to set out on the road and to use it wisely. With the difficult road in view, our training ready for instant use, and with the thought of other successful graduates in mind, let us set out on this journey resolved: First, that we will set up as a goal an objective worthy of our Alma Mater and of our- selves, second, that we will cease struggling only when we have attained the goal we strove to reach. TOM COUGHLAN A GLANCE TO Tl-IE FUTURE The course of our lives is about to be readjusted. Shedding the responsibilities of high school, we adopt new ones, large in comparison. During those four years of study, we possessed a feeling of security, seeing the path spread before us, knowing that it could be trod with an exertion of a certain amount of effort and perseverance. Now uncertainty visits us. Life con- tains so many paths and by-ways. Which one shall we pursue? Our high school education has helped to a certain extent to show us what course to follow. Success may come to many of us who can confront our problems unflinchingly, treating them for what they are worth. This is the time when the problems which have arisen dur- ing our past school-life will seem mere trivialities to our experi- enced state of mind. lt will seem hardly conceivable that we had attached so much importance to them. Perhaps, our acquaint- ance with these little problems will make us less vulnerable later on. When life grows more and more intricate, we may be likely to repeat that age-old expression, l wish l had my school days back again. In fond regard, we shall endeavor to recall those days. How discomforting it would be if those memories had perished with the years, and nothing was at hand to revive theml That is the time when the Senior Saga will assume in- finite value. A living memorial it will be, where the faces of students, hopeful and happy, look up from the pages, and where the thoughts of seniors are recorded. lt may be of real value in helping us to regain a small part of the confidence that was typical of the high school age. CAROLINE RIEF 6

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ii- 1 it I 1 X , ' I I if Q F - 3 VAI- making fun of the classical teacher. I was innocent of any such attempt, but as the French was lacking and the Latin was wrong, I lost caste with both departments. Forty-five minutes is not an infinite period, and at last I was in the corridor breathing freely, for only chemistry and gym re- mained. In chemistry we had been doing experimental work. I could get through that easily, and who's afraid of gym? Much to my distress, however, in chemistry, Mr. Branson, the instructor, asked us to sit up in front, and there he promptly sounded our wells of knowledge for information. Iosephine, he inquired, what happens when you pour hot concentrated sulphuric acid on zinc? Iosephine knew! Not the answer to the question: no, no! She knew that she did not know and said so. Mr. Branson said something about too many pink teas, getting lost in the fog, etc., and passed the question on to me. I also knew that I didn't know, but I didn't say so. What I did say was: Well, sir, you get a chemical reaction between the hydrogen of the acid and the hydrogen of the zinc, forming water and evolving carbon dioxide gas- Oh, you do, do you? satirically from Mr. Branson. 'I'hat's news to me. Yes, sir, I went on, encouraged, the residue, zinc hydrate and hydrochloric acid, unite to form hydrogen sulphide and lead sulphate, an insoluble salt- What! An insoluble salt, I repeated, to gain time to think. If you want to continue further you dissolve the lead sulphate in the water and add the combination of hydrogen sulphide and carbon dioxide. The hydrogen in the hydrogen sulphide explodes- Explodes? he interrupted witheringly. That's obliging of it. Yes, sir, explodes and scatters sulphur all over the room, while the oxygen puts out the fire- Oxygen! Puts out fire! Yes, sir, puts out the fire and the carbon forms in pink sticks along the ceiling. Pink sticks of carbon! Great Scott! Well, Benjamin, he said, glowering at me over his glasses, thank you for the recitation. It confirms me in the mark I have thought of giving you for the term. And that was that. Well, anyhow, I thought, gym is next and there I shall make a good mark. But the notice on the gymnasium door read simply: TO TI-IE SENIORS. NO GYM TODAY Mr. Dreeben At least, thought l, he won't have to spend the afternoon to compute my mark. BENIAMIN ZIMNEY 8